I repeat...Let it go Aly...

I feed off people's energy, I have always been in-tune with what's going on around me.  That is both a blessing and a curse.  If you are upset with me, or something is off in your life, if you are angry or sad, I feel it. I sometimes make myself ignore it, but it comes at an expense, I seem to take on people's emotions and problems and it makes it very difficult for me to function at my best. Even if I ignore it, I take it home and ponder your emotions while I toss and turn trying to sleep.  My friends call me sensitive, I say Empathetic..To a fault.

I find this my biggest down fall in creating the Aly Dahl empire...  I have a very difficult time differentiating myself from my business,  I take all comments to heart. I have been so lucky to have so many people write praising letters, emails, and voice mails after receiving their items,  but it's that 1 email or comment when someone says "it's too expensive" or "what will they thing of next" as though what I am doing is equivalent somehow to nutella swirled with peanut butter sold in the same jar.  It takes all my might to not explain that it is actually a very good price and all the reasons it is a good deal, I mean come on, I make it by hand, I buy top quality product...It's made in Canada... I use more expensive raw material that is in the end better for the earth because I care... But alas, I bite my tongue and know that they are simply not my customer. However,  I do re-think that one comment over and over and over again... and then as though the universe knows when I need a moral boost I receive an order from a wonderful customer.  They get it, they are looking for quality, being made in Canada matters, supporting the arts is important... They are my customer.  And they are by far the best customers to have.

After a few really unpleasant experiences with people trying to knock me down, be-little me, and that gross gut feeling when you feel your being taken for a ride.. I am slowly learning to be more assertive and to follow my gut.

After returning from Las Vegas I realized that my taxes were due in 1 week, I quickly started looking up accountants and found one that had a decent website and went in.  This man made me so uncomfortable, made me feel like I was the dumbest person to walk the earth and without his help I would fail as a person.  BTW my biggest pet peeve is scare tactic selling.. And as soon as he started down that path I felt like I was going to puke.  I tried to take my documents back and be nice saying things like "I think I better go home and sort through some stuff and come back".. To which he grabbed my stuff and said "No, we'll contact you if we need anything, come back in a week".   So I left.  Got in the elevator and called my husband,  Darren can be very wise sometimes. Perhaps it is because he has lived with me for almost 9 years.... He said the greatest thing ever to me
"Aly, if you don't go back up there and get your property you will spend the next week agonizing over this creep.. or you take 5 minutes of uncomfortableness and go back up there and it will be over, now go and get your taxes back."  That sunk in deep.. And so I did.  I got my stuff back, the creep yelled at me as I walked as fast as I could getting out of the office, my documents in hand.  I proceeded to get in the elevator, called an old friend Doug who is now officially the worlds best accountant friend to have.   Thanks Doug!  I got off the phone and started crying tears of joy.. and my taxes were filed on time.

Following my gut may not feel good in the moment.. but as soon as that moment passes, the next one is AWESOME... That feeling of  "I did it, I stood up for myself and I noticed".