Being a #solopreneur #smallbusinessowner is lonely sometimes. True, the successes are yours, but the “Oops, I should’ve done that differently” days are all yours, too. I’ve spent my career helping others see, and then be, their best selves. It’s what I do. I do it well and I love it. (Any #Strengths gurus out there? #Activator is my #4.) But, my full-time business is still a baby and we’re learning together.
For no particular reason, yesterday was a low day, full of self-doubt and procrastination. Most creatives I know struggle with this. Our art- writing, music, dance- is our soul and our livelihood. We create because we cannot not create. Then, we release it into the world and hope it resonates. Sometimes it doesn’t and that stings. But when it does, the joy and satisfaction are immeasurable.
There wasn’t much joy yesterday. I was struggling with a client’s résumé. The words fell flat. The fonts were wrong. I wrestled all day with spacing issues. I wanted to email my client and tell him to find another résumé writer. That I couldn’t deliver.
Thankfully, I didn’t do that. Instead, I turned off the laptop and went to bed. No good writing happens after 11:30pm. I slept well for the first time in a week. Just two hours ago, I checked my email and found this message, from a different client:
“Hi Monica, Just wanted to let you know the first place that I sent the new résumé to called me in for an interview. They mentioned that they liked it also.”
This is why I do what I do. To help others take steps on their journeys. I help people translate their skills and experiences and then put it on paper as résumés or cover letters, or in interview answers. Writing is tough work. It requires diligence and a thick skin. And, in times of doubt, it requires rest. Today is a new day (cliche, but true) and I’m ready to face it.
So to my other business owners, hustlers, consultants, freelancers out there: I see you! It’s okay to rest! Put down the pen or brush. Take a walk or a nap and come back refreshed. Remember why we started and don’t quit. Rest. We got this.