As an entrepreneur, I find it difficult to limit my focus when it comes to my creativity. I have an impressive number of hobbies, and it is hard to keep up with all of them. Following your passion is something we often hear in relation to what a person should do with their life. I am learning to narrow my focus because without this my business ventures risk being diluted.

I am a published author and feel that my purpose is to write. As most indie authors will acknowledge, it is a way to earn an income, but not always the quickest or most reliable source. It can and will grow to be more sustainable over time, and we all strive to reach that Best-Selling Author status. Until then, we all search for revenue streams so supplement our earnings.

My choice is to bring more good into the world, as much as I can.

When I refer to writing as my purpose, it takes many forms. I write lyrics, maintain a blog, and I write articles here bi-weekly.  Coming up with ideas is not something I worry about, to be honest. The ideas are always tumbling around inside my head, waiting for me to pound them out onto the keyboard. There was a time when I preferred to take a pen and paper to write creatively. After I discovered the time I would save if I adapted to writing on my computer or laptop, the switch was easy.

What does this have to do with lipstick?

In my search to earn an income while writing, I took a leap of faith into the world of direct marketing, which also includes network marketing through social media. I bought a presenter kit, and just like that, I owned a makeup business. Seriously. The beauty of it is that I have nothing else to lose. I need to keep a certain amount of sales rolling in over a three-month period. If I don’t meet the target, I lose active status, and nothing else. Score some sales and I am back in business. There is no shame in learning how to grow this business. You learn, and the business grows at the same time. If I ever wanted to quit, it would be easy to make it official. An added bonus is that I am learning how to grow this business while gathering knowledge about sales and marketing, which will help me with my goals as an author as well.

Giving up is not an option. I am having a lot of fun!

This week it thrilled me to get two new lipsticks. The one in the kit was a neutral shade, but it wasn’t a color I would pick for myself. I could not wait to try them on! If I was to leave my home with only one product on my face, my first choice would be lipstick. These days, I have to consider a face mask as a part of what I wear when I have to leave the house, so when I have to wear the face mask, I choose mascara.

One is a tube of lipstick, called Loaded. It is a mauve rose shade. I know I can wear mauve lipstick, so it was a safe choice for me. The second is a lip stain in a color they call Sucker Punched, and we describe it as a raspberry pink. When I told a friend what colors I chose for myself, she thought it would be too bright for me. I have tried it, and I absolutely love it!

Photo by Tish MacWebber

In terms of self-care, I consider myself to be low-maintenance. My husband thinks otherwise, but he really does not understand what a high-maintenance woman is. I do my own nails, get my hair cut maybe three times a year, and that is a lot for me. I go shopping for new clothes when I wear out what I have. If I could buy shoes and purses more frequently, I would. As often as possible, I buy things on sale.

In April, I undertook an immense challenge. I signed up for personal development webinars. This means that I have seen over 90 speakers in April, and there are a few lined up in May, but not to the extreme amount as the previous month. Why? The only way for me to grow and advance in all areas of my life is to learn from as many people as I can. They do not all capture my full attention, but I have added a few names to my list of role models and dream coaches.

Every single webinar I watched was free. The value of the time I spent watching and taking notes is priceless. Learning was step one in this growth. Now I must share what I have learned, to do another thing I am on this earth to do. Help others. We all can do this, but not everyone will. My choice is to bring more good into the world, as much as I can.

As I learn about makeup, I share the adventures on my social media platform. Sometimes I blog about it. Other times I ask my followers their preference between two looks. When all else fails, I post a group of selfies. It is amazing to me to see how much I am changing in terms of my confidence. The company’s motto is to uplift, empower, and validate. I uplift others by sharing my journey. I am empowering myself to take control of how I feel, and I validate my efforts with every sale.

So it’s not just about the lipstick, but I am pleased with what I am learning about makeup, and about myself, as my business grows.