This week I had a genuine WTF moment when I realised that one of my oldest desires was manifesting in real time. And before I spill the tea I want to make it super clear, that yes I am absolutely still coaching, speaking and writing. It’s my passion and it's going nowhere. And no, I absolutely will not be cooking!!
So here it is….. Later this month I’m launching a brand new restaurant with my partner, Craig, just outside of Cambridge. Now before I dive into the origins of this manifestation how it’s an old desire currently unfolding, let me back up and give you a little context as to why this is so close to my heart.
I was raised within a strict cult like organisation in which higher education was regarded as “spiritually dangerous”, not to mention pointless given that the world was going to end any day now (I wish I was kidding, but I’m not) So for me, as a little girl growing up in this environment, I was never asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Planning for the future was an alien concept, so by my early 20’s I felt pretty disadvantaged compared to my peers, uneducated and absolutely clueless as to where to go next. I studied at college for a couple of years but felt major imposter syndrome and lacked self belief, so I didn’t see my studies through to the end.
This all changed of course when I discovered personal development, did a tonne of inner work (still working) and discovered the power of self education through online courses, workshops, books and podcast etc. This inarguably changed the trajectory of my life and led to me starting my first business.
It’s hardly surprising then that not only do I highly value education, but I also have a strong desire to pass this on to anyone else coming from a background in which they’ve experienced the same perceived disadvantages or feel isolated in their environment. So much so that one of my biggest goals in life is create a foundation in which victims of high control organisations, like the one in which I was raised, can access support, education, funding and develop social skills to help them integrate into society.
Ok, so back to the restaurant and exactly why this is an old desire coming to life as I type. I want to share this with you because we’ve become accustomed to living in an instant gratification society, often forgetting that some things take time, and that time is often essential because theres growth required to bring it all together.
The time line for me on this specific desire looks something like this:
13 years ago...
I had the idea that one day I would start a cafe bar in my hometown on the South West coast, it’s going to this super cool venue adorned with quirky interiors and fairy lights, serving delicious homemade food by day and playing live acoustic sets in the evening. It’s colourful, cute and everyone wants to be there. I was broke at the time and people thought I was crazy for starting to collect stuff for my “imaginary” bar.
7 years ago...
Expanding on my cafe bar idea and now 5 years + experience in business as an artist, I decide that when I have this hypothetical bar/cafe, I would open the doors every Monday morning as a kind of drop in business clinic for anyone curious about entrepreneurship but didn’t have the skills, support or know how to start. They could effectively pick my brains and I would hopefully in turn provide them with some guidance and useful info to help them on their journey. Essentially, I wanted to offer the kind of support that I didn't have when I was starting out. Little did I know at this point that I would end up with a coaching business too!
5 years ago…
I shared this idea in one of my very first conversations with my now partner, Craig. And after running multiple businesses in various industries over the course of 12+ years, I’ve since discovered that entrepreneurial life can be a lonely one at times, and that connection and community are everything. Walking that that path alongside others can help you grow quicker and infuse life into you and your ideas.
Present Day…
I’m so excited to say that later this month we’ll be launching a restaurant and bar together, and starting this January I’ll be hosting a regular business brunch. This will not be a ticketed event, it will be FREE and my desire is to provide a community for those either seeking support within entrepreneurship or those curious about the ins and outs of business and want to meet other like minded souls on their journey. So you don’t have to own a business to come along, just the curiosity and desire
Whilst I’m unbelievably excited about this next adventure, my message in this post is not simply “Hey guys, I’m launching a new restaurant!” I’ve purposely shared the time line with you because I want to clearly illustrate how the desires you have can come into fruition when you take action thats in alignment with your values, passion and purpose. And they can come to life in the most unexpected ways when you let go of the how and when, but keep the desire close to your heart.
If you’re local to Cambridge I’d love you to join me, I’ll be sharing some of the behind the scenes in my stories on social media and announcing the launch date imminently…. So watch this space!
Hayley x