I love working for myself and I never, never, never want to give up what I have today (personal freedom, time for my family, time for me, creative self expression and independence) to go back to go back to a ‘job’ working for someone else.
But, at the same time I’ve been struggling.
Time is a big issue. I’m adjusting to the time and energy it requires to be a full-time caregiver while also building a business.
Money is another big issue. It comes in, but not at the same rate it’s going out.
Then the questions…
- Why is my business growing so slowly?
What’s working? What’s not?
What is the best way to use the time I have?
Who are the people I really want to work with?
In what ways can I best serve them?
In what other ways can I combine the the things I love to do and the things I’m really good with helping others?
Going forward what does my business look like if I built it in ways that fit my personality and working style, not what’s popular or what other people are doing?
This past week I realized that what I’ve been doing for months hasn’t solved my time and money issues or gotten me any closer to the answers to my questions.
I needed to think differently. I needed to think BIG.
It started with a cupful of sharpies and some BIG paper.
Then over a handful of evenings I let the ideas flow…
Thinking BIG, has allowed me to think differently, to approach some things differently.
In regards to time, although I used to work best early in the day, now this is not always an option. Instead of letting it stop me, I’m letting go of the belief that I work best, and need to work, in the morning. Playing with ideas and BIG paper in the evenings was one of the first steps to experimenting working at other times of the day. Now I am realizing that I can be as productive in the latter part of the day as I am in the earliest part of the day.
In regards to money, I’ve realized that cutting back my spending even more than I did when I first left my job, hasn’t turned out to be the deprivation I thought it was going to be. I’m realizing what is really important to me versus what I thought I needed and wanted. It’s an interesting journey.
In regards the questions, I am thinking about them differently, too. I’m not trying to force the answers, to have all the answers or even to get the ‘right’ answers. Every day I’m gaining greater clarity.
Thinking differently, thinking BIG has helped me realize that even in the midst of struggle, by taking life one day at a time I can still feel happy and content.
Thinking differently, thinking BIG has also reinforced the belief that I’m on the right path, working for myself versus working for someone else. I need to continue to have faith in myself and my dreams, keep putting one foot in front of the other, adjusting as I go and continue to think differently and think BIG.
Special note:
BIG thanks to Jane Kirsch from Life and Work by Design. Jane and I had a 2-day brainstorming weekend earlier this year and used BIG post-its to think out our ideas. Remembering that experience reminded me to try it again.
And, BIG thanks to Connie Hozvicka, from Dirty Footprints Studio. Connie paints BIG, teaches BIG art, gives BIG hugs and has a BIG heart. She inspires me every day.
