Why Patience is More Than A Virtue
It’s absolutely imperative in business
I came across this quote yesterday and it was so powerful that I just had to share it with everyone who reads my content.
Ever felt like the Universe is listening to you and sending you messages in unexpected ways? That’s what I feel like, every single day.
A business owner that I trust and respect said this to me once and I’ve never forgotten it. She said:
Most businesses will only start to see the needle move in their 3rd or 4th year. If it happens before that, they’re either very lucky or they already have an audience from a previous avatar.
And this was SO TRUE for me, personally!
Yes, I’ve been a blogger for 14 years but I’ve only been in business for 3 and a half years now. The shift from ‘break-even’ or ‘loss’ towards gentle profit only began to happen after 2 and a half years and into my 3rd year in business.
Behind those 3 years were a number of things that I think more people need to acknowledge:
1. Patience- Tons and tons and tons of it. Quite literally, nothing will happen unless you’re patient. Remember what Oogway says to Shifu in Kung Fun Panda? (Okay, is that like the BEST MOVIE EVER MADE or what?)
“Look at this tree. I cannot make it blossom when it suits me nor make it bear fruit before its time.”
2. Learning- You must be open and receptive to learning and unlearning. For 2 years I followed hustle marketing strategies that ended in overwhelm and heartbreak. It’s only when I stepped back from it all that I learnt to pursue heart-based marketing from people like my coach George Kao and cherish the work I do.
3. Evolving — As you progress, you must make changes and adapt to situations as they suit your current frame of mind. For instance — turning off ads or removing social media sharing buttons or retiring a course of yours if it’s no longer serving your vision.
4. Purpose — This is one of the most important lessons and for me, it was personally going back to why I started the business in the first place. It wasn’t to make money; it was to help people. The real life experience of learning how to balance free content with paid engagements taught me more about business than any MBA program
Be patient; the tree will bear the sweetest fruit.🍎
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Shailaja V
I’m a productivity and content coach with over 14 years of writing, blogging and social media experience. Read my story & more about my work here.
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