We recently connected with Monica Lara and have shared our conversation below.
Monica, so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.
It requires a good dose of either naivete or stubborn resolution. When I decided to go to college and continue until I obtained my PhD there were a number of people who didn’t really believe I would persist. When I learned to dive I was the smallest girl in the class and the only female to get certified from that course. This was back when it was really challenging and mostly men attempted it and many failed. When I was certified as a cave diver, a really difficult challenge, I stuck to it until I became a Full Cave Diver, the highest level attainable. When I started a business in the midst of Covid, people thought it was a risky move. People liked to remind me how most businesses fail within a year. Through all the raining down of people’s comments, doubtful looks and outright derision I kept quiet, humble, grateful and mostly determined. It was almost like “challenge accepted” and it gave me fuel for the fire rather than put the fire out!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am currently a jewelry designer and goldsmith. I create jewelry in my studio by melting old gold and sterling silver scrap and casting original pieces set with gemstones. I think it’s really important that I am recycling metal instead of supporting ecologically harmful mining processes. I also use recycled or ethically sourced gemstones. My jewelry is rustic and invokes forms and textures from nature though it’s not a literal interpretation. The result is organic and has an ancient and magical quality to it. It looks both precious and time-worn. Like pirate treasure! I have recently purchased a historical building on the Main St. of my town which houses my studio and a retail space in the front. We are renovating and renting out the three lovely, period apartments above.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As I said, I have a bit of a stubborn bent! It’s really persistence and a belief in myself. My parents really emphasized self-sufficiency while truly believing and instilling in their children that anything is within their reach but that those things don’t necessarily come easily. That if we wanted to accomplish something we could and they would be there cheering us on but that it was up to us and what we did to work to obtain our goals. I am in my heart an optimist, I truly believe everything is a lesson if we choose to learn from it rather than let it defeat us. And that in the end things aren’t so bad and we can always turn things around. It takes a lot of work, grit, persistence, whatever you want to call it, and more than anything this is the most important skill that allows a person to obtain all those other skills. Getting a degree in science grounded me in logic and problem-solving. Diving is primarily a mental exercise in preparedness and control over emotions. Building a business is all about trusting your decisions.
Before working on external things, someone starting this journey needs to work on themselves: their pre-conceived ideas, attitudes, ways of dealing with stressors, reactions to difficult situations and how they research and prepare for their goals.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
It’s always more comfortable to go with our strengths and what we’re already good at, however, there is no room for growth if you hide behind the things that come easily. In every step I’ve taken I felt like I was not ready for it, an imposter, I shouldn’t be trying it. If you let it stop you you are finished! Anything worth gaining is done by pushing past that point and doing the thing! I have had competiton every step of the way! People will observe and want what you have. It’s natural! The secret in every case where I have succeeded is that I chose to do the difficult thing. The road less taken, the one no one was willing to take! People want the easy way, so choose the hard thing, you will be original, exciting, remarkable, successful!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.phbeadsjewelry.com
- Instagram: argentumetaurum
- Facebook: argentumetaurum
- Yelp: argentum et aurum
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/phbeads
Image Credits
Monica Lara
