Yesterday, when I arrived at the FAD Market to set up for the weekend, I ran into a fellow vendor. She is someone newer in her journey, who I’ve gotten to know more recently. She greeted me with so much warmth and said, “Maria, you’re my North Star.”
A North Star, traditionally Polaris, has guided travelers for centuries. It doesn’t move, even when everything else does. It’s a steady point of direction when you’re unsure which way to go.
Her words have been echoing in my mind since. Who or what is my North Star?
What keeps me moving forward when I'm overwhelmed, exhausted, or lost in the blur of raising two young kids while building a business?
My first instinct was to say: my children. I do this for them! I want to show them what it looks like to follow your dreams and rise to the occasion. But as I sat with that thought, it didn't feel quite right. They are my motivation and my joy, but not the thing that guides me.
So what is the beacon I look toward?
For me, I think my North Start is that small, insistent voice inside. The creative spark that says, "This. This is what bring you joy and were meant to do."
It’s the belief that what I’m building matters… not because it’s perfect, or polished, or profitable every single day, but because it feels true to who I am becoming.
On the days when I forget, I look to women who are a few steps ahead. Founders who built slowly and honestly, brands with soul, mothers who continue to create while nurturing others. Their light reminds me of my own.
I don't always know what the destination is, but I know the direction: forward.
And for now, that’s enough.
What about you? Who, or what, is your North Star?
With love,
Maria