"Someone asked me how I manage my nerves. I said I don't. I just do things scared." --Elyse Myers
If you don’t follow Elyse Myers on social media I highly recommend you get out from whatever rock you are residing under and experience more of what life has to offer in terms of genuine humor and positivity and follow her on social media. Elyse Myers
"Just do things scared" is the permission we need to do…. anything. Not to undermine what Nike has been telling us all these years with “Just Do It”, but I mean, what if I’m scared to death, Nike? What then? Stand there and question everything and then try to convince myself to go forward and Just Do It? What if I fail? What if I get hurt? What if I don’t have the correct equipment? Proper training? Financial means? What if I’m afraid to risk it all? What if people don’t like what I do? What if people don’t like ME?
Just do things scared. Eleven months ago, I did.
I started Noura Blanc because at the rate I burned candles in my home the empty candle jars became a battle I could no longer win and honestly, was tired of fighting. I didn’t have the mental capacity to figure out how I was going to repurpose another jar and I didn’t have the time to sit and prep them for proper recycling. That jar collection became a constant visual of product consumption. It caused me to think differently about my little pleasure in life. The simple joy of lighting a scented candle and letting the fragrance fill my home, inviting everyone to slow down and enjoy life a little, was becoming less….joyful.
I wasn’t willing to give up candles, so I decided I’d give up the waste of candles. I began to think about how I could do that and it happened to align with a time in my life where I was also actively looking into building a business of my own. It made sense to explore the idea of combining the problem I was having with the interest of building a business. I settled on focusing on refills and “vessels” (the fancy name for the container portion of a candle) that were less likely to end up in the trash bin and more likely to end up as a beautiful home décor piece.
As with most things in life, I naturally thought because I was a candle consumer that automatically qualified me to create an actual candle. I couldn’t have been more disconnected from reality. Other than realizing that I had finally reached a point in life where I was finally going to use science and math on the reg, I also learned about toxins in wicks, wax and fragrances. I learned about production processes and the unethical practices surrounding product production. I discovered the impact that creating a product can have on our environment. It was around this time that the fear and self doubt started to creep in. I didn’t have a clue.
The thing about self doubt is, I basically live there. There isn’t much I’ve ever done in life where I haven’t doubted myself or my ability….but do any of us really know what we are doing in life?. The only way I ever really get through anything is to “just do things scared”. For me that looks like long nights obsessing and emerging myself in unfamiliar worlds and surrounding myself with as much knowledge as I possibly can until I feel slightly less terrified. So, that’s what I did.
Along the way I discovered the type of brand I wanted to create was rooted in purpose and focused on people. It would be inclusive and socially and environmentally responsible. It would support global makers and creators and it would educate consumers and the products offered would reflect these values. I was able to educate myself about sustainable practices and responsible ways to source supplies. I spent time mastering the craft of candle making and soaking up information about fragrance notes and how they work together. Most importantly, I discovered that every candle I had burned in my home prior to this journey, was toxic. This realization led me to understand that every element of this brand needed to be aligned and the vision became about providing more than a safe, nontoxic, sustainable home fragrance product.
I want to share the comforts that can be found in burning a beautiful, non toxic, scented candle in our home. Making life feel easy, less rushed and giving us permission to slow down. I want everyone who finds us to understand they can create a space that feels safe and gives them an opportunity to escape the mental and physical clutter of their life. I want to provide a path to a lifestyle that builds on that foundation and educates on the benefits of slow living and the simple, small, beautiful pleasures of life.
That is what I hope to offer here. This blog, Life with Noura, is a piece of that. I invite you to come along with us as we continue to “do things scared” and see where that fear might take us.
