I think we’re all feeling a little weird right now. For most of us, this is the craziest, scariest time in the United States we’ve ever experienced. And no one really has the words or the answers right now. For me, my tendencies in times of stress or fear, are to pull back. To withdraw and take comfort in my couch and comfort food. But instead of of pulling back I’m choosing to push myself to new places, to be creative and to try new things. We all have some extra time in our schedules right now and probably need to escape the “norm” of quarantine life so I want to give ya’ll some tips on exactly how to get going and how to start something new.
I’m sure we all have at least one thing we dream of starting! Whether that’s a blog, a fashion instagram page, a small business, an etsy shop, a social selling business, literally it can be anything! And this post is for you! If there’s anything you’re wanting to start, I’m going to give you 3 steps to starting something new, and you HAVE to follow these if you’re going to get it started. Also, the sooner and the quicker you do them, the better. My best advice: Start Messy.
3 Steps on How to Start Something New
Step 1: Decide What You Want to Do
Whether that’s start a blog, start making jewelry, start distressing/bleaching/bedazzling clothes for an etsy shop (someone please do this!), start building an online course or start a new business. Decide what the heck you want to start right now. If you have 5 ideas- pick one.
Step 2: Spend a Day or a Designated Couple Hours to Do Some Research
Not all new ventures will require a ton of research, but I don’t advise you to start an online boutique without at least reading up on how to start one! Some will require more research and prep while others you can just dive into. My suggestion is to set aside some time to learn, research, and get a nice plan in place to get moving. DO NOT make this step last more than a day. You can learn a lot in a youtube video, a podcast, or a blog post. Just find the right ones and learn what you need to learn to start working.
Step 3: START WORKING
Here’s the deal. A lot of people will get stuck on Step 2. Thinking you have to know and learn how to do everything before you take the first step. Learn as much as you need to learn to TAKE the first step. If you’re starting a blog, learn how to get the site actually working and put a post up. Then go from there. Don’t make it perfect, just do it. Your logo doesn’t have to be perfect, your photos don’t have to be perfect, you don’t even have to have your about page up, yet! Just write the first post! If you’re starting a network marketing business, watch a few trainings and start implementing. You don’t have to know everything to get started! I repeat – you DON’T have to know everything!
That’s it. Truly 3 basic steps to get going, but the majority of people get stuck at step 1 or step 2 and get so focused on doing everything perfect that they never actually do the dang thing!
I also think a lot of times we get so focused on ourselves that we’re afraid to stumble or afraid of not doing things perfect. So here are a few common misconceptions about people who do all those things you wish you’d just get out and do!
Common Misconceptions of Successful People
“She’s so good at everything! I’m sure she’s never failed at anything!”
Nope, you’re looking at it all wrong! Successful people are not afraid to fail. Anyone you see with success out there, I’m certain they’ve faced quite a few no’s, failures, disappointments, and times where they’ve wanted to quit. They take those failures as a lesson and keep going, most not missing a beat!
“They’re just good at _______. I don’t know how to do any of that, so I can’t get started!”
After being in business for myself for all these years and learning from and talking to a lot of other business owners you learn one thing real quick. Business owners are scrappy. We don’t know how to do EVERYTHING. Believe me- those people you feel like they know it all and are great at “it all!” They just figured things out! I know people who made their logos in canva, who are still operating on a free website template making tens of thousands per month. Everything doesn’t have to be fancy or flashy or perfect. You would never even notice some things were just thrown together! Oh and photos! SO many people say they don’t have a fancy camera or someone to take their photos. You’d be amazed at how many bloggers, photographers and business owners use their iPhone & a tripod! Seriously.
“She just got lucky! She got started at the right time, she has so many followers, she’s _____ so of course she’s successful!”
Some people do get “lucky” but hear me out – nothing about success is luck. It’s all what you make of your situation. Everyone can create their own luck! Work as hard as you can and some luck may just fall in your lap!
“Ah- she’s just so creative! I wish I could be that creative!”
We can all be creative in our own ways. If you’ll take some time to get OFF of social media to get your inspiration you’ll be amazed at how creative you can be!
Now, go get to work and check back in next week and tell me what you’ve started!
