Episode 127 - Finding the Person You Want to Be with Eileen Lim

Learn from successful paper florist Eileen Lim about how she transformed from bitter to blooming with happiness by following her why.

Do you feel excited to start your day?

Do you look forward to your work?

Do you feel fulfilled?

If you answered no to any of those questions, you need to follow your why back to the person you want to be.

In our latest episode of Paper Talk, we chatted with Eileen Lim of Miss Petal & Bloom. She was a delightful early guest on this podcast. We couldn’t wait to have her back again to talk about her new book and her why. She beautifully told us how she got back to her true self by making paper flowers and running her business. You’ll glean useful tips on how to become the best version of yourself, as well as a peek at the process behind photographing and writing a craft book.

Here’s what you’ll learn when you listen to our conversation:

► How to express your best self and your best qualities in your job.
► What Eileen’s why is and how she found it.
► How she found her aesthetic and showcases her style.
► Details about what you can learn from Eileen’s upcoming book.
► Why taking your own photos can be a strength and how to do it well.

If you can’t listen right away, here are three things we discussed about how Eileen built her career so that she loves who she is as a person. Read her advice and hear even more on the episode.

Take Time to Reflect

We’ve mentioned it before this season, but finding your why takes time. You can’t sit down and figure it all out in an hour.

On the podcast, Eileen reiterated this piece of wisdom. She had to take the time to dive deep into paper flowers in order to find that she loved it. She had to try things out. She had to fail and succeed at different times. And very importantly, she had to reflect on what exactly she liked along her paper flower journey.

But it’s worth it! The hard work of self-reflection can lead you down the path that’s right for you. It will avoid costly detours and lead to a happier life.

“I do like the person who I am when I’m making flowers and when I’m my own boss.” -Eileen Lim

Ask for Feedback

Eileen shared how she was so miserable at her first job out of college that her parents could notice a big change in her demeanor. She wasn’t her regular cheerful self.

Our loved ones can often see what we can’t. Ask what they’ve noticed. Do you seem more relaxed in certain situations? Do they notice something that really stresses you out? Listen to their feedback.

Do keep in mind that one person’s opinion isn’t necessarily what you should do. But if multiple people are noticing the same thing, that’s a good opportunity to sit down and think about how exactly you could incorporate their advice.

Simply talking it out with a friend can help you get closer to your why, even if they don’t offer any concrete feedback. Find someone you trust to talk about your paper flower journey with.

Make a Change

Once you’ve done the difficult work of self-reflection and eliciting feedback from loved ones, you need to take action.

Taking that leap into the unknown can be scary! You might not be ready to jump into the deep end, but you should make changes where you can.

You’re going to make mistakes. That’s okay. We all do. You can learn from them and do better in the future.

“Even though it’s challenging and even though I make mistakes, at least I can say that I stay true to myself and I’m happy with who I am.” -Eileen Lim

Also, here's the PDF format for THE WHY WORKSHEET that you can download for free.

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About Eileen Lim:

Eileen Lim is the paper artist behind her whimsical online moniker ‘Miss Petal & Bloom.’ Based in Singapore, she is a full-time, self-taught crepe paper artist and has crafted blooms for brands such as Gucci, Bvlgari Parfums, Jo Malone, The Body Shop, Keds, Coach, Olivia Burton, and many more. She loves to teach and hopes to share the joy of crafting through her online courses, as well as her new book 'Crepe Paper Blooms, Bugs and Butterflies' (to be released May 2022).

Learn more about:

WEBSITE: www.misspetalandbloom.com

INSTAGRAM: @misspetalandbloom