Well, when I started down the path of self-employment in April last year, I thought Brexit and IR35 might be a bit challenging, never mind a global pandemic.
Whilst I thought I had a really clear idea about the direction I wanted to take when I set out last year, I soon learnt that getting to grips with running a business initially takes up a huge amount of time and it is easy to get distracted.
Within the early months I realised that I was targeting the wrong audience and I needed to re-work my business plan and messaging. By the time I had worked this out, I was diverted by a family issue and starting to run out of cash, so I decided to take on a 4 months fixed-term contract. I ignored the warnings of not having enough time or focus for my business whilst contracting which proved to be true, and the 4 months turned into 11 months (ending in July and during the pandemic). This meant I was faced with a very different economic prospect to the one almost a year ago.
I had a decision to make – continue forging ahead with building my business during a very trying period or moving back into an employed role, albeit competing in a very competitive recruitment market. My passion won – continue to build my business!
I feel unnaturally calm about pursuing my business during Covid-19 which has really surprised me; I thought I would go into panic mode. I have re-focused my Goals and developed a Plan of Action which will hopefully lead to Success. How? By…
· Revisiting my WHY and and ensuring that what I do aligns to my core values;
· Reflecting on the last 17 months and instead of focusing on what I didn’t achieve, focusing on what I have learnt, who I have connected with and how much nearer I am to making my dream a reality, and then celebrating the small successes;
· Operating from a growth mindset and recognising when I slip into a fixed mindset;
· Investing more into my personal growth and business development skills, which includes programmes where I have to show up and be accountable;
· Surrounding myself with cheerleaders.
It is very easy to let what is going on outside of us, i.e. external factors and those things outside of our control, have an adverse impact whereby negative thoughts lead to negative emotions and often a lack of action, and we can become a ‘victim’ of circumstances. By adopting a growth mindset and taking back control, we can be more of a ‘survivor’ and work towards getting back to a ‘thriver’. I’m currently in the ‘survivor’ camp but with all of the above actions I have put in place, I’m excited about the prospect of thriving again soon.
If this resonates with you and you would like some support to get back on track, please do get in touch for an informal no-obligation exploratory call - 07791 863092 / gemmacrofts@talenta.me.uk
