I made it happen

Nov 6, 2018 | Make It, Sparkly Love

book photo

My book, Make It Happen finally comes out today in bookstores and online. The journey of writing this book started years ago and it feels incredibly surreal that I’m finally able to hold the finished product. I’ve laboured over this thing longer and harder than I ever imagined I would, and now it’s available for the world to read.

 

This moment is one that I have been anticipating for a long time and I’ve had a whole mix of emotions leading up to it. On one hand, I’m absolutely thrilled that my book baby is out in the world, and can help to inspire others to turn their dreams into reality. On the other, I’m absolutely scared shitless of what people are going to think about it!

 

Since the book went to print a couple months ago, and I signed off on the final edits, I’ve had time to process my feelings. I even had a book burning ceremony at Conscious Lab where I lit some well-marked up manuscripts on fire to release them back into the Universe. You can read more about it here.

 

When I first set out to write Make It Happen, I took a trip to Bali because I know ideas and inspiration run freely to me when I’m there. I think it’s the combination of beauty, spirit, and positivity of the island that allows my finger to magically run across the keyboard. For three sacred weeks, I immersed myself into my writing and had some beautiful experiences that enriched the process. If you haven’t been to Bali, go.

 

Another one of my favourite memories of writing Make It Happen, are the interviews I did with fellow creative entrepreneurs – all who have been Makies at some point or another. They include:

 

Dan Emery: East Van Light

Rachael Hatala: Laughing Sparrow

Diana Luong: Craftedvan

Trudy Ann Tellis: Trudy Ann’s Chai

Jennifer Wilson: VONBON

Sarah Mulder: Sarah Mulder Jewellery

Chandler Herbut: Ole Originals

 

Hearing the story of how these brave, bold, courageous badasses put one foot in front of the other and made their dreams a reality was incredibly inspiring. After each interview, I started to also notice patterns emerge that also reflected my own experience growing Booty Beltz, Make It, and Conscious Lab.

 

To write the book, I also did a ton of immersive research into the psychology of making it happen. I wanted to find out what it really took to turn ideas into reality and consumed books, podcasts, and videos like thirsty sponge. The more I learned, the more I began to change my own belief system. As I continued to journey down the rabbit hole, I started to see myself, my business, and my world differently.

 

Writing Make It Happen was one of the best life decision I’ve ever made. With that said, I wish I could say the process was easy and effortless…but that would be a big, fat lie! There were MANY moments along the way that I wanted to quit and give up on the idea because it felt like more than I could handle. But, I know there are countless people who start manuscripts that never see the light of day and I didn’t want that to be me. Instead I chugged along, and little by little I made it to the finish line. Far from graceful or elegant, but birthing anything significant rarely is.

 

Now that this book is out of my head and in physical form, it’s no longer my responsibility. I already bled, sweated, and cried, and now it’s up to the Universe to step in and do it’s thing. I’m not sure what’s next for me or the book, but I know I lived up to my end of the bargain. I did what I said I was going to do, and that’s the biggest part of making it happen. The book is far from perfect, but it’s the best I could do at a particular moment in time, and that in itself is enough.

 

I’m proud of this book, and I’m also proud of anyone who makes the commitment to themselves to do the thing they say they’re going to do. The seven courageous humans I interviewed for the book are shining representatives of what it means to make it happen. My hope is you’ll find comfort, insight, and wisdom in hearing their stories.

 

At the back of the book I also included quotes from several Makies on what it feels like to make it happen. Their candid explanations are funny, heartwarming, and remind us that we’re more alike than we realize. No one ever makes it on their own, and it’s the power of community that has allowed my own ideas to become a reality.

 

To celebrate the launch of Make It Happen, we’re having a fun little party at Conscious Lab tonight. I’ve been so full on with the upcoming Make It shows I almost didn’t get around to planning anything, but then I remembered the last chapter of my book is about throwing your own confetti. If I can’t walk the walk myself that would be pretty lame closing chapter!

 

If you don’t live in Vancouver, or you already have plans, you can buy the book online and in bookstores nationwide. I’ll also be signing copies at all three upcoming Make It shows. If I can get organized, I might also be slinging Booty Beltz too! It’s been a while since I’ve had a booth a Make It, and I’m kind excited to be back on the other side again because I’ve missed it.

 

Writing these posts to you has always given me so much comfort. My goal is to be able to have more bandwidth to create even more content. I also have plans to start doing video interviews because I love nothing more than having rich conversation with interesting people. Plus, there’s SO many freaking awesome stories within the Makie community that I want to share.

 

After 10 years of Make It I still can’t believe the little craft fair I started with my brother turned into a thing. We basically just started it because we wanted to drink beer and listen to good music while we sold what we made, and it feels pretty damn good to see it still going strong. We have some big plans to expand into more cities next year that I can’t wait to tell you about first.

 

Thank you so much for your ongoing support. I hope you enjoy reading my book, and more importantly I can’t wait to hear what you’re going to make happen.

 

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Meet Jenna

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