When I was growing up my family frequently picked up and moved to another city, often in another country, because of my father’s job. Since I was 18 months old every three years we had to move all of our belongings to a new house, get used to a new environment, learn a new language, familiarize ourselves with novel customs, transfer to new schools and meet all new friends. Because of this lifestyle, I even went to three different high schools! Needless to say, I became very accustomed to change.
When I became a teacher to immigrant students in the south Bronx this familiarity with upheaval and change is what connected me to my students. Most of my students’ families uprooted and left their countries behind to pursue a more promising future for their children. They had to start over in a new place, learn English and adjust to a new culture all while trying to work to survive as a family. Although it is challenging, my students and their families understood the necessity for change and the potential for good and growth that it brings. Many of my students’ parents did not have a college degree or even a high school diploma, but they wanted to make sure their children did.
And when I started ThinkTwyce, again, I had to embrace change. Having to leave my school, my colleagues and my students, all of which I love deeply, was emotionally difficult. As we do every time we leave something behind, I went through a mourning phase. In fact, if we’re honest, many of us fight change. We want to remain in a state security and comfort. But we can’t mourn forever and what I’ve learned from both my students’ experiences and my own, is that despite our fears or desire for security, change is good.
Change allows us to see things from a new perspective. Change affords us the opportunity to challenge ourselves and go beyond where we think we are capable of going. Change pushes us in new and fresh directions. Change is what fosters the seeds that help us grow.
Now, as an entrepreneur I am faced with challenging decisions every day. While I may no longer be moving around every three years, I still find myself in new situations experiencing novel scenarios all the time. Of course, I get a little anxious…I’m human! But, I embrace these facets of my business with the knowledge that when I lean into the things I know I need to change, my business has the potential to be better. When my business is stronger, I can be a better resource for my customers because I become more efficient at what I do. And most importantly, through this venture I can do more for the schools and students I support.
All this is to say…we are making some exciting changes to the ThinkTwyce website and future collections! While the changes may be seemingly small to the eye, these small changes have a constructive impact on our efficiency as a company and commitment to our mission of bringing positive change to schools and students in need.
What you can expect:
~Less change! That’s right – our website transformed often, showcasing new collections monthly. That’s a lot of change, ya’ll! Now, you can expect a more consistent shopping experience while still trusting that new items will be added regularly!
~Our Collections will now be categorized in a way that better highlights our sustainable method of upcycling while being able to showcase more of your favorite pieces on the site for longer periods of time! And the best part is, these collections will never change so you’ll always know where to look for your desired pieces.
~A behind-the-scenes peek into what makes ThinkTwyce unique with a new video that will remain on our homepage. Stay tuned!
We are always striving to make a better shopping experience for our customers. Let us know how we’re doing, especially if we need to make a change! You can always reach out to us at support@thinktwyce.com.
In the meantime, we’d love to hear about a big change you had to make in your life and how it impacted you.
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