A fresh start.
As most of you know by now (and some of you don’t know) I am NOW living in Carrboro, NC – aka: the yolk inside the egg of Chapel Hill. I am no longer teaching high school and I moved out of Richmond to focus on my passions: comedy, writing, and new media. [If you are interested in some of the comedy work I’m doing, check out my comedy blog: http://www.mollyhastwothumbs.com.]
For the purposes of this blog, I’m going to strictly be talking about my writing and new media work.
Now that I am in Carrboro and I am getting a fresh start, I have refocused myself and I have set new goals. After a little over 3 months of applying for job after job, after job, after JOB, and hearing nothing I finally realized that I needed to step outside of my comfort zone and really work to expand my own business.
At such an early stage, it can be intimidating stepping out into the business world. I’ve been a freelancer for a little over two years, but only getting clients here and there to supplement extra income. The thought, even the PROSPECT, of working for MYSELF full-time has been such an intimidating idea that I’ve honestly been to afraid to really breach that realm and start the process of getting work. Honestly, I procrastinated. My innate fear of failure kept me putting it off. How many of you have been in that same place at some point? That place of knowing that you have the ability, the resources, and the know-how to get the job done or be successful, but because of a particular arena being so uncertain, you found yourself putting it off in fear of not meeting your goal? Well, that WAS me.
A few weeks ago, someone very close to me said something that was so simple, but completely changed my way of thinking, “I know you can do it.”
It sounds silly, but I had never had anyone express direct confidence in me that I could achieve not only personal goals, but also business goals. He gave me some great marketing, networking, and small-business books and resources — and I started reading.
I’ve now set myself up with a daily work schedule and routine. I’m contacting prospective clients. I’m following up. I’m networking. And ultimately, I’m learning. I’m learning every day about changes in my fields of expertise. I’m learning about business. I’m learning about organization. I’m learning about LIFE. I’m creating a vision and looking towards it with focus and a positive attitude.
Starting your own business can be tough. Transitioning from a part-time business owner to a full-time business owner is a daunting task, but with the right resources and enough support, it doesn’t seem so difficult.
I’m keeping myself motivated through milestones, checkpoints, and definitely rewards (Chipotle burrito, anyone?).
I’m confident that I can provide my clients with the services they need and a quality product. I am a hard worker and extremely driven. I know that this is the kind of arena that I can be successful in.
If you are “the master of your own business domain,” as I like to say, I would love to hear about your experiences. So, share them!
This quote popped up this morning in my e-mail and I found it’s timing to be nothing less than perfect:
“The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.” –Arthur C. Clarke
Make it an AWESOME day.
All for now.
Fun stuff … You can see where I work from my Web site … I was at the homecoming game, too — unusually rough for Matt’s fellas. I’m a copy editor at the Daily Press, but if you ever came to a CNU match while you were in college, you might have seen me. I’m a volunteer assistant coach for the CNU tennis team and grew up (age 6-18) in the Richmond area (Varina HS). Good luck!! Sonny