August 17, 2017

[118] The Only Race is With Yourself

18 minutes

Do you feel ‘left behind’ when you look at other handmade businesses?

Do you worry that you aren’t doing enough? That your business isn’t growing fast enough? That you should be where that person is?

I’m here to tell you that this is a super-common feeling. AND that you need to stop looking at and comparing yourself to those other businesses out there.

You can only do what YOU can do. You cannot compare your insides to someone else’s outsides.

That is: maybe you have a job, and children, and elderly parents, and a partner, and hobbies… etc etc. In other words – your life only leaves you with a certain amount of time free to work on your business.

Your free time may be vastly different to that person’s free time.

Stop acting like you’re in a race with other people. The only race is with yourself.

Quotes and highlights from this episode:

Many fledgling creative entrepreneurs struggle with finding what they think is enough time, energy, and resources.

There are times when establishing a business will feel onerous and times when it will feel easy.

What really matters is that you enjoy the majority of the journey. Otherwise a time will come when it all becomes too hard.

“You are not in competition with someone else. You’re not racing someone else. You’re simply racing against yourself.” {Jess}

In the words of Mary Schmich “the race is long and in the end it is only with yourself.”

It is okay for your craft to remain a hobby rather than a business. (Jess shares an anecdote from a Thriver Circle member who made the decision to close her business and instead pursue her craft as a pastime).

Establishing a business is more than just creating your saleable project. You will be spending a large proportion of time learning about marketing, administration, finances, connecting with people.

Factor in your time, energy and resources when making goals.

“We get frustrated from the disparity between our reality and our imagined reality.” {Jess}

Create a toolkit of time management and planning strategies.

Building a business takes times, patience and long-term dedication.

“Every little step is progress forward. No matter how small it is. It is always a step forward and it is always something to be proud of.” {Jess}

Download or listen to this episode.

http://createandthrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/118_The_Only_Race_Is_With_Yourself.mp3

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By Jess Van Den

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