All I really do
I got back from my high school reunion on Monday night with a sore throat and twelve hours of sleep over 3 nights and 3 days. I had a fabulous time meeting with old friends who I haven’t seen in ages and also getting to know classmates I didn’t know so well before, but who are doing interesting things with their lives. That weekend was also the first time I didn’t have the urge to check email (although I did keep going back to the one spot on campus where my cell had reception to check on the store). I enjoyed the beautiful weather, wet my hair in the rain, and walked up a little hill in the slush to watch sunrise after staying awake all night. My husband, who had accompanied me, wanted to know who I had turned into, and if I could continue to be the “new Anaka” once we got back to Chennai as well.
The truth is, once I get into my routine with work I tend to get so serious about everything. Every small detail gets blown out of proportion in my head, and the lack of an office environment with colleagues doesn’t help either because it means I don’t have anyone to show me another perspective. Last night I spoke to an old friend I’ve known since 3rd grade and she said she hasn’t heard me sound so relaxed in three years!
Well don’t get me wrong, I really love my job and I find the work that I do both fun and stimulating, but it can get really exhausting. Very often I feel like how I imagine a single parent might feel with all the responsibility of raising a child but no time to really savour and enjoy the special moments (no offense to mothers with human babies- just that I often think of Brass Tacks as my baby). This isn’t the first time I’ve realized this about myself; other holidays and my honeymoon have shown me that I am more creative when I’m relaxed. I try to incorporate relaxing activities into my everyday life all the time (my latest is making sure I always have a great book to read and I find it’s the best thing to do when I’m worried about something that’s not completely in my control) but sustaining that “relaxed feeling” is the hard part.
Right now I’m behind schedule with ordering fabric for my winter collection, my bank balance is really low, and I’m worried about the sluggish sales at my retail section in Hyderabad. The difference, however, is that right now I’m able to take things in my stride and get work done without letting the stress get to me. In a week or two when this wears off I will be pulling my hair out and secretly wishing I had a “normal” job (i.e. a steady salary!).
My new mid-year resolution is to do whatever it takes to sustain that relaxed feeling. That doesn’t mean working a lot less, it just means staying relaxed mentally (and potentially getting more work done in less time as a result) and remembering that I’m in this for the fun of it more than anything else. And hey, at this point things can only get better as I start earning a decent salary right?
The truth is, once I get into my routine with work I tend to get so serious about everything. Every small detail gets blown out of proportion in my head, and the lack of an office environment with colleagues doesn’t help either because it means I don’t have anyone to show me another perspective. Last night I spoke to an old friend I’ve known since 3rd grade and she said she hasn’t heard me sound so relaxed in three years!
Well don’t get me wrong, I really love my job and I find the work that I do both fun and stimulating, but it can get really exhausting. Very often I feel like how I imagine a single parent might feel with all the responsibility of raising a child but no time to really savour and enjoy the special moments (no offense to mothers with human babies- just that I often think of Brass Tacks as my baby). This isn’t the first time I’ve realized this about myself; other holidays and my honeymoon have shown me that I am more creative when I’m relaxed. I try to incorporate relaxing activities into my everyday life all the time (my latest is making sure I always have a great book to read and I find it’s the best thing to do when I’m worried about something that’s not completely in my control) but sustaining that “relaxed feeling” is the hard part.
Right now I’m behind schedule with ordering fabric for my winter collection, my bank balance is really low, and I’m worried about the sluggish sales at my retail section in Hyderabad. The difference, however, is that right now I’m able to take things in my stride and get work done without letting the stress get to me. In a week or two when this wears off I will be pulling my hair out and secretly wishing I had a “normal” job (i.e. a steady salary!).
My new mid-year resolution is to do whatever it takes to sustain that relaxed feeling. That doesn’t mean working a lot less, it just means staying relaxed mentally (and potentially getting more work done in less time as a result) and remembering that I’m in this for the fun of it more than anything else. And hey, at this point things can only get better as I start earning a decent salary right?
Labels: business, repair and maintenance
posted by Anaka at
7:52 PM
5 Comments:
Hey Ananka, Got to read a new post from you after a long time...
Nice one..
Grass is always green on the other side...trust me people with regular jobs have been complaining about the mundane activities..atleast here you get to do what your heart desires...
Just came back from one interview..and I am feeling quite frustrated..my forte lies in apparel and they want to hire me for non-apparels at a lesser salary..The whole point of telling you this is JUST HOLD ON to where you are..
Thanks Sophia. It's funny how my mood is sometimes so closely correlated to sales that day. Today is my shop's second year anniversary and the day is going great- which also means I feel good about my work and ready to take on all my problems with the best attitude.
Good luck with your job hunt; it's a tough economy to be searching for a new position.
Congrats on the second anniversary and thanks for another great post! As a freelancer for the past two years, there are quite a few things I keep reading on this blog that totally resonate with the ups and downs of being on your own. Feels a bit therapeutic reading this post..."lack of an office environment...different perspectives...steady salaries" In a some perverse way, its good to know there are others in similar boats floating around out there. So thanks for sharing.
I experienced the "lack of office environment and different perspectives" problem too and my attempt at a solution - volunteer work. Apart from meetings with clients, most of my work gets done in the solitary confinement of a pretty boring work space. So volunteering once a week, gets me into an office setting and those interactions that I was missing. It produces its own sets of headaches :) but it does help in some weird way.
Anyways keep up the great blogging and all the best with your new hydbad venture.
I had my sis and mom visit daaram yesterday and they liked the brass tacks stuff. They did pick out a few tops and skirts but could not find a couple of dresses I wanted(that were featured on the site!)
Overall they were happy...and they said the merchandise wasnt expensive!
Santhosh: Happy to help you by sharing :) I guess the one really great thing about owning your own business is that you can afford to be a bit more flexible with work timings. If I'm not feeling well I can work from home or if I'm not having a good day then sometimes I just spend a couple of hours reading in bed (or watching bad TV!) before resuming the day.
Shilpa: so happy your family went to Daaram! Some of the stuff on my website isn't at the store because Daaram has a strict policy of retailing handloom garments only. I do place a huge emphasis on handloom, but every now and then I have a mill-made silk dress that is natural but not handwoven. Going forward however, I am going to use more handloom even for the evening dresses so that Hyderabad receives a wider collection. Thanks for spreading the word about my section at Daaram.
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