Growing a business can be daunting, especially when every decision feels uncomfortable. For homesteaders like me, stepping out of our comfort zones is crucial. I’ve faced many new challenges and pushed through invisible barriers. Here are three tactics I use to drive both personal and business growth, emerging more confident and energized.
TAKE SMALLER STEPS
For each new skill or task you encounter, break the learning process down into smaller steps and take the time to absorb each one. When you have a good handle on one step, move onto the next. You don’t need to “master” each step to move on, just feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction of having done it. The smaller the task, the higher the chance of your actually doing it. Starting a business can feel overwhelming. I break the process down into smaller steps that are accomplished over time in my daily planner. From starting an email to selling your first product, each task can be made as small as you need to get it done.
Don’t go it alone
Having the guidance of a mentor that’s been there before can be the key ingredient to success. I’ve employed mentors for big tasks like butchering chickens to learning to pressure can. A little hand holding can go a long way. Sometimes all it takes is asking. I had my first lesson in drawing blood from a cow for pregnancy testing from a local dairy farmer who I only met and talked to online! He kindly drove out of his way, brought his own syringes and vacuum tubes, showed me how to put the needle in and had me draw blood. No, I was not successful that time, but I went on to draw blood from my cows on my own several months later. Now I am a seasoned cow phlebotomist! Having a good breeding program is instrumental to my heritage beef business, and without this skill I’d just be foundering in uncertainty.
Mentors can be friends, family, online coaches, book authors. The list goes on. The point is, learn from someone who has been there before. Maximize your growth with their surefooted path.
take action
You can book learn all day, but nothing beats actual experience. One thing is for certain; by not taking action, you will never know success. With every experience, you will learn and strengthen your belief in your own abilities. Fear is born of the unknown. With more and more attempts to step out of your comfort zone, you’ll have more and more evidence of your proven abilities. That is all confidence really is, a self-assurance and trust in our own abilities. Start that business today and find trust in action!
Not sure where to start? Check out these posts to get some advice, inspiration, and motivation!
5 Steps to Manifest Your Dream Homestead
Running a Homestead Business with Kids
With Love
