Feature Article
Get
It Done Lessons for 2010
- Part 2 |
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Over the past year many of you
have joined me on my journey as
I've shared the ups and downs and
lessons learned in my ezines. The
last six months have been special
because I've been doing a lot more
coaching with visionary entrepreneurs
with a special emphasis on getting
things done. So I'd like to share
with you in this ezine (and here’s Part 1 in case you missed it) some of the lessons
learned from their perspective and
mine.
Let Go of the Outcome and Enjoy
the Journey
So much of what
we do as entrepreneurs is we make
it up as we go along. Most of us
don’t have a degree in entrepreneurship!
It’s very easy when you are in that
place of starting out your business
to think, “Because I’ve not done
it, I can’t do it.”
But if you have a passion for what
you do, you keep trying until you
figure out a way to make it work.
A fear of failure can get in your
way. If you’re overly concerned
about the outcome, you don’t enjoy
the journey. Just remind yourself
that it’s part of the process –
that there will be things that will
go awry and you will learn along
the way. That really is okay.
You Don’t Need to be Experienced,
Just Resourceful
I wholeheartedly believe that if
you know what needs to get done,
you can always get help on how to
get it done. I’ve seen it time and
time again. It’s because of that
that I’m such a believer in being
a connector. This is where connecting
and reaching out to other people
can be so invaluable.
Just because you haven’t done it
before, has nothing to do with the
fact of whether you can or can’t
do it. It just means that you need
to reach out to others who have
that experience. It is okay to be
the one with the questions and not
the answers because there are other
people around us we can get those
answers from.
Develop Good Boundaries
As a mom entrepreneur who works
from home, the temptation is to
work all the time. You finally have
the kids to bed so you naturally
want to get some work done. That’s
fine sometimes but boundaries are
critical.
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Schedule a few nights
each week when work is
truly turned off (this
means turning off your
Blackberry or iPhone)
so you can connect as
a couple or have some
quiet time for yourself.
Because you can't “get
it done” if you burned
out and exhausted!
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Don’t Let Go of Your Purpose
Maybe you’re business isn’t where
you want it and some mornings you
wake up worrying about bills. I
wanted to share with you the truth
– not the glossy version either.
I deal with these same worries.
Funny thing is my business is on
track and doing better than ever
before! BUT, my husband just went
back to work after a year off and
we’re still digging out. I’ve got
lots of “business investment” on
my credit cards and I’ve utilized
my home equity line to keep my business
going. That’s a scary place to be.
The stress is palpable.
I share this because I’m not a
quitter and I will continue to do
what it takes to do what I’m meant
to do. (I always describe myself
as a Weeble – they wobble but they
don’t fall down.) You have to keep
moving forward. You have to keep
focused on your purpose – what your
were meant to do – and then you
have to keep reaching for it.
Sometimes You’ve Just Got to Take
a Pass
I’m a big believer in teaching
my kids to take responsibility for
their actions. But I also know the
importance of being able to bend
the rules. I recently decided to
give my 10 year old son a pass when
he forgot his backpack. Normally
I would have sent him to school
without it but I felt like he deserved
a break so I helped him out. (Checkout
the whole story on my
blog.)
When I reflected on the importance
of my giving my children a pass
now and then, the message I’m giving
is that I believe in them and it’s
okay not to be perfect. I then thought
about that same message for myself.
I need to give myself a pass sometimes.
I’m a far cry from the perfect mom.
I do my best to connect meaningfully
with my kids and instill the values
I believe in but sometimes we eat
crappy food, stay up too late and
forget our backpacks, and it’s okay.
We need permission to give ourselves
a pass.
I hoped you enjoyed these lessons.
I think there is a lot of value
to sharing our triumphs and our
fallbacks with each other. Please
visit my blog and share your feedback
with me.
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