The last few years have taught us many lessons.
Navigating COVID has been a learning experience for everyone, especially the small business owner.
But lesson are there to be learned everyday; some bigger than others.
The last 3 years since the beginning of COVID have been an up and down experience to say the least.
That roller coaster of an entrepreneur just starting out is much like that of the person trying to navigate the myriad of information out there to lose weight and get in shape.
It has its ups and downs, and in order to finish the ride, you have to be willing to endure the peaks and valleys that present themselves; learn from them, and grow from them.
I have encountered many trials and tribulations over the course of opening MAC Fitness in late 2019 right before COVID hit, but here are my top 5 lessons I learned in the last few years:
- Revisit you WHY….OFTEN! – this one can’t be reiterated enough. There will be many times you want to quit when you’re going after something that you want, or your following a path than most won’t embark on. Your “why” has to be in your face daily to keep you moving when the shit hits the fan or things seem to be falling apart.
- Execution/Action is the only driver – Good thoughts and intentions are worthless. When it comes to your goals, dreams, aspirations or the like, thoughts and intentions do you no good. It is the action, often simply the messy action that moves the needles. Without it your left pondering decisions over and over until you’re blue in the face. Act. Execute. Succeed.
- No one is coming to save me – Bottom line its my business, my dream, my goals, and nobody else gives a shit. I don’t say it like that because no one cares about me ( or you). But everyone has their own shit they’re going through, their own work to do, their own lives to lead, and that will always be their priority. Don’t take it personal. Take it personal. That means get up and do for yourself.
- Failure is the requirement – the only way to succeed is to fail. Without it, you’re simply not trying. I tell myself this often, because I can be so worried about “looking bad” or “not knowing what I am doing” that I don’t act (see #2). That’s a sure way to not succeed. “What if’s” will certainly keep you stagnant, not moving and staying in the same place.
- Stop Comparing myself to others – its easy to do with social media today, especially with “influencers” making it look easy and spreading misinformation everywhere. Trying to compare my journey to anyone else’s is a shot to all that I have had to overcome and it sets me up for inaction, doubt, and insecurity. No two paths are exactly the same, even if they start in similar places. We are unique and our journeys are unique.
