I heart mistakes
I just got a new client because his previous coach wasn’t returning emails or phone calls, and was generally making him feel unloved. Yay me for swooping down on said client like a hawk sighting a baby mouse: yummy. Don’t give me that look: the cats refuse to work, and my charm, albeit staggering, does not pay the bills. What a world, kids, what a world.
But that did get me thinking about how many of us sabotage ourselves. There was a period, for example, when this business was more of a hobby, and I just liked to talk about all the things I was going to do. When I thought that having a blog and some business cards meant hey, I’m an entrepreneur. I’m fancy! But if a friend gave me a lead on a potential client or opportunity…well, I wasn’t in business enough to actually want to do anything.
Now I have zero time for that mess: I’m obsessed with my clients. I’m at the point where, if I overhear two strangers at a coffee shop trying to figure out what to do with their lives, my inner yenta must get involved and help. Which is good for clients, but can be frightening for my dates.
But a lot of people prefer to continue on a path of self-sabotage. People who have business websites that have misinformation, or links to nowhere, or a Facebook button…but no Facebook page. Or a website that offers visitors no reason to return or interact. People who apply for social media jobs through the mail. (True story, by the way.)
Listen: life is about mistakes. Let’s not kid ourselves. I make mistakes all the time; I made a mistake last night, mixing those red and white wines. But the point of mistakes is to learn, not just endlessly repeat them and then whine about why things aren’t improving. Leave that kind of stupidity to Congress…you, at home, you keep learning.