Business is not for the faint of heart. As I reflect on my own journey into entrepreneurship, it is reminiscent of walking through the spotlit archway of a theme park and strapping myself into the biggest rollercoaster I could find. The ride begins to crawl upwards, a rush of excitement builds as your ideas develop and you launch your idea. A buzz and excitement fill the air you breathe into your lungs. I feel like I’m going to be sick!
Then suddenly it happens. The carriage you are strapped to approaches the top of its curve, a nightmare event happens in your business leaving you dangling over the edge, face to face with the inevitable fall. You hear the sound of the chain releasing and BOOM! You find yourself hurtling towards the ground wondering why it is you ever got on the damn thing in the first place.
Thankfully, a rollercoaster is rarely a once-up-once-down adventure and, just like in your business, there will always be many twists, turns, loops and adrenaline rushes as the days, months and years roll by. That’s the thing about roller coasters, despite those intense moments dangling over the edge, we put faith in the fact that we will survive it. In fact, we actively choose and pay money to go on rollercoasters because, despite the ups and downs, we love to ride them again and again. That thrill, excitement and rush, while all terrifying, are firing neurons in our brain and igniting the pleasure centre.
The same is true for your business. Loving your business is non-negotiable. You are partners, in it together, in sickness and in health ‘till death do you part. So how can you make sure you are loving the shit out of your business?
You, my entrepreneurial thrillseeker, are about to find out…
Accept Your Experience Of The Process
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,
but they were laying bricks every hour“
John Heywood
You have probably heard the first half of the above phrase countless times. It’s Unfortunate, however, that often the second part goes unsaid. Building your business is a brick by brick process. The secret is loving the process. All the process and nothing but the process.
Let me explain.
Have you ever found yourself being your own worst critic? Scolding yourself in a way you would never do to someone else. For most people, their business is a projection of their greatest purpose which, in turn, is a reflection of themselves. This means the mistakes hit harder and the failure cuts deeper.
This is where it is necessary to reframe your mind, expectation and business journey. The key is to love each brick you place, even if it falls from the wall. Failure is not a loss it is a lesson, detach yourself from expectation and practice acceptance. Realise that the journey towards building your dream feels the same as living the dream. That every step towards doing so is courageous and self-inspirational!
Speak To Your Business As You Would Your Best Friend
You know that conflicting feeling you get when you hear your best friend talk trash about themselves and you want to slap them for talking to your best friend like that. You can’t slap them, obviously. So instead, you opt for being their biggest cheerleader. You remind them of why they are amazing, what they are capable of, the magic they bring into the world and everything they have ever done for you.
That. Right. There.
That is how you need to talk to your business. Communication is the lifeline of true love. How you speak to your business will become a reflection of how you feel about it. When times get tough, talk to and about your business with the above things. Respect its contribution to your life and the lives of others.
Reflection
Loving your business is nigh on impossible without reflecting on the journey you have been on together. In practical terms, think of a time when your lover/ partner/sidepiece/whatever does one of those things that really irritates you. You know, those habits they have you just can’t seem to make peace with. When you walk into the bathroom and the toilet seat is up AGAIN. When you wake up shivering because she’s taken the doona AGAIN. You know, those things at those times.
How do you get past those? You reflect on what it is that you love about them. The good that makes the bad seem much smaller. How do you overcome them? You reflect on what lessons you have learned about the other person, to try to understand why they do the things they do, so you can grow together to build a happier connection as a team.
Much like a relationship, it is you and your business against the world. Reflecting on all you have been through, your lessons and how the good has outweighed the bad is instrumental in continuing to love it in the way that is necessary for you to continue to build a happy and healthy future together.
Clarity, Vision And Goals
There is little more powerful than achieving what we set out to do. The triumphant feeling played to a backdrop of epic music in every Hollywood action movie, where what needs to be done has been done and the world is restored to harmony.
Getting clear on your desired outcome is instrumental in loving your business. Make time to picture yourself achieving that which you set out to. Relish in the feeling, recognise what your business can do for you and work with it to ensure that vision materialises.
This doesn’t just need to be the long term. This mentality can be applied to even the smallest of weekly goals. The point is to recognise how actions in your business will make you “feel” in order to recognise the big and small wins you and your business have together.
Some Food For Thought
The final and, perhaps most significant love to compare to your business, is the love given to a child. Your business is your baby and, to demonstrate just how important how you talk to your business is, remember a child who is loved, cared for and appreciated is a child who will thrive as they grow.
How do you communicate with your business? Do you spend genuine and quality time together? If it had a voice, what would it say about you?
Creative Little Soul has an upcoming workshop to teach you how to fall in love with your business. Join Chrissy Symeonakis as she guides you back to the centre and opens your heart to give the genuine and true love that your business deserves. The love that it needs to grow, develop and thrive.
Ready to fall in love? Click here to find out more.