Discouraged by How Long It’s Taking to Succeed? Here’s What You Need to Know
I talk to entrepreneurs all the time who wonder why things aren’t happening faster for them. They have worked hard to build their businesses, they’re doing the right things, following the sage advice, and yet, they feel like they are stuck in a monotonous routine.
Do you ever question why aren’t you making more progress? Or does it feel like you should have more clients than you do at this point? Perhaps you look at other businesses and think, “What do they have that I don’t have?”
It can start to feel like you’re going in circles. Nothing new is happening, or not happening quickly enough. You might even begin to fear that you’re wasting your time.
Or you might wonder why you continue to work so hard if you’re being overlooked. After all, no one is giving you a reward for day to day tasks, whether at home, in your career, or in your community. Maybe no one is saying, “Thank you for all your hard work.”
If you feel frustrated with the monotonous routine, I have good news for you. The routine is far more important than you might realize.
The routine is preparing you for what you’re going to become.
It’s a necessary part of building a great business and it’s a necessary part of life. It’s also true for all of us.
When we look to our entrepreneurial heroes — whether they are the investors on Shark Tank, coaches we follow, or luminary figures like Oprah or Bill Gates — it looks like their lives are so exciting. And they are, but they have also been filled with many mundane days of hard work and little recognition to get to where they are now.
Eventually, with enough ordinary days of hard work, the ordinary will become extraordinary. This has been the case for nearly every successful person in our world today, and this will be the case for you too.
As you know, I spent 35 years of my career at one company. If you don’t think I had mundane days when I felt stuck in a routine, especially in the early years, you’ve got another thing coming. Although I worked hard, it felt like spinning my wheels at times. But eventually, I had worked my way up, and I could look back and see how far I had come.
Pastor Joel Osteen said this about the routines in our lives:
The potter takes a lump of clay and puts it on the wheel. It spins it around again and again. The clay could say, “I don’t like going in circles… Let me off this wheel so I can make progress.”
What the clay doesn’t realize is that it is making progress. While it’s going in circles, the potter is forming it, shaping it. It seems routine to the clay. It seems like it’s stuck, but while it’s spinning, it’s coming up higher. It can’t tell it at the time, but it’s rising up, from a lump of clay to a beautiful vase.
If you were to ask the clay after it’s formed, after it’s gone through the process, it would tell you, the spinning was for my good. I didn’t like it at the time, I couldn’t see anything happening. But without the spinning, I wouldn’t be who I am.
We are each lumps of clay, and some of us take longer to soften out the edges than others. It’s a unique journey for each of us, and comparing how long it’s taking you to become that beautiful vase to anyone else’s experience is only going to lead to frustration.
Rather than wondering why things aren’t happening faster in your career or in other aspects of your life, I challenge you to maintain an attitude of gratitude for the advantages you have and the progress you are making.
Going back to the idea of the clay on the wheel, whether the clay feels positively or negatively about its own circumstances is not going to change how long it takes to form a vase.
What a positive attitude will affect is the frame of mind with which you conduct your business day in and day out.
That’s why there’s another reason to not let yourself get discouraged by the routine. Truly, this is your competitive advantage.
What separates you from your competitors is not the big things. It’s the small things. It’s going to work each and every day with a positive attitude. It’s continuing to serve without complaint. And it’s being a person of integrity, even when no one is watching.
Be excellent just as you are, even if you aren’t where you want to be.
Maintaining that mindset will draw the right people to you. It will lead to the type of clients you want – clients with integrity, who treat people fairly, and who conduct business with positive attitudes themselves.
Before you realize it, your attitude of excellence will have led to a business that excels. And that’s what creates a Legacy Business with lifelong success.
At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I teach my clients the strategies, mindset, and formulas they need to know to build a Legacy Business and live their best lives, at and outside the office.
If you’d like to “Double Plus” your income this year with a mindset of excellence, contact me today.
I’m thrilled to share with you our latest edition of The Blueprint Magazine. This month’s theme is “Unlocking Your Full Potential!”
A few articles in this month’s issue dive further into this topic:
- “New Year’s Resolutions: Make Them Simple and Easy to Accomplish” by Becca Tebon on page 7
- “Why Small Businesses Outsource IT Support and Services” by Jason Rush on page 8
- “Why 4D Communication is the Better Way of Selling” by Brigitta Hoeferle on page 15″
- Small Simple Changes Make All the Difference” by Joan Williams on page 19″
- Moving from Comfort with Courage” by Pauline Duncan-Thrasher on page 20
Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.
To learn more about Celeste, click here.
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Right on point, Celeste! Thanks for your insights and reminders for all of us in business. I have benefitted from your coaching!
Thank you Joan for taking the time to read and comment. It is a pleasure to serve and work with you in the Silver Council Program. I appreciate you!