All the entrepreneurs in the house wave your hands in the air. mmmmh hmmmm, I see you!
You have found a passion; fashion, music, art or science and you’ve been working hard to turn it into something tangible for the world to experience. Still years have passed and you have nothing to show for all your diligent work. This can be really discouraging especially if you don’t have a support system to keep you going.
I can testify to the fact that those days will come when you’ll want to quit everything and switch to drone mode like the rest of the world. Why not, they make a living from jobs they hate, better to do that than nothing at all.

Oh sweetheart if every one of us gave up our dreams and goals at the slightest discomfort, the world would be a static, boring and monotonous place.
I’m always inspired by the Apple Think Different campaign from 1997, which celebrated the ‘crazy ones’, the ‘misfits’, the ’round pegs in the square holes’, ‘the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who actually do’.

Maybe you have to be a little ‘crazy’ to be able to keep your passion alive, that passion that fuels the speed at which you achieve your goals & aspirations. I thought I’d share some of the ‘crazy’ tips @stoikerty shared with me on how to sustain a healthy drive as an entrepreneur. I’ve added a brief description below each one and how they relate to my situation.

~ Always keep your mind at peace. In that state, you’ll be able to explore new ideas without judgement.
Only from a state of mind that’s peaceful can new ideas be delved into, experimented and tried out, knowing that it could turn out to be a success or a failure. Eliminate negative self-convictions that keep you from taking that bold first step towards your goal. You’re your greatest ally but also your worst enemy. Keep your mind at peace by finding a balance between being content with how much you’ve grown and having a desire to be better.

~ Don’t see whatever you’re into as a burden, the moment you begin to see it that way it’ll no longer be fun.
It is very easy to fall down the hole of taking things for granted, especially once you begin to compare yourself with others. Every single person has a completely different destiny. Yes, it might be similar to yours but you don’t know the full story behind those pretty pictures on Instagram. To avoid getting into a place where you begin to see your passion as a burden, remind yourself of the privilege you have to be your own boss, many wish they could. Another way to prevent yourself from losing your passion is to sit down and think back to where you were 5 years ago & you’ll realise how much you’ve grown without noticing it.

~ Success is never fast, at least stable success.
What is success? Money, fame or social recognition? If you go after ‘fast’ success, your ego will take over and make most of those important decisions for you, which wouldn’t always be the best. Stable success will keep your ego grounded. Be patient with the speed of the progress you’re making, the finest diamond is the most refined.  A quote I saw somewhere read ‘rushing your business success is like asking a baby to walk minutes after birth’. Can you relate? Take small consistent steps and you & your business will grow at a pace that you can handle.

~ Capture people’s imagination.
You might think to yourself “a lot has been created already and there is nothing new to be made”. New phones, cars, furniture, paintings, women’s and men’s clothes are released every day. But there’s still so much more that the world hasn’t seen. Today, women wear more trousers than skirts but this wasn’t the case prior to the 1920s. This happened thanks to Coco Chanel who introduced white relaxed-legged yachting pants, initially for herself and later on for women who admired her style. Bless you Coco! So take your sweet God-given time on that idea or product. Create something that captures people and put them in awe. Ironically, it doesn’t have to be so complex. It can be the simplest, ‘silliest’ thing to you but to the world it could be something beautiful.

~ Take breaks when it’s starting to get boring or too challenging.
This I do plenty of times. That way I avoid breaking down health-wise and emotionally. Juggling studies, work and my business can be overwhelming sometimes. When it’s becoming too much for me, I literally ‘switch off’. I turn off my digital devices, cut off from anything that’ll stress me and REST. I go to the movies, museum, an open park, or even better I lounge in with Netflix and ice cream wink. YouTube is also a great way to relax and learn at the same time. You can find almost everything there. Tutorials, motivational videos and even documentaries that could be really inspirational.

~ Do it for yourself.
Last but certainly not least, do not forget the reason why you started. Was it to inspire people to be happy, to see the best in themselves and the world (as is my case), to express your talent for the world to enjoy or simply to leave a legacy for your children? Reasons like these are what’ll sustain you on those days when you want to let it all go. You’re blessed to have found that passion, a lot of people don’t know what they want to do with their lives but here you are with a heart burning passion. So take that ‘flame’ and run with it, constantly improve it, nurture it and one day in the future you’ll be thankful for not quitting.

I wish someone had told me all these tips 3 years ago, it might have made my journey easier. I’ve learnt from my experience and that of others. One of my mother’s favourite quotes is “if you want something good, dig your heels in and be prepared to work for it”. Wise woman! Now I fully understand what she meant. So darling, hang in there no matter how difficult it’ll get. If it gets too stressful, talk to someone in your field of interest with experience who’ll understand, it helps a great deal.
I don’t know everything but I’m open to questions and suggestions, feel free to leave a comment or to send me a private message through the ‘Contact me’ page.

Happy new week!
Until my next post

Remain Awesome!!!

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