Want instantaneous success?
You’ll miss the corn dogs.
There’s a reason why it’s fun to reminisce about corn dogs, but you’d never go back.
Lots of rock stars love to reminisce about life on the road in a van, eating corn dogs for breakfast/lunch/dinner and playing in filthy clubs for gas money. Of course they tell these stories from a million-dollar studio attached to their mansion.
There’s a place for the grind and I don’t believe in the idea of instant success. Even if your business blows up in the first few years, you may not have the constitution and life skills to be able to handle that rise. The majority of years spent building Shivaya Wellness were pure survival mode: pay off bills, stress the bank account and try not to accrue more debt. Most entrepreneurs would echo the same story!
However, one of the first real plateaus of success is that the grind gets replaced with a more relaxed state of mind. That may take 10-15 years but you’ll experience it, unless you suffer from major scarcity-mindset.
You may want to consider affirmations to help with that.
It’s surprising, but worry doesn’t magically disappear with steady money.
Even with steadiness that comes from putting in the years, there are always times of worry as an entrepreneur, especially those of us in service industries. That’s the joy and terror of generating your own income, rather than report to a boss and rely on a paycheck (which is never guaranteed.)
The reality is that you’ll experience amazingly profitable years — after living through up and down months. That’s the real strength of being an entrepreneur — enduring the slow because you can rely on the backbone you’ve built from even slower times!
Make use of the ebb. It shows up for a reason.
You may want busy busy all the time and it’s understandable to not want to experience a break in the flow of cash. Careful what you wish for — because unending busy-ness can quickly deplete your energy. You may have a family crisis that requires time off. Or spin around in your head, wondering what the hell you’re doing and why.
Cash WILL slow down. You WILL sit at your desk, waiting for clients or gigs. You WILL have internet issues, billing snafus and tough customers/reviews. Accept, rather than viewing it as a failure.
That’s when it’s crucial to invest in your wellness and wait for things to turn.
Be gentle as your business grows — and constantly praise yourself.
Even if you’re at the beginning, middle or somewhere on a larger plateau — it’s amazing that you even tried. There is something to be said for those who reach for a piece of their destiny on Earth. All of the choices that brought you to the moment you decided to open a company and begin — that is success in and of itself.
I’ve read many, many entrepreneurs over the years. Not one has had instantaneous success — and most of my wealthiest clients still work.
That’s where I’ll differ from their path. There may be the occasional session — and I’m grateful to have work that can be done literally until the day I die (poor client!) — but “success” for me has always been time and freedom, not chasing a certain line in the sand. Nothing wrong with money generators — but there are other ways that it can arrive. Though I’ve been anxious over many life scenarios, bag lady syndrome has never been one of them.
Don’t lose the plot while involved in the multiple ways a business demands your attention. Having the courage to show up, build and be available is praiseworthy enough. As for the entrepreneurs mentioned above, none have stepped away from their business, despite difficult times. They love it too much and would never go back to corporate. I admire their tenacity, wisdom and drive.
And even though it would probably kill me now, I’ve always loved a good corn dog!