Entelechy and Other Things That Begin With "E"

Amanda Thomsen

Entelechy, according to the dictionary, is “a particular type of motivation, or need for self-determination and inner strength directing your life and growth to become all one is capable of being; the need to actualize one's beliefs; having both a personal vision and the ability to actualize that vision from within.”

I thought you’d enjoy knowing that you’re probably an Entelechial; if you aren’t quite out there actualizing, this is your year! Go get ’em, champ!

Entrepreneurship is cracking up to be more about getting the expensive Internet gateway to work and less about P&L statements. It turns out I cannot work without music (or a register, I guess, both provided by the WiFi) because being alone in my own head is pretty much the worst form of punishment. I make Extremely long seasonal playlists on Spotify and even share the link or QR codes with people that come in and say “Dang! The music is Exquisite in here!”

Experimentation: My friend Darrel told me he saw a presentation once that said that if you aren’t marking down things that were unsuccessful, you aren’t taking enough risks. Let me know if I got that quote wrong, Darrel (or anyone else). Now here’s the deal: the harder I push on this, and the more experimental I get, the more the really “out there” stuff sells immediately. I feel like I’m at the top of “weird stuff” and don’t even know where to put my foot next when it comes to pushing myself. The more I pour my ill-shapen personality into purchasing, the higher the reward. It gives me a strong sense of Entelechy.

To stem the Embarrassment of being stuck in a plant shop unprepared, I have added a “Crustacean Menstruation Station” to our shop’s bathroom. It has pads, tampons, really good dark chocolates and about 100 little gooey toy lobsters, just because. Many customers have told me it saved the day, and frankly, the peals of laughter coming from the bathroom when people discover it brightens my life a few times a day. Tyler (see last month’s column) eats all the chocolates, but que sera.

Years in retail help you develop a thick Exoskeleton that made me a retail robot for so long that I’m actually learning to shed. If a customer says something thoughtless I ask them why they said that, tell them that hurts the one feeling I have left or ask them how they would do it if they were me. The lady who said my website said I was open on Mondays? I said “SHOW ME” and she couldn’t because it never, ever said that. In retail, the customer is always right. In my shop, I need to feel safe and in charge and I need to remember that I’m not a retail robot without feelings. It’s okay for me to let them know their words hurt.

I put in a lot of work to Entertain the children of our customers and it benefits me in a few ways. First, it gives parents a minute to breathe and shop without their little ones being really clingy. Second, kids actually ask their parents to come in and get entertained. I have a set of vintage toy cars kids can play with, I have tiny “king cake” babies hidden all over the shop for kids to find and I have sticky, gummy slugs to give to kids that are Exceptionally well-behaved. It’s a lot of work, but it has been very rewarding!

To my Enigmatic friend, Greg. I know it’s hard to sit tight this time of year. Mend well❤

Check out Amanda’s store playlist on Spotify. GP

Amanda Thomsen is a funky, punky garden writer and author. Her blog is planted at KissMyAster.com and you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter AND Instagram @KissMyAster.