Focus On Your Journey
I am an entrepreneur at heart. My journey as a writer and speaker started four years ago. However, this is the year I feel I am finally taking off.
The past four years have been my boot camp. I took classes, joined groups, and watched more webinars than I can count. I’m still striving to learn how to share the calling God placed on my heart.
Now I am ready to fly solo, but I still need a wing man or woman.
Take Baby Steps
In June, I released my first Bible Study, and I have learned so much. My journey is speeding up now, but I have much more to learn. When I look at other writers and speakers much further down the road than me, I erroneously think I need to do everything they are doing to grow my influence. After a few moments of feeling overwhelmed and wondering how I can accomplish all they are doing, I remind myself they did not start their journeys with five published books, a podcast, a YouTube channel, and a monthly program for women to join!
They started just like me: with one book, one blog, and few followers. They worked hard every day to write more and grow their presences online and offline. Now five, ten, and fifteen years down the road, they have book series they have written, podcasts, and thriving followings who want to hear from them. They paid their dues, consistently produced, and worked hard.
Keep Your Focus
I can’t compare my beginning to their middle. I can, however, stay focused on the calling God laid on my heart. Be consistent and continue to grow as a writer, a speaker, and a woman of influence.
Four Ways To Enjoy The Journey and Stay Focused:
- Take it a day at a time.
- Set 90-day goals every quarter.
- Track your progress financially, through social media, and through any other ways you track your business.
- Hire a business coach to guide you, encourage you, and cheer you on.
I have made some lofty goals I had to adjust, because they did not work out. As an entrepreneur, keep your focus and adjust what you do each day to align with your focus. Have a plan for each day to take steps towards your goals.
Have goals for the month and the quarter. Write them down!
Recently, I learned the importance of tracking your progress. If you don’t know where you have been and where you are right now, how will you know if you made progress? Set up an Excel sheet or Word document to track your progress each week. This has really helped motivate me and keep me focused.
This is the first year I hired a business coach. It is one of the best decisions I’ve made. It is not easy, but it is worth it to have someone stretch you to do more than you imagined you could. Someone who is further down the road than you can help you navigate the murky waters and map out the best path to take for your business.
Realign Your Priorities
This week has helped me realign my priorities and focus. I made a big decision to drop a program for now. It was putting undue pressure on me and taking me away from my true focus. It was paralyzing me. I had so much to do, I did not know where to start, and I knew I would end up going in circles to nowhere.
Being an entrepreneur is a journey. Each year, you want to get further down the road. Life may throw you some curve balls in the form of illness, divorce, or major financial struggles. The economy can take a nose dive, and you have no control over how people spend their money. Keep pressing on! God will show you the path to go when you seek Him daily!
Joyce Glass is a writer, speaker, and lover of God’s word even more than chocolate! Her desire is to encourage you to walk closer to God. Dig deeper in your faith. Pray in earnest daily for God to teach you His ways, and serve Him right where you live and work now. She is the author of iNeed God – daily downloads for your heart. A 90 day journey closer to God! You can connect with Joyce online. Connect with Joyce on her blog, Facebook, Google+, or Twitter.