This month, Pink Stiletto Coaching (PSC) turns ONE YEAR OLD! In human years, that’s a big deal. In small business years, that’s a lifetime. In honor and celebration of that fabulous milestone, I thought I would offer some reflections and some of my “lessons learned” from the first year. My hope is that this will not only provide you, beautiful one, with some entertainment but that it will also serve to help you in your own life and business!
As I reflect on the last twelve months growing this business, here’s what I’ve learned:
1. Growth is organic.
Growing a business is like growing a garden. The garden needs to be tended every day. The plant will grow at its own pace; you can’t rush it before it’s ready to fruit or bloom. Fertilizer can help, when appropriate, but ultimately the plant is on its own growth trajectory. You are merely there to guide its maturation, prop it up when it falls over, give it a place to climb on so it can expand, and make sure it has enough light and water so it doesn’t “die on the vine.” The rest will happen on its own. It’s organic.
2. Non attachment is key.
When I find things aren’t turning out how I intended, I can go one of two ways. I can either berate myself and the situation, wishing it didn’t turn out “this way,” or I can let go and recognize that THIS is the reality, regardless of intention, and that I need to accept it in order to move forward. When I let go of what I think things “should” or “ought” to look like and simply take them on face value for WHAT THEY ARE, my business takes on a gliding, effortless flow that springs deep creativity, passionate enjoyment, and dastardly good fun! When you let go, freedom abounds.
3. Belief is a choice.
I routinely get asked “how’s business?” My answer is always the same: it’s fantastic. I CHOOSE to believe that. Regardless of what may be happening that day or week or month in my business, overall I choose to believe that my business is fantastic. My days are FILLED with opportunity to reach out and LOVE ON women, give them the space to step into their MAGNIFICENCE, and watch them GROW into their divine spirit! That is magical. It fills me up. It makes me whole. And it feels SO GOOD. It is, in short, fantastic.
4. Perspective is necessary.
It’s easy when you’re a small business start-up to have days where you want to just “pack it all up” because it’s hard, you’ve hit a bump, or you’re feeling more like a pity party than a parade. Those are the days when the best thing you can do is put on your tennis shoes and hit the trail (or the pavement) for a nice, long walk. Get out of your normal physical environment. Breathe “earth air,” not A/C. Feel the hot sun on your cheeks. Allow the wind to blow your bangs around. Clear your mind. Allow you to focus on the present moment. Just BE for a little while. Refocus on what is good and pure and right about your business. Shift your thinking 180 degrees and look at things from different angles. Get the blood pumping, get some movement going, and refuel your soul. Just take some time out and get a little “perspective.”
5. Everybody needs a Yoda.
I’ve saved the best for last. One thing I’ve really internalized over the last year is that “success does not happen alone.” I’ve always heard this maxim but in creating, developing, and growing Pink Stiletto Coaching, I’ve really lived it. One of the key pieces to all of the success I’m experiencing is my Yoda. Her name is Nancy Conger. She’s much cuter than Yoda, and instead of a robe she is often found donning a long, flowing skirt with a fiddle in one hand and a pair of cowboy boots on her feet. She is my life coach. She is my business coach. She is my “I’m becoming a better me” coach. She is my touchstone, my compass, my shining star on a dark night. Several times per month, I talk with Nancy for a short 30 minutes. Those conversations are often some of the most profound, lasting, and consequential ones I have in a given month. She gives me juice, she points out where I’m straying, and she challenges my skills. She makes me tap into “the force” that is inside of me. She expects me to bring myself fully present into my life and engage what’s in front of me. She points out my blind spots. She shines light on the good things I’m doing. She is there to coach me about my life and business as well as question me about my soul.
She believes in me. She celebrates me. She really sees me. She knows me. And most, importantly, she allows me the space to know myself.
So much of my first year successes are due to the creative guidance of Nancy Conger, my Yoda. Thank you, Nancy.
Everyone needs a Yoda.
Absoultey LOVE your newsletter & reflection on the last year in business. Congratulations! I am coming up on my first year completed in “outside sales”. I had an outstanding year with hitting my “goals”, however, I can relate with so much of what you are saying. I feel you! So glad that you found a Yoda to open up with. THat is so great! COngrats & cheers to another year!
Janelle