In The Beginning Was The Passion

Many great spiritual texts start with the creation of the world, summarizing a mysterious process where a great and powerful being made something out of nothing. What passion that reflects! A similar fire burns inside all of us, just waiting for a chance to ignite.

Last week, my mother found a copy of my very first brochure while sorting through my father's things. My friend Lisa here is holding a picture of it. As you can see, it's tiny and not at all fancy. My logo was composed of clip art and my contact information. Inside listed some of my products, including my best selling Vanilla Butter Bar: "As rich and creamy as it sounds, a yummy combination of cocoa butter and honey for extra rich and gentle cleansing."

I also carried soap made by my soap mentor, the late Nancy Brown Manville, pictured making soap in her Texas soap studio. You can meet Nan here. My favorite of Nan's soaps was ChamOatmeal made with chamomile and sandalwood essential oils, oatmeal and Vitamin E. I also sold candles and aromatherapy blends and accessories.

In the early 90's at my "real" job at a Fortune 500 company, I had excellent pay and benefits, a comfortable office with fancy technological accessories, great vacation time, wonderful colleagues and a stimulating work environment. Yet somehow, it wasn't enough. As I searched my soul to find an explanation for my feelings of unease and discontent, it became clear that as good as my job was, it did not allow me to work in ways that fully expressed my personality, nor did it give me the flexibility to pursue marriage and family in a meaningful way. This brochure was my first effort to change that.

As you can see, there wasn't much to it (here's the back page), but I did have passion, and that passion propelled me forward. I am living proof that you don't need a lot to get started so long as you have passion, a creative spirit and a commitment to do what it takes to be successful.

Fifteen years have passed and things have changed a lot. Today, I lead the Indie Beauty Network where we celebrate the passion and recognize the innovation of Indies the world over. I host the weekly Indie Business Radio Show and speak all over the country to empower and encourage other families to pool their talents and passions to enjoy life and business on their own terms.

I am living my passion and making a living too, and in doing so, am joined by thousands of other Indies who assessed their lives, found something missing and filled the void by creating something out of nothing.

Now it's your turn. If you filled a void in your life by combining your talents and gifts to make something out of nothing, we want to hear your story. Post it using the comments link below.