Hey, how are you?

This week I was asked another great question which I wanted to touch on. It was, should I plan for a recession and should I have a plan B? 

Now, please note, these are just my personal views and thoughts on this, and you have to do what is right for you and your situation at that particular time.

You can’t predict the future! 

I personally think you can’t plan for the future. There is simply no way of knowing what is around the corner,  so worrying over a potential recession in the upcoming years is almost pointless. A waste of energy and brain power that you could be pouring into something else, whilst being more productive. 

Over the years what I’ve learnt through all the good and the bad, is having only plan A is good enough. You just need to adapt plan A slightly, to react to situations that come up. You don’t need to go to plan B. Adapting and changing plan A slightly works so much better. You get to achieve what you really want and you are not letting anything stop you. 

Starting United ArtSpace

So take this an example; when I wanted to start United ArtSpace, I was working, earning money and it was safe, but I had this burning desire to create what is now United ArtSpace. Time wasn’t my friend back then as I had two very young children, along with work. Something had to give. I am an all or nothing type of person.

After chatting to my husband Andrew, we crunched some numbers and it was possible for me to stop working and spend all my time on setting up United ArtSpace. It was going to be tight, but doable. I simply took the plunge. I stopped working for my clients and went in, one hundred percent creating United ArtSpace. 

Now, what I couldn’t do at this time was looking into the future. Three months after I stopped working, Andrew was made redundant with no warning. No payout. Nothing. We effectively had no money coming in. To say it was stressful was an understatement. However, I didn’t give up. I tweaked my plan A and stuck with it. We had to tighten our belts and live a very basic lifestyle, but we did it as a family. It’s quite funny, as I now look back on this time really fondly. We became really close as a family and just enjoyed being in each other’s company. It somehow brought us closer together. 

The easy option would have been for me to go and get a job and earn money, but that wasn’t going to allow me to achieve my dreams and build this amazing community. I stuck with my plan A and I am so glad I did. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Be happy & healthy

In life I have learnt we all want to be happy and healthy, but at some point we do need to feel pain and go through challenges so we can learn how to react and deal with these feelings and thoughts. This is so powerful and quite often we will surprise ourselves with what we can learn and achieve. We’re capable of incredible things! 

So here are my top tips to help you achieve your plan A: 

  • Be ready to adapt and tweak the path you are taking to reach plan A to face the challenges.
  • Keep in mind, plan A won’t always be the easiest option, but it will most likely be the most rewarding one. 
  • Remember, expect the worst, plan for the best. 
  • Push yourself out of your comfort zone – it will be tough but you’ll feel amazing for doing it. 
  • We are capable of incredible things – do what will make you happy in life. 

We don’t need to worry about what could potentially happen in the future. We just need to make sure as people, we are reactive and proactive to changes and challenges that we will face through our journey. 

I never, ever, thought I would be here doing this when I set out creating United ArtSpace. It’s amazing how you change and adapt to achieve your dreams. You can all do it. You just need to take the risk, whatever it is. It may be scary but you can and you will achieve. 

Much love, 

Michelle X