Realizing A Dream
I can’t wait to see how the future unfolds for me because I am not done dreaming. I still have more dreams to make come true. – Colleen Eakins
The year is quickly coming to a close and I have been taking a little time to do some self-reflection. I am doing it to remind myself of how much I have to be grateful for, and as kind of a way to slow down, live and relish the moment. To enjoy the now. As much as I try to live in the moment, I often find myself giddy with anticipation of the future and what’s next for me. You see, I am a huge dreamer and a big proponent of positive thinking. I believe that I can make my dreams come true and my big noggin (I can’t find hats that fit) is full of dreams.
Almost 2 ½ years ago, I decided to take a risk and take my part-time (side hustle) freelance business full-time. The economy was down and the freelance graphic design landscape was not very promising, but I decided that working from home and for myself, was something I wanted to do. I had been working as a contract graphic designer for 3M in Atlanta for 4 years and my contract was finally coming to a close. The last 9 months of that contract, they had allowed me to work remotely from home. I loved it! I loved how I had control over my work environment and my 5 minute commute from my bed to my office. The only thing that would make the situation better was to have total control over when I worked and what I worked on. That is when I decided that when the contract ended, I would not look for a job and freelance full-time instead.
A lot of people thought I was crazy to not even look for a job. Not only did I not look for a job, but I turned down interview offers from recruiters. When friends that knew my contract with 3M had ended sent me job postings, I politely thanked them for thinking of me and trashed the email. I knew I could make it work and I believed that I could realize my dream. I felt that I had a few advantages working for me; one of which, is that I grew up in an entrepreneur household. My father was self-employed for almost my entire life. My first job was at the age of 8. I filed files for $3 a week. When I was in high school, I worked as his administrative assistant, when a family emergency took her out of the country for an extended amount of time. I worked for him every summer through my freshman year of college and even received a raise! I learned to type, write reports, operate common office equipment, customer service, client relations and what it takes to run a successful business.
Another advantage I had, was that my business already existed; it was just on a much smaller scale than it is now. My last advantage was that what I do now, is the same exact thing I did in corporate America. That does not mean that I had the amount of work and clients needed to make my full-time status a success, but I knew that if I put in the work, was diligent and believed that I could, I would. Reflecting on all of this tells me that I did.
I am not done yet. I have more dreams and goals for this business and a lot more dreams and goals for my life in general. I will realize those dreams. I know I will, because I believe I can.
Do you have dreams that you have realized or plan to make come true? What are they?
Colleen Eakins is a dynamic and creative individual that possess a knack for great design. With over 15 years of experience in the field of graphic design, Colleen is able to effectively brand her clients with great design pieces. Her motto is: “Anyone can make a pretty picture, but is it effective? Will it make your customer buy your product or use your services? My design tries to answer with a YES!”