If you are not sure what is the next step you should take, if you feel stuck and lost in the pursuit of your dream and doubt yourself, this article is for you.
I have been in the same place.
I knew I want to build an online business because of all the freedom, flexibility, abundance, all those good stuff that everyone talks about.
But no one talks about the work involved, the mindset blocks that would deter us from having the success that we want. No one shows the real struggles behind the scene.
I tried all the strategies that I came across: blogging, themes, fb group, fb ads, all sorts of different funnels, email marketing, webinar, live stream, all sorts of automation tools, chat robots, IG algorithm, YouTube algorithm, MLM, live conference, KOL marketing, you name it.
Nothing works.
I was spending money that I earned from my day time job to spend on the education program, digital courses and resources and all the strategies and funnels and hacks sound so good. Some of them are also proven to work!
Yet when it comes to actual execution, there is no result. I follow step-by-step but it does not work for me. I feel disappointed, angry, and doubtful — maybe I am not the business material. I felt like a fake. I felt the misalignment of the ‘proven sales script’ and the ‘proven email formula’ and the ‘proven conversion funnel’.
I was lost.
I turned back to the comfort zone of 9–6 for the security, and persuade myself that only those people who are gifted or skilled in networking, socializing, and sales can make it. I am not like that. I am an introvert.
But even when I went back to the comfort zone, I could not find myself.
I still dreamt about doing what I enjoy and making money working with people I care about.
I still found myself reading business articles and blogs to find a strategy that works for me.
But I was cautious, because I have tried many and no longer fall trap to the marketing gimmicks.
I was still finding directions and man, that is a slow and long process.
That took me 5 years. 5 FULL YEARS.
It was not easy. I do not want to make it sound like it was easy because it is not.
Recently, I review my journals and want to drop a few guides here for you:
1/ Trust your intuition
Listen to your inner voice. It would tell you what you are destined to do.
One thing I noticed why I took so long to find my direction is because I keep myself busy looking for the next strategy, the next way that works for me.
Instead, I may have do better if I just slowed down, meditate, and listen to what my intuition has to say. [More on this in “A Habit You MUST Develop”: https://medium.com/@unicornconnie/a-habit-you-must-develop-e3a5f7c8479a]
2/ It’s not the strategy that matters
When I see some other entrepreneurs doing it this way and getting those great result, I second-guess myself and my approach and think… you know what, maybe I need to try that. And I drop what I have built so far and waste time trying the other approach and found out that it doesn’t work. Now, we have to go back and pick up where we’ve left (having to build the momentum from scratch again) and starting all over doing what we were doing. This ended up wasting a lot of time, energy and efforts and not making any real progress and filled this journey with frustration.
Does it sound true to you?
I was so frustrated that I got no result even though I followed the successful hacks that other entrepreneurs claim to obtain amazing results.
Until I was so fed up with myself being distracted I stop looking at what others are doing and just focus one framework — and that made all the difference.
The strategy may work but I was not giving it enough time to work. I was too impatient.
I planted the seed today and wanted to see the plant next week or next month, while it takes a year to show up.
I judged whether it is a failure or not too soon.
It boils down to not having the consistency and faith to really make it work.
[More on this in “The Life Formula 100:1”: https://medium.com/@unicornconnie/the-life-formula-100-1-bfe836b41af8 and “Three “S” Traits You Need to Have in Any Business to Succeed” : https://medium.com/@unicornconnie/three-s-traits-you-need-to-have-in-any-business-to-succeed-2b1b4cbca358]
3/ Hold onto your vision and have faith
Let’s be real. You are going to face challenges along the way.
You are going to feel confused, doubtful, and fear. It is NORMAL and part of the process.
This is the toughest phase of the journey because you have not seen the result yet (it takes time for the seed to turn into the plant) but you are putting in all those efforts, time, and sacrifice.
And after all those hard work one would expect to see at least some results right?
Nope, nothing at all.
Or even worse.
Things will be messier than ever, you could be constantly questioning yourself why the hack you need to choose this path, you could be so attracted to going back to the comfort zone, the old doubts and objections that you’re not enough to make it may surface again and again to lure you back.
There is nothing you can do to prevent this because it is part of the process that trains us to be who we need to be to get what we want.
What we can do is only to be prepared, and hold onto your vision (and I mean really holding onto that as if you are floating on sea and your dear life depends on it!!)
HOLD ONTO YOUR VISION SO TIGHT THAT occupies your mind and brain with it, leaving no space at all for doubts and questions.
SEE it becoming a reality in your mind (not unlike a person floating on the sea imagining the vision of land XD but you get the idea)
Create a mental picture of what you want and focus intensely on it, every day.
Often times, even if we have a plan on how to get there at the beginning, things change and we have to generate a new and perhaps completely different plan in the middle of the mess.
Honestly, we do not know the way, but as long as we know where we want to go — that sense of direction towards the destination serves as our north star to guide us the steps to take to get nearer and nearer each day.
If you are feeling doubtful and lost, I hope this article will give you some insight before you continue your journey.
If you’re interested to know more about my behind-the-scene struggles and key lessons I’ve learned along the way, I reveal them in the Patreon community: patreon.com/simplifiedbusinesscoach
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