Pause to Smell the Wildflowers

Somewhere along the way, I realized I had become so focused on what was next that I forgot to pause and appreciate what had already happened.

The next product.

The next market.

The next idea scribbled in my notebook.

The next thing to learn.

It's easy to keep looking ahead when you're building something from the ground up. There is always another task waiting, another decision to make, another goal just over the horizon.

Then one evening, I found myself thinking back to where Iron Vixen Herbal Co. was only six months ago.

Back then, it was little more than a dream with a name.

Today, that dream has slowly taken shape through hundreds of small, often invisible steps.

Some of those steps were exciting. Others were simply necessary.

Setting up business emails and social media. Opening bank accounts. Designing business cards. Creating a booth banner. Researching regulations. Learning what I can and cannot say about the herbs I work with. Finding packaging that felt true to my vision. Filling out paperwork I never knew existed.

None of those moments felt particularly significant on their own.

But together, they became the path.

One of the greatest lessons these first six months have taught me is that creativity isn't just about making beautiful things.

It's about making thoughtful ones.

My notebook is overflowing with ideas. Candles, bath salts, intention bundles, folklore-inspired art, herbal creations, and more ideas than I'll probably ever have time to bring to life.

A few months ago, I might have tried to make every single one.

Now, I find myself slowing down.

Before something becomes part of Iron Vixen, I ask myself different questions.

Where did this tradition begin?

Am I honoring the history behind it?

Can I share it respectfully?

Am I educating rather than simply selling?

Sometimes those questions lead to a new product.

Sometimes they lead to more research.

And sometimes they remind me that not every beautiful idea needs to become something I offer.

Those quiet pauses have become just as important as the creating itself.

As I look back over these first six months, I'm reminded that growth rarely arrives with fireworks.

More often, it looks like a stack of shipping boxes in the corner.

A new skill learned after hours of research.

One more item checked off a list.

One more lesson carried into tomorrow.

One more small step.

When you're busy walking the path, it's easy to miss the wildflowers growing beside it.

So this month, I'm giving myself permission to pause.

To appreciate the little victories that don't always make the highlight reel.

To be grateful for every lesson, every challenge, every late night, and every small step that has quietly carried Iron Vixen farther than I imagined six months ago.

The journey is still just beginning, and there is so much left to learn.

But for today...

I'm simply pausing to smell the wildflowers.

🦊🌿

With gratitude,

Lisa
Iron Vixen Herbal Co.