“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
For a little while now I have been resisting the work I need to do to push my business forward. I have allowed lots and lots and LOTS of people and situations to distract me. Some of these distractions have been trivial others seemed important, and some were even unavoidable and needed my full attention…on top of that, it was Christmas Break for goodness sake!
I welcomed these complications to fill up my plate so I could push working on my business to one side! I used them as justifiable saboteurs and they worked perfectly! Intellectually, I believed investing in these situations was the right thing to do…it was responsible of me. Emotionally, I felt satisfied and capable because I was solving problems that I could solve. I was doing things I knew I could successfully accomplish.
As I look back I see I was using these situations to cover up for my lack of confidence in the work I was doing. I was feeling nervous about my abilities and so created a flurry of activity around me to shield me from trying. If I didn’t try, I couldn’t fail.
I slowly realized how unhappy it made me that I was ready to give up on myself. I realized that if I do try I can fail, and then learn, and try again. I also realized that if I try I can succeed! And so, here I am sharing with you the steps I am taking to slowly and steadily get back on the road to focusing on my business.
Say no to people
First, I had to cut out a slew of commitments to make time in my day to dedicate to my work. Some of the commitments were to people and so I had to have tough conversations with them about spreading myself too thin and needing to pull back. I had to say to them I was no longer available to help them with their projects. I had to live with the fact that I may be disappointing some people. I had to admit to myself that I cannot do everything.
Be clear about intentions
Next I had to become sure of what I wanted to get started on, to set pretty clear goals for myself, both short and long term. I really want to develop a relationship with my readers – how can I do that if I am not writing regularly? So that has become a clear intention that I will focus on every day.
Be accountable
And to write daily I needed a couple of things to be put in place. The biggest one being people who were expecting me to actually publish my writing on my blog page! So I told a couple of my friends that I was going to write and to bug me if they didn’t see my posts in their inboxes. I also got myself an editor and we set a weekly deadline (which I am late for as I write!!) Even though I am late I am feeling determined to finish and motivated to make that deadline regularly.
Remember why
I am not always going to hit the mark…I will probably stumble again. But one of the things this break has proven to me is I love the work I am doing. I love the connection I make with people. I feel satisfied sharing what I know with others and making a difference in their lives. I re-examined what it really means for me to be successful.
Acknowledge and celebrate victories
Last, I am going to take the time to soak up each small step I make. I forgot to celebrate the good things I am doing. I became bogged down by the business strategies, success tools and bottom line. I stopped thinking about how great the work I do makes me feel. I move forward remembering to love and cherish the energy I put into all the pieces and pausing to give myself a little pat on the back.
Sometimes we need to take a step backward (or off to the side) to see our path more clearly. Fear and uncertainty are always going to exist in my line of work. I can either let them take hold of me and throw me completely onto another path or allow them to walk with me. I am choosing the latter. I cannot predict my future, nor do I want to really. All I know is that I am choosing to stay the course and enjoy the walk.