Let me tell you a little story about needing a clear direction in my business. I swear mine are moveable goals more than anything. That with a bit of a laundry list of things I want to do, achieve and when I’m thinking might be a good idea to slot them in. All whilst I juggle family life, wife life, Mum life, building a house life, trying to be a good friend life. I’m sure you get the picture.
It’s no secret that through the years the clear direction in my business has gotten a little muddy, no a lot murky. Sadly, that has meant that my clients have little to no idea of what I do. Which is great for me because I’m not alone but not so great for my bank balance.
What starts a shift to a clear direction?
Most of the time, my changes in direction have come as a result of meeting my clients’ needs. First, it was proofreading & copy editing. I can tell you that was not a popular option. Then it was website audits. Slightly more demand but still not a cash cow I hoped it would be. Then there was Facebook coach. Now that has proven popular with the clients but has personally put me in a pickle. (I’m one of what seems to be a bajillion of these) Then there’s business coach. Again a dime a dozen, plus fighting an industry rife with dodgy experiences. Finally, there’s fear & Imposter Syndrome coach. Good need, only for those who are deep in it and don’t suddenly get a quick flash of things being better before it all crashes down again.
So you can see that my “clear direction” for my business has been more like a meandering stream over rocky rapids than a straight trajectory to financial wealth.
And then there’s my biggest body of work to date, me! Some of you may know, as my fear coaching clients do, that any self-work is fraught with danger (and some intrigue). Which to be honest feels like a merry-go-round or ferris wheel. Something that seems like a good idea at the start, is a little scary at times when things start moving a bit too much, that you wonder when it will stop, that when it does stop you wonder if that’s all it was meant to be, but realistically just goes round and round in circles.
Can I be honest? It’s like anything. It’s generally not a problem until it’s a problem and then we wish we did something earlier! Working on me has been a constant. I may not be always right down in the deep of it all, sometimes it’s a constant chipping away and reminder of where I don’t want to be or want to have.
What continues a shift to a clear direction?
I think that’s the thing that many business coaches forget to tell us. What doctors forget when we make life changes. That this is a constant.
It takes work to change and shift direction, but like flying a plane or captaining a ship – it takes constant vigilance and incremental changes to remain on course.
Can I let you in on a secret?
That’s the hard work.
That’s the tiring work.
It’s the constant and consistent. It’s the assessment and reassessment. It’s the adjustment. It’s staying true to the vision but more so yourself when you’re not always certain of what that is or where it will take you. It’s ignoring distraction and temptation. It’s burying bad habits and thoughts and not unearthing them because they are comfortable and familiar.
This is the hard work my friends.
This is me.
This is worthwhile.
This will be better.
This will work.
Stay the course but moreover stay true to you and your clear direction.
And finally, I’m here & I’ve got you. x