From Little Things BIG Things Grow
October 14, 2012 in Change, Creative Business, Creative Business Co., Passion, True Self
Image credit to Smilebooth Australia.
This idea “From Little Things Big Things Grow” was the theme of the Problogger Event I attended this weekend. It was a two day conference for bloggers and the range of speakers and attendees was nothing sort of amazing. But it was this one idea that was the most powerful for me!
Darren (the original ProBlogger) talked about his humble beginnings in blogging and how hitting the PUBLISH button for the first time was in fact terrifying. I am sure any of you with a blog can relate to that!
But the same is true for business.
Starting is so often the hardest part. And if thigs do not go to plan starting AGAIN can feel even harder.
The people that are succeeding, the people we all look up to , are successful for one reason. They fought the fear and started. Then they started again, and again!
The secret to success is not picking that ultimate idea and BOOM your it! YOU WIN!
The real secret is not giving up when the first idea doesn’t work. It is tweaking and changing processes along the way. The secret lies in staying true to who you are and what you want out of life and business, while still keeping focus on your readers and customers and delivering great value.
The trick is that all of those thing change – so I think the key, the missing piece in the puzzle, the reason so many people almost succeed but don’t get over that last hurdle is because everything in the above paragraph is constantly changing.
It is OK to shift, change and maybe even completely flip your direction. You need to give yourself permission to stay true to who you are what you want TODAY and stop holding on to what you wanted when you started your business.
Forgive yourself if something you used to focus on doesn’t move you any more. In fact celebrate it if you can identify the things in your business (or blog, or life) that while used to energise you, now weigh you down. And most importantly allow yourself to let them go, move on and concentrate on what is working for you now.
It is the opposite of failure if you can say “That doesn’t work anymore!” It is the key to finding what does.
I have been through so many changes and shifts in my business in the last few years and for those of you on the mailing list you will know other big one is coming! It is only recently though that I have been able to celebrate that, instead of labeling the other attempts as epic failures.
If I was still sewing kids shorts and making quilts I know I would not be happy and I know I would not have had the opportunities to do the things I have done and meet the people I have meet in the last 2 years! For you sewing might still energise you but your blog is feeling off, or you might love your blog but need to branch a part off to a new site, you might just have a name or a brand that you are no longer proud to stand behind.
Whatever it is – it is OK to change it!
No business deal, especially ones you make with yourself, are written in blood.
The reason my business has changed is because I have changed. I have grown so much and learnt so much. I contiue to find better ways to serve myself, my and family and you as I go along. The new shift is the one I am most excited about and I will tell you all about that soon I promise.
Today I want to embrace the growth you have experienced.
I want you to accept the things that haven’t worked.
Celebrate the things that have and get excited about the whatever it is the future holds for you!
I encourage you to share your times of change in the comments, or send me an email. I’d love to know how you felt at the time. Are you going through a transition now?
Instead of seeing these turbulent times as a failure, see them for what they really are. A big, often challenging but brave step closer to success you desperately crave.
Did you hear I am moving my online home? I am making house with a new business partner and setting up a workroom where I can better serve you and your business – join the mailing list now so you are the first to know about the launch of Studio Exsto. It will be pretty different from what you see here – in a good way!
Wow. Thank you. I have started a number of times and then lost my way and felt like a big fat failure. It has very much been about starting out with something and then feeling like it was dragging me down, especially with things that have given me joy in the past. You have totally flipped the way I was feeling right around and change the way I was thinking about myself. Thank you.
You are so welcome Lee – thank you for your comment! I think the journey to find what really makes us tick is an exciting one and if we let go of the feeling of failure we can explore more freely what it is that will energise us!
Hope you are feeling lighter and more able to change your mind.
Love this! Starting is so often the hardest part!
I agree – but I am finding it gets a little easier each time. It is still very scary, but I am less paralyzed by that fear.
[...] think Elle Roberts said it best: It is OK to shift, change and maybe even completely flip your direction. You need to [...]
[...] think Elle Roberts said it [...]
[...] think Elle Roberts said it best: It is OK to shift, change and maybe even completely flip your direction. You need to [...]
I stumbled across this from Kelly Exeter’s blog and I have to say, I think it was fate. Currently wallowing in a state of flux about the direction I need to take and changes that need to be made, reading these wide words had helped lighten my load. There are no mistakes, just obstacles along the way to negotiate. Thank you, more than you could know x
You are so welcome Donna! I am glad my words helped, even if just a little! There are so many paths to take some go the long way, others find shorter routes but I think as long as we are moving forward we are winning!