I have been feeling very overwhelmed lately and I get the feeling quite a lot when I think about my business and the future and what my plans and goals are. I get overwhelmed to the point where I don't do anything because there's so much to do and I don't know where to start. Instead I'm thinking of all the different ideas I have and the endless possibilities. Just thinking. And thinking. And overthinking. Then the next day, I'm no further forward than I was the day before and the cycle continues. It is something I have struggled with for a long time and I think being creative is a little part of that because ideas and inspiration come from everywhere and I have a short enough attention span as it is! As soon as I start something I want it to be the finished piece so I can get on with the next project in mind.
But that's not how it works. Unfortunately.
I listen to a podcast called The MFCEO Project and have been doing so for almost a year. I listen to an episode almost every day and it definitely has an impact on how I view my business and life and generally my mindset towards those things. When I really stop and think it's pretty crazy that our minds literally have so much control over what we do and how we perceive things. In order to really succeed it is absolutely critical that we have control of our own mind because it is either our biggest asset or our worst enemy in enabling us to reach the goals we set for ourselves.
Now I know this is getting pretty deep, but I've been in one of those moods this week. I've really struggled with my motivation and the self discipline to get work done. I have all these ideas and yet I can physically do only one of them at a time and I need to plan and structure my time so that I can tackle one project and then move onto the next. Personally, I work better with a few projects on the go at once, but I still plan my day out into sections so that I can really focus on one thing at a time. When I get stuck with a project and have to work on it for a few days straight I really lose motivation and feel so stagnant like I'm not moving forward. Really, I should see it as one step of the ladder. Each project is one step. Every day is one step. As Andy from The MFCEO Project would say "win the day, just one at a time". He speaks about looking at the big picture and how overwhelming it can be, no matter what level you are on right now, it is always going to seem impossible if you look at everything all at once. Break it down into manageable steps and do them one at a time. The power list is the perfect way to really put this into practice. Listen to Andy's podcast episode via the link below and he explains perfectly the practical things that need to be put into place in order to really achieve your goals.
*disclaimer: this podcast contains adult language and is not suitable for children or soft people*
Before starting this post I was really focusing on all the people I look up to business wise in the creative industry. So many successful artists and designers with a huge following on social media and documenting how their business is going from strength to strength. One in particular I have followed for quite a few years and I regularly watch her YouTube videos where you get an amazing insight into her creative studio and etsy shop. I always aspired to get to that level. Having my own studio, growing the business to where I needed employees to help as we expand etc. I always felt as though I was way behind. Then one day I discovered through her instagram that she is quite a lot older than me. She has also been running her own business for many more years than me. She started exactly where I started, with no fancy third party investor, just her in the spare room doing commissions to raise the money to invest back into her business. I see all the time on instagram these posts about "2 year anniversary for my small business" and I see the thousands and thousands of followers they have and the crazy number of sales they get and here I am, two years in with 277 followers on instagram and a grand total of 42 sales on Etsy. Now I know that these numbers do not define my business, not in the slightest. But I do feel that they are an indicator of success.
However, then I screw my brain back in and take a double shot of rational thinking with a sprinkle of common sense and think - everyone has to start somewhere. In one of Andy's podcasts that I listened to earlier today he said how he wished he'd documented the early days when he opened his first store and the years it took before he even made a profit. At the time, he was too embarrassed to show all of that and I definitely understand that. When you put so much of your time and energy into something and it's not where you want it to be, people are judgey and we take things by face value without knowing all the work that went into getting that far. But now he is a multi millionaire and the CEO of some incredibly successful businesses. He shares everything he has learnt along the way which is invaluable to anyone aspiring to have their own successful business and just generally want to take back control of their own minds.
I just had this thought that this time next year I want to be able to look back and see how far I've come. It's easy to keep looking forward at what you're striving towards but that too can lead to burnout and a general feeling of being overwhelmed. So now that you have the very long winded reason, I hope you can understand why I want to document the times when business isn't 'booming' and its just a normal day at the end of a mehh kinda week. Nothing flashy and no crazy milestones met but just the idea that I need to take one step at a time.
I would love to know your thoughts on this topic so leave a comment or even message me privately if you'd prefer. It's scary to be so open and vulnerable but life isn't a social media highlight reel. In reality its flippin hard work and I want to be more honest about that.