Before you blow your cool: 3 ways to keep calm so that you CAN carry on

 

Ah yes, one of my least favorite words in the dictionary. Right up there with mayonnaise, injustice and seersucker. But i digress. . .

Thing is, if you’re going to make this “launching your side hustle while working 9 to 5” thing work, yep, you guessed it, you’re going to have to be patient. You’re going to have to resign yourself to the fact that everything won’t happen when it’s supposed to, you’ll spend way more money than you budgeted for and it will take some time to find & dominate the niche in which your business will thrive.

Picture it: You make an appointment for your child at the pediatrician. You arrive 20 minutes ahead of  time. The nurse checks you in, takes your child’s height, weight, head circumference and thumb print.

Um hmm, as if they really need that!

Then off to the waiting room you go. 20 minutes later they call you back to the front desk to check your insurance. You present your rumpled card and assure them that nothing has changed. You take your seat. . . and wait. . .  and wait. They call your name once again. You’ve got a co-pay. Ohhh, for the love of cupcakes! Why didn’t they collect it after they took the kid’s temperature and watched her do a card trick?

Great. They swipe your Mastercard and off you go to sit. . . and wait. After 35 minutes here she is. Ms. America? Nope, the pediatrician. 45 minutes late for your wellness appointment, flustered and chugging a latte. This has been my experience at least 4 of the 5 times that I visited my daughter’s Dr’s office in the first year of her life.

Once upon a time this would’ve unnerved me to no end, however I’ve become really good at . . . well, learning to wait.

You see, every experience in life is proportional to another. Just as when you begin to teach a child to walk you must be patient with their process, it’s the same in launching and growing your business. 4 out of 5 things will not go as planned. Trust me! But that doesn’t mean you have to pluck out your lashes and call in overwhelmed.

Here is how I’ve developed my ability to keep calm, carry on and get through the tough spots:

• Get distracted. Yes, I know, it’s sounds counter-productive, but it’s not. If I’m at an appointment with my daughter, who’s now 7, we’re drawing, we’re singing and playing every spa game known to man on her Kindle. If I’m waiting on someone from my team to complete a task  just as I am right now I don’t watch the clock. I work on a blog post about patience! Great distraction, yes?
• Hold your horses. I tend to want things like yesterday and perfection is always the goal. From the graphics for my website to the packaging for my stationery. In my quest to get things done on my timetable in the past I’ve been known to jump from my tried and true vendors to get something done after waiting until the very last minute. Has it cost me money and aggravation? Yes. Have I learned my lesson? Absolutely.
• Leave room for error. When there’s more hands in the pot than your own there’s going to be mistakes. It’s human nature. You’ll need to send a document back for multiple revisions when you’re 2 hours from your deadline, your shipment of widgets from Podunk, Idaho will arrive late and your PC  just might erase the document you’ve been working on for 4 hours with no cigarette break. It happens. The lesson is to always give yourself some breathing space. Work smarter so that you don’t stress yourself to the point of  having to work harder.  How many times has your mother told you to back up your work, huh?

Do yourself a favor and accept what is. The pediatrician will be late, the printer will mis-score the note cards a time or two, your coach will double book and your virtual assistant just might go missing for a day. However, the sky will not fall and life will go on. Remember peace of mind is everything and patience is well. . a virtue!

 Share with me here how you manage to stay cool when everything seems to be going to hell in a handbasket.