Wednesday, March 7, 2012

START SOMETHING

Starbucks
Starbucks (Photo credit: Ivana Di Carlo)
Several years ago, I was flying back home from an out of town trip, when I happened to skim an article about Starbucks in the free magazine airlines provide. After reading about the company philosophy, I noticed in small print at the end of the article that the company was interested in developing more shops all over the country and gave a contact address and phone number. At that time the only Starbucks was in Seattle, Washington.



I took the magazine home and shared my enthusiastic interest in perhaps owning a Starbucks with my husband, who immediately asked what may have seemed a logical question especially since he is not a coffee drinker, "What person in his right mind is going to pay 3 to 4 dollars for a cup of coffee?"  This still did not deter me from visiting a still empty kiosk in an up and coming shopping center regularly and imagining my Starbucks on that very spot.


But I had a small child and another on the way and it did seem impractical to invest money in a fancy coffee shop. Who knew (I'd like to think I did!)the biggest boom in gourmet coffee was just around the corner and so were many more franchises as within a year someone else turned the kiosk into a Starbucks and well, the rest is history. 



Coffee cup
Coffee cup (Photo credit: @Doug88888)
It probably wasn't meant to be, I often tell myself, however even now when I tell my husband, "I have an idea", my daughter often admonishes him, "Remember how you thought no one would buy 3 or 4 dollar coffee, better listen to her this time!"(Wise daughter!)


One thing I learned is dreaming and talking and wistfully thinking about what could be will never make it happen. If you have something you have always wanted to try then maybe it's time to put some wheels in motion. Maybe you want to start a business, start taking better care of yourself, start a group, start rallying for a cause, start making money from a hobby, start a new career, start a family or even start over.
The second location of Starbucks in Seattle wa...
Image via Wikipedia

Whatever is calling you will never get off the ground if you don't start. Start something.
Start looking into opportunities, start investigating, start getting experience, start talking to others who have done the same, start making a plan, start investing, start trying, start looking at options, start getting the word out, start packing...Start something.

 You can bet I hear the Start Something mantra loud and clear on days when I am the one choosing to pay 3 or 4 dollars for my Starbucks coffee!

  
What about you? Do you have a Starbucks story too?


What do you wish you would've started? What do you need to get started doing?



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10 comments:

  1. I am sure your husband wishes that he had listened to you :) Loved your article, beautiful message.

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    1. sulekkha,

      Thanks for your comment. Honestly, I still don't think he gets gourmet coffee or any other kind for that matter!

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  2. Such an inspirational post! Yes, we all need to get started doing what we love if we haven't already.
    Blessings!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your encouraging comments Martha.

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  3. Great post - except I'm sorry Starbucks didn't work out for you, Kathy. I've been blessed that I've managed to go after most of my dreams, even if they're postponed at times.
    Why did you dream of owning a Starbucks franchise? What did it symbolize? Perhaps unconsciously you've achieved what it symbolized already?
    I dreamed of owning a bookstore - I realized that I was in love with words - what do I do now - I do words :)
    Just my two cents - would love to know whether it made sense to you?

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    1. Corinne,
      I ended up starting a business in the field I have my degree in and had it for over 20 years...It was a great run and not at all in the coffee arena, however I often say, "I don't want to die and just have been a________" so I tend to want to try new things. Writing, Speaking and thinking about someday running a little boutique wine shop are among them.
      I guess I did achieve becoming a business owner...BUT...it never made the $$ a Starbucks franchise would!!

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  4. Hi,
    Finding my fire was to start writing....which I did after mustering a lot of courage.
    Nice encouraging post.

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  5. I bet we all have times we thought about doing something, starting something, even following an interest. I thought about being a writer as a little girl but for all kinds of reasons never did anything about it until 2 years ago when I finally asked a very wise man (Dan Miller of 48 Days To The Work You Love) if I should publish the children's stories that I'd been working on. When he said GO FOR IT!... I've never looked back. What a difference an encouraging word an make.

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    1. Yes, Lynne,
      Dan has a way of making people realize if they don't start something it's only their own fault. Thanks for your comment. No looking back here either!

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