3 Surprising Ways Your Online Business Makes You Strong
3 Surprising Ways Your Online Business Makes You Strong
Today I have Laurie from Dark Little Critter here to talk about ways your online business makes you strong!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help us keep this site up and running! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!
“What am I going to do?!?”
The question looped through my head with a jarring techno-trance beat. My heart hammered along to the urgent rhythm as a hideous red number pulsed on the bank statement in my hands.
Overdraft: it was a new, raw gouge at the bottom of my debt pit, with no income in sight to fill it.
I was on an unpaid maternity leave, drowning in post-partum depression, and overwhelmed by our financial sinkhole.
I couldn’t face going back to the job where I had burned out, and even if I could, I wouldn’t make enough money to cover childcare and the bills.
I needed another option.
A friend suggested I search for an online gig. So I did some lazy Googling.
The pickings were slim: I found a dozen spammy ads promising outrageous income for clicking links and completing surveys; three agencies hiring stay at home moms to be telephone actresses, and a couple of articles about how to become a freelance writer.
I’ll be honest and say that my imagination was tickled about phone acting. “Relationship therapy,” is what I called it, and in my fantasy, gentlemen paid me by the minute to chat with them like I was their girlfriend. I would lavish them with lifelike conversations, such as, “I don’t know; where do you want to eat?” and “I don’t think your friends like me.”
I spent one very distracted week daydreaming about my “Realistic Romance Service,” when it hit me. I was the wrong person for that industry.
But maybe I was the right gal for writing. Was that the online business that would make me stronger?
The more I thought about it, the more obsessed I became. A serious plan started to gel in my restless mind.
I found solid resources about freelance markets that were open to new writers. I stumbled upon a book by a prolific journalist and writing coach, who happened to offer online classes. Night after night, I called up her website and stared at the “Buy Now” button for her beginner’s course. But I hesitated.
I could not escape the fact: starting up a business was going to be stressful. If I made a play for freelancing success, I was guaranteed to face financial risk, exhausting labor, and sabotaging self-doubt.
Yet, I couldn’t shake the hunger to do it, to push through the obstacles and make it work.
So, I bit the bullet. I took that course, and many others. I lost weeks of sleep while I put the last polish on my pieces, fought the evil gremlins of tech crashes, and struggled with the anxiety that I was wasting my family’s resources.
But the financial pressure, coupled with my elemental passion, drove me forward. And it worked. I have been selling my writing online for four years, now. Every year, my confidence and resilience grow alongside my income.
It turns out, my online business made me stronger. As I developed new skills and surpassed professional barriers, I gathered three things that boosted my resilience: commitment, preparedness, and connection to a thriving, supportive community.
Here’s more about how you can also find these healthy surprises on your quest for financial success.
Turning Desperation into Commitment
Most of us who choose the self-employment path do so under duress; the easier option of getting a traditional job with security, structure, and employment benefits is somehow blocked.
In the world of virtual business, we don’t have to drown in our weaknesses. Instead, we find a network of personal support that helps us grow so we can reach our goals. There is an entire industry of coaches, instructors, and bloggers devoted to spreading inspiration, self-awareness, and confidence that helps everyone persevere and succeed.
The resources below can help you connect with your passions and strengths, hush your doubts, and move forward with enthusiasm.
http://screwthecubicle.com/ Corporate Escape Artist Lydia Lee specialises in helping people identify their strengths and values, and channel them into a service that customers need.
https://www.viacharacter.org/www/ A free online survey that identifies your character strengths, which you can leverage in your professional and personal lives.
http://www.bakersbetterlife.com/ Lifestyle Designer Emily Baker gives great advice about caring for your body and soul so you can drive toward your goals in a balanced way.
Turning Insecurity into Preparedness
The horrible thing about leaping into online business is that it is swimming with uncertainty. It can be overwhelming. Yet, if you are committed to making it work, you will start looking for resources, information, and solutions.
Being your own boss means constantly expanding your toolkit. As you work, you will gather an arsenal of reference materials, experts, and collaborators who provide answers and assistance when you need them. You will be amazed when you realize that your self-reliant business has brought you more support than you ever had as a cog in someone else’s machine.
Here are some resources that help entrepreneurs learn what it takes to get the job done:
https://www.17hats.com/ An indispensable online app that guides you through easy systems for managing client contact info, project details, time recording, automated invoicing, repeatable workflows, and more.
http://www.problogger.net/ A renowned website dedicated to teaching bloggers how to make money by keeping readers and search engines happy.
http://createyourlaptoplife.com/ An extensive mentorship program for Virtual Assistants and Freelancers that gets businesses up and running within four months. The training includes video tutorials, worksheets, resource kits, a tight-knit community and live group coaching calls. Topics cover everything from headache-free admin setup and effective web presence, to the most fulfilling ways to network and serve your community.
Isolation to Community
For me, the most therapeutic part of building my online business, hands down, has been connecting with my clients and fellow freelancers. I have found encouragement, commiseration, guidance and friendship among my online interactions.
One of the highlights of my writing life was the first time strangers shared my blog post. It’s no coincidence the topic was leaning into our village when times get tough; the truth is, we all need connection to be strong.
The only things sweeter than the cheques and Paypal transfers that support my passion, are the ever-growing relationships my business brings. I belong to many entrepreneur groups where I post when I’m confused, stressed, or excited. I know the members care and we have each other’s backs. In these groups, I get opportunities every day to return the support; it makes me feel emotionally connected, and plugs me in to a rich web of resources and referrals.
Here are some uplifting and helpful groups you should join on Facebook:
Starting an online business is like leaping into a white-hot crucible, but the process will make you a stronger human. You will not just grow more productive and financially capable, but also more self-aware, informed, and connected to a thriving, supportive community.
The stress that is prodding you toward internet entrepreneurship probably feels like doom right now, but don’t despair. This might actually be your ticket to health and happiness.
Laurie stretches her fingers and emotional limits on her keyboard every day. She twists, bends and reaches with words to uplift and entertain her readers. Her essays and articles can be found in regional parenting magazines and on her blog,www.darklittlecritter.com. She has recently begun helping other online entrepreneurs write copy that links their gifts to the people who need them. Laurie believes that what makes us all stronger, no matter how dark our weakness, is to reach out to each other through the experiences we share.
Original article and pictures take www.becomingwellthy.com site
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий