Think about something new that you undertook in recent months…chances are those first few days or attempts seemed scary and confusing. Think over a time when you started a new job…in addition to the excitement and energy, there was probably a fair amount of stress and things might have seemed incredibly complicated. Soon, though, you were probably sailing through the job and it may have even become boring and repetitive. This is how it can be in our home businesses too—the unfamiliar can be completely confusing and overwhelming.
When I think back over all the things that I have learned, I can see how most of them didn’t come super easily. The biggest challenges were those things that seemed the most complicated in the early stages. Starting a home business and launching out on my own in the work world has been no exception. The first time I did an invoice or tried to make sure I did a complete contract or proposal, I was good and confused! There was the added stress of worrying about making a mistake or doing something to really mess things up.
I think we can have compassion with ourselves as we stretch and grow our home businesses just by realizing that no matter how much we know and understand some things, new things will likely seem complicated until we get them down pat. Patience and determination, as well as giving ourselves time to really learn and get used to things can keep us from giving up or panicking as we are taking on something new.
We can also extend this same understanding to our customers or clients—instead of expecting them to catch on right away or figure things out, remember that new things are confusing—we can adjust our presentation and our customer service to help them get used to a new way of doing things, instead of letting them struggle along on their own.
Also: Coming Up with a Formula
Are Your Standards Too High or Unattainable?