Hello, my fellow dreamers!  Ok, so I can’t bring you on this journey with me without first taking you all the way back to how this dream even began.  Each week (on Wednesdays), I plan to walk you through my story of becoming a spa owner.  The updates to my journey will be a continuation of the week prior so sit back, buckle up, and journey with me!  

I don’t know about you but for me, I did not grow up dreaming of becoming a spa owner one day.  I did, however, grow up having a love for business and people.  When I was young I remember saying, “I want to be a CEO when I grow up” and to be honest I was unaware of what the acronym CEO even stood for.  Nevertheless, I knew it had to do with business and I could tell the CEO was in charge of running things!  

While attending graduate school I accepted a position with the federal government in the area of Information Assurance and Cyber Security.  This was the job I expected to have until retirement.  I was 23 years old, doing my thing, working with the best people, and climbing my way up the leadership ladder.  Let’s not forget the amazing benefits you get while working as a federal employee; I still miss those to this very day!  However, there was one major problem I could not ignore, I did not enjoy it!  I loved the people, but not the job.  I had a feeling deep down inside that there was more for me.  I knew that staying with the government for years to come and ultimately retiring was not the route for me, personally.  I felt something deep down on the inside telling me there was more.  It was a feeling I felt so strongly that I knew, at 23, I had to figure out what my purpose was.  You know, that thing you’re called to do that only you can do to help serve others in some way.  This took a great deal of self-reflection, a whole lot of prayer, and some soul-searching.  I wanted something that was fulfilling, something that brought me great joy.  There were two things I was sure of, I loved business and I had a love for people.  In addition to this, I’ve always “secretly” dreamed of owning my own business someday but I had no idea what that business should be.  So, my prayers began to get a bit more specific.  I began to ask God for some guidance. “Lord help me determine what business I should own.”  I literally had no clue.  I had thoughts of becoming a real estate agent, and a gift shop owner, I even tried out for American Idol in the early years (yeah, I know)!  Hahahaha…  I was desperately trying to figure it out.  

Well, one day, on April 15, 2010, at the tender age of 25 I unexpectedly got my answer while taking a rest.  I heard a small whisper saying “You’re going to open a day spa.”  Those were the exact words.  It’s a day I’ll never forget & the day I realized what I was called to do.  I was called to help others take care of themselves.  I didn’t quite understand it at the time because I knew nothing about spas!  Nevertheless, I jumped up, wrote it down in my planner so I would never forget that particular date, and made a promise to do everything I can to become the best day spa owner I could be and inspire others along the way.  My spa may not be in operation YET, but I know I’m closer than I’ve ever been and I would love to continue this journey with you!  Let’s make our dreams a reality, together!

Next week, I’ll be sharing the things I did after I discovered my purpose.  Stay tuned, you don’t want to miss it!