One can’t read “The Fearless Mind”, by Dr. Craig L. Manning without learning a lot about fear, and Jodi Lybbert, the founder and owner of The Humble Chair has certainly had her fair share.  As a Wife and a Mother of five children, (did I mention two of those being twins?) there is the fear of failure and even of succeeding.  As a business owner and Mother, she’s faced with the ever constant fear that pursuing her own passion will mean less nourishing of the five little people who so need her the most.  So Jodi has been trying to live a little more fearlessly lately and it’s showing in her work; let us share her newest, and dare I say, absolutely stunning project:

The Challenge

A good friend gave me this little TV cabinet, and my first thought was to paint white. Everything looks better in white, right?

Wrong. The white just wasn’t working. It was boring and I wasn’t feeling it. Meanwhile, life got busy. I took on too many projects, tried to tackle them all at once, and this shelf became an afterthought.

2nd Try

I found some inspiration of heavily distressed coastal inspired pieces, and decided to try some layers. I layered wax and Vasoline on top of the white. Then did a layer of blue paint.

Second Failure

Using a paint scraper and power sander, I took off layers of paint. The paint just flakes off wherever the wax or Vasoline is.

And I got this look:

It photographed well, and my focus group loved the coastal look, but everyone who saw it in person hated it. Including my kids.

At this point I was stuck. By now it had 3 layers of paint, and I felt like I messed it up. I was ready to give it away and the fear snuck in.

Could I fix the paint and still have it look good? Would it be gloopy? Would it be boring?

Again, all fears about the future, right?

Fear and Exhaustion

I gritted my teeth, sanded a little more and pulled the gray paint back out.

I used BM Gray Wolf, and added a black glaze and polycrilic topcoat, and this is what I got:

It worked! It’s not gloopy, feels strong and smooth, and I love how it looks!

For me, facing my fears means doing what I can in the moment and keeping going.

I knew that if I quit this project it would get more stressful and the problem would seem bigger as time wore on.

I learned that pushing through with confidence in what I could do now, really makes a difference! And sometimes, the 3rd time is the charm!

Lessons to Learn From Fear

You may be facing bigger fears then the exhaustion of reworking the same project or budget or proposal over and over again, but for all of us, it comes down to the same thing: you have to push through the fear and just trust that you can handle the consequences at the other end. That may mean lost time or money, but trusting yourself and letting others guide you along the way will be the key to your success.

Jodi Lybbert of The Humble Chair

I’m a self-diagnosed furniture addict, and get my highs from taking an old, un-loved piece and giving it new life. I build things, craft, decorate spaces, and restore furniture. I often incorporate flea-market, yard sale and thrift stores finds into my decor to create unique, chic conversation pieces. I don’t look at things as they are, but as how they could be!

My family of 7 puts up with my crazy design habits, and lets me rearrange the furniture and decor with only a few interventions. I love being a mom and wife!