Y’all...
I cannot believe it has been a full year since I took a leap of faith and decided to start a business of my own. You can read a little bit about some of what prompted the decision in a previous blog post here.
There were lots of ups and downs and plenty of mistakes made, but that’s the best way to learn, isn’t it? I’m sure there will be more to come, but a funny thing happened along the way this year. I don’t necessarily see them as mistakes so much as opportunities to learn how to do things better or differently.
The 20 somethings me would have seen all of these blunders as every reason in the book to shut it down and walk away. At one point, I almost did, but that’s another post for another day. It also helps to have someone supportive in your corner, so thanks to Officer Husband for not letting me give up. He’s always got my six.
Let’s just start with these three things that are the most poignant for me right now, as I suspect some of you have experienced these things at some point as well:
1. If I Had Waited Until I Was “Ready”, I’d Still Be Waiting.
I blame this on Marie Forleo, but it’s a great thing and I’m thankful that I just went for it. You see, I read her book Everything Is Figureoutable, and immediately the concept of Starting Before You’re Ready struck me. It dawned on me that most of the time if I DIDN’T do something I really wanted to, it was always because I thought I wasn’t “ready” for some reason or another. I would allow analysis paralysis to creep in and that is always a big-time idea killer. Did I feel “ready” this time around? Not totally, but I knew if I didn’t just start somewhere and commit to the idea that I would figure it out along the way, I would not be sitting here right now writing this.
2.Mindset, is indeed, Everything.
I truly believe this now with every fiber of my being. And, it is directly related to lesson number one. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a LOT of mindset work to do, but I am starting to get the hang of it and can see that limiting self-beliefs have no place in the life of a business owner. Or, anyone’s life for that matter. We are all human and have our moments of doubt, but we cannot allow them to creep in long enough to take root. When I catch myself going down that rabbit hole now, I do my best to focus on WHY I took that leap of faith and started before I was ready. Taking a break and stepping away from my work to clear my head, always helps too.
3.Comparisonitis is Real.
But we must always remember that we cannot compare our beginning to somebody else’s middle. I’ll say it again, we cannot compare our beginning to somebody else’s middle.
Period.
Write it down.
Say it out loud every time you find yourself scrolling through someone’s Instagram feed or Facebook page, comparing yourself or where you're at to what you see on your device screen. Chances are, they didn’t get there overnight, and neither will we. Not even Madonna was an overnight sensation. She worked her a$$ off for years before being discovered. Stay focused on what you’re doing and take the necessary steps to get where you want to go and just be yourself. It will happen. And, it will be worth it.
So. There they are. Three of the lessons learned during my first year of business, on a laundry list of things that I might have done differently.
What about y’all? What lessons as a business owner have you learned? I’d love it if you would share in the comments for those of us who can benefit from your insights. Until my next post…
xo,
Katie