As kids, we are always encouraged to "try something new". Try new foods, try new friends, try new activities....just try it, what's the worst that can happen? You don't like it, don't do it again.
As an adult though, trying something new comes with a different set of risks. There is very rarely a cheering section as an adult saying "go ahead! give it a shot!" So do you try? Or do you stay safely inside the confines of your comfort zone?
One of my creative abilities includes nail art/design. I usually freehand designs and use a sponge for blending. I very frequently can replicate a design or something similar if I have the picture. (The Monkey's Treehouse does sell custom fake nail sets. Contact us to order yours today.) Our monkeys love getting their nails done, especially Belle. She had been asking for days if I would do her nails and yesterday we finally had time. We went on Pinterest (yes, I am creating monsters...very closely supervised monsters) and she picked out a nail that had a gorgeous pink and black swirl design on it. She fell in love (so did I). Then I realized, this was not a freehand design. This was one of those crazy "put the nail polish in the water and then dip your nail in it and hope for the best" designs (yes, that's what they're called...at least in this house). We watched 2 different tutorials on how to do it...and then we got our supplies and gave it a try. Belle asked if I had ever done this before. "Nope," I said, "but what have we got to lose? Let's give it a shot."
Well we tried six different times with different techniques and different combinations of polish...none of them looked like the gorgeous nails on the tutorials. Belle looked at me and said "It's okay. She (meaning the lady in the videos) just has a talent that you don't have yet. Can you just do my nails the regular way?" So we painted, dry brushed, and freehand designed her nails and they look incredible. She loves them, and I love her so that's all that matters.
This was an example of trying something new. Were the risks high? Not at all. We tried, we laughed, and then we decided to go back to what we know. You win some, you lose some. But what happens when the stakes are a bit higher?
Mr. Incredible and I started The Monkey's Treehouse to create a way for me to follow my dreams and be home to take care of our monkeys. I am grateful to him for giving me that every day. But owning a business is "something new" for me and for us as a team. It is a risk we chose to take, to try something new. Every day we ask our fans, our followers, and our families to take a risk on us, to buy local from our business instead of buying from a box store, to trust us with their imaginations so that we might create a reality. But we also spend every day showing our monkeys that it is healthy to take risks and try new things, that the results are often worth the work and risk.
When was the last time you tried something new?
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