If Only There Was A GPS For The Entrepreneurial Journey
I could stop wondering when I would arrive.
The difference between a labyrinth and a maze, as I understand it is; a labyrinth may have you doubling back, twists, turns and curves but it will always lead you to the center.
Whereas a maze, challenges you to make decisions on which direction to go, to get to the exit. Choosing left may lead you to a dead end—you’ll have to back track, pivot, make a new decision, which may or may not result in another dead end.
Your entrepreneurial path may have more twists, turns, curves, obstacles and dead ends, than you had envisioned.
Think of marketing messages of many offers or courses you have come across or have taken.
"Follow my simple steps and you too can have the result x, y or z!"
And it’s compelling. Because who doesn’t want a more direct route and bypass obstacles and avoid wrong turns along the way.
Choosing to venture into entrepreneurship is not for the risk averse, it takes courage. And that doesn't mean it doesn't also come with fear.
Time Crunch
The expectation of being an overnight sensation or going viral at first post, is likely not what you thought would happen, when you launched. Although, you may not have been opposed to it!
Patience and things taking time, isn't completely inaccurate, however the waiting may be a relationship sore spot.
If [fill in your blank] happens, THEN I will feel [fill in your blank].
or
If [fill in your blank] doesn't happen by [certain time], THEN I will feel [fill in your blank].
Whether you have been doing this for 6 months or 6 years, creating conditional statements with respect to things happening in your business, resulting in you feeling a certain way, undermines your relationship to yourself and your business.
When your timeline expectations don’t sync up with the reality, one can get lost looking back, for the reasons why.
Which can lead to questioning and doubting yourself, your abilities and whether or not you should regroup and re-route to go forward.
Time Suck Stuck
There can be a tremendous amount of backend tasks to maintain your business. Sometimes an entrepreneur can believe that they have to be both working 'on' and working 'in' their business all of the time.
When the energy is high and your relationship is strong, between you + your business, you can objectively look at that list and inherently know that you don’t have to master all of it in order to keep going.
If you are feeling like you and your business are running into obstacles over and over, hitting dead ends and having to back track, pivot here, pirouette there, you may see that list and believe that you can’t start, keep going, let alone make any progress, until you have mastered each and every one of those and more.
Perfectionism impedes progress, because it doesn’t allow for a margin of error. And it can feel safer to be stuck in wanting things to be perfect, in order to avoid disapproval and judgment of others, but even more so our own.
Inquiry
Thinking back to your origin story to where you are today, how did you see your experience going?
What has not flowed as you expected?
What conditions about time, either spoken or unspoken, are influencing how you are feeling, about yourself and your business?
How does perfectionism show up for you? Is it a friend, foe or frenemy?
Parts of this felt like you were writing my story!
This was great. I identify with all of the feelings and impatience I use to have. Once I settled into playing a long game and only worried about action, experimenting, and consistency is when I found a place of contentment.