Have you ever had days when you just completely doubt yourself and everything you've done up to this point in your life?  Yesterday was that day for me. It was the first time since May 2014, when I walked away from my comfy government job to pursue my love of building and refinishing furniture, that I actually doubted my decision.  I never thought it was going to be easy to get started and to get my name out there but I don't think I ever put much thought into just what all it was going to take to grow my business and keep a steady income coming in.  So I had a slight panic attack, which isn't at all normal for me.  This morning I woke up refreshed, like I got that humongous weight off of my chest and I can breathe again. Before I went to bed I wrote down all of my feelings of doubt and worry in my journal. I released them from my thoughts, if you will. This morning I had remind my brain that I'm on the right path and not to let yesterday's fears ruin my progress today.  Here are a few reminders that help me get through those self doubting, major funk days, maybe they'll help you too...

1. Self doubt is the anchor that keeps your ship from sailing 

If we tell ourselves that it'll never happen, it will never happen.  You have to believe in yourself, in your work and in your timing.  The calls may not be flooding in right now but I absolutely believe that there will be a day when I have to turn work away because I'm too busy to keep up.  I believe that I am going to need an assistant some day.  I believe that I will have my own store front in a few short years.  Putting positive seeds in your head and in your heart will help you flourish and it will pour out of you and into your work.

2. Comparison is the thief of joy

You cannot be concerned with how well others are doing, you can only thrive to do YOUR best.  Sure, I could look at all of the other thousands of bloggers and DIY'ers and compare myself to them, but I don't know what they've gone through to get to where they are. They most likely had many of the same struggles that I am having.  No one wakes up and decides to do something and is successful at it the next day.  Success takes time and a lot of hard work. I cannot measure my worth by what someone else is doing with their life.  I can only do what is right for me and learn from my failures.

3. The worst mistake you can make is being afraid to make one

I have learned more from the mistakes I've made than from the things that have gone smoothly (which are few and far between).  We all make bad decisions from time to time or we don't think things through and end up with a mess to clean up.  During the clean up is when you learn the true lesson.  I've learned many, MANY lessons since I started working for myself and I wouldn't change it if I could.

4. Never let your worried mind stop your hands from working

There have been days when I couldn't get out of bed because I was too stressed to deal with life.  You know what didn't help my situation? Staying in bed all day.  You have full control of your thoughts and of your actions. The best way for me to relieve stress is to go out in the garage, put some music on and just be creative. If I'm stumped on a project I've learned that I need to go out and deal with it because it's not going to fix itself. I try different solutions, look up new techniques or call dad, he always has helpful information.

5. Surround yourself with positive doers

You are the company you keep, isn't that what they say?  Hang out with people who are smart, creative and motivated.  If you surround yourself with negative Nancy's you'll never get to where you want to be because they'll make you think you can't or you shouldn't even bother.  Don't ever let their bitterness burrow into your brain.


What are your Funk Busters?  Write them down so you can look back at them if you ever need to and share them so you can help others. 



 


Recently, thanks to the abundance of Facebook yard sale pages in our area, my name is getting out there as someone who would gladly refinish your furniture for you (btw, thank you friends). Unfortunately, it seems that everyone is looking for me to do it out of the kindness of my heart or practically for free.  I consider myself to be a generous person but this is how I make a living, this is how I provide for my daughter.  I began to feel frustrated and defeated when I wouldn't hear back from the person I provided a ballpark figure for.  Then it dawned on me...maybe the non DIY'ers out there don't understand what all goes into turning an old, weathered piece of furniture into a piece that will stand the test of time & be passed down for generations.  Sure, I could just throw a coat or two of spray paint on it and give it back to you for $50 but you would be very dissatisfied and unhappy with the service I provided you.  Let me explain to those who will listen what goes into providing a stunning piece of refinished furniture.

First there is the cleaning.  I have come close to losing my much lunch on several occasions during this step. I STRONGLY suggest a mask, goggles and latex gloves (and maybe a barf bag):





Depending on the condition of the piece of furniture you're refinishing you may need to strip a few layers of paint off in order to get the desired finish you're looking for.  FYI chemical burns hurt, people:



Hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones and won't find any hidden gems under all of that paint:


Heat mark from a baked potato

 

Which brings me to repairing. Many times the client won't even realize that there is a need for repair but once I see it, it cannot be unseen. I will fix the problem or do whatever is possible to make it less noticeable:



Now it's time to patch, fill and sand the dickens out of it:


It's time to prime! Priming is a very important step in order for the paint to adhere to the furniture properly. Apply one coat of primer, let dry and then hand sand the entire piece with a very fine sanding block until it's smooth like butta (there is a huge difference in smoothness after sanding). Repeat one to two times depending on the primer and coverage. Kilz oil based primer is my primer of choice:


FINALLY...it's time to paint. I trek out to my preferred place of paint mixing (Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks) and find the color you desire.  I usually stick with Benjamin Moore but Clark and Kensington has come a long way.  While I'm there I also pick up all of the roller covers, extra sanding blocks and anything else I may need to complete your beautiful project. Apply one coat, dry, sand, repeat...1-2 times.

Ahh...at last, you're done.  Hahahaha, not so fast.  You now have to apply two to 3 coats of finish if you would like your gorgeous piece of furniture to last through moves, children and every day wear and tear.  This is by far my least favorite step.  I call it the finicky finishing step (there MAY be another F word in there by the time I get here).  You have to be very attentive and patient during this process, one wrong move and you're starting over from the beginning, which is never fun, trust me.  If I applied paint to the furniture I use water based polycrylic, if I applied stain I use oil based polyurethane. TDF TIP: If you don't want your beautifully painted, white dresser to yellow over time DO NOT use polyurethane to finish the project. I hope you picked up that pricy synthetic brush while you were at the hardware store because not just any brush will do (I'm not being sarcastic here, no brush has worked for me but the Purdy Syntox brush).  Apply a thin, even coat over the entire piece of furniture, be sure to only brush in one direction to eliminate brush marks and avoid over brushing to cut down on bubbles. Let dry for several hours. Grab that super fine sanding block again and get to sanding (do your arms hurt yet). I'm not over exaggerating when I tell you that you will need at least two coats of protective finish but three would provide the best protection.




Clearly I don't use chalk paint.  I've tried it before and didn't like the finished product but I kind of wish I did so I could eliminate a few of these steps and save myself some time. 

So I wonder...how much would you charge to paint a large dresser or a dining room table and six chairs for someone? Owning your own business and knowing your worth isn't always easy but I've quickly learned that the people who are looking for great quality and durability won't mind paying for it and I can't get offended if someone thinks my prices are too high, to each their own. 

Just remember when you're requesting quotes for someone to do any kind of work for you, whether it's furniture refinishing, house cleaning or lawn mowing, you get what you pay for so be cautious of the cheap guys.


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