How funny. I am coaching people on how to protect themselves from overwhelming requests and how to create boundaries, and this is totally applicable to myself as an enterpreneur and to all the other people I recently met who are enterpreneurs too!
What do they have to say NO to or negotiate? What do we need to remember in the everyday challenge that is to have your own company or concept you are developing?
I remember one of the first challenges for me, in the past, when I worked 100% in a company: my biggest challenge was my own daydreaming. I could not stop thinking of how the things I was doing and learning at the very same company could help me to grow mine :) You picture yourself in other places, where you might have your sofa or furniture you liked, because you were the founder of something totally yours.
If I could list them, the other challenges that come to mind are:
- Not knowing what is coming, especially at the beginning of the journey
- Needing advice and knowing that you might get discouraged along the way, especially if you are used to the stability of a fixed job. Some people are asking you about money, how you will do it. And you pretend you know what is going to happen (and secretly thinking "Uff!! that is true! Will I make enough to have a living?")
- Saying NO to your own discouragement and YES to an everyday motivation that needs to come from your own being!
- Being present in many places at the same time: your marketing world, your writing world (if you like blogging), your video world (I love it!), your visualization of the future world, your favorite hobby world (you have to continue with your life, your project is your life, but not ALL of it), your family/friends world.
- External world's credibility - you have something wonderful and others should know!
- Your own assertiveness: I am teaching assertiveness to others, I should present my company in an assertive way too!
Time management can be tough, because if you like what you do, you can virtually do it forever. Night writing, ideas while you are sleeping and dreaming, those butterflies in your stomach that just won't go away and remind you of the first time you fell in love.
One important thing I would like to share with you all is: WRITE DOWN YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS. Your daily achievements. If you get your motivation from your task list.. well, it can be demotivating, because sometimes you won't get everything done. This is OK! Write down which of the tasks you managed to do and re-read it before going to bed.
And remember, as the great Nathaniel Branden says ( I know, I have mentioned this book 300 times. The Six Pillars fo Self Esteem): "A purposeful, self-discipline life does not mean a life without time or space for rest, relaxation, recreation, random or even frivolous activity. And in any event, the temporary abandonment or purpose also serves a purpose, whether consciously intended or not: that of regeneration".
Good luck to all enterpreneurs and to all dreamers with cool ideas!!