Keep moving forward
I just celebrated 90 days of having opened my Etsy shop, PandaTudePress. It went by so fast, just like everything else has been in these last few years.
What I’ve learned in this 90 days:
- That despite the mistakes and errors I made, I had to keep moving forward. It’s part of the learning process.
- Do NOT compare. It was so easy to look at others’ successes and see only failure my efforts. Comparing took the wind out of me and was a waste of time and energy. They had a different path and journey. And when I thought I about it, I don’t know what they went through before the successes started happening.
- Do not rush the process. I’m trying to build a sustainable business. Small as it may be, I want it to be profitable. But success doesn’t happen overnight. I have to be patient.
- Focus! I suffer from shiny ball syndrome and have a tendency to want to jump from one project to another, especially when things get tough. I have to keep reminding myself that I made a promise to myself to give my Etsy shop 1 year.
- Be willing to learn and experiment. This comes with accepting that mistakes and errors are going to happen. I have to remind myself all the time that I’m doing this for the first time. Learning takes time.
- Keep practicing. This is again part of the learning. So much to learn.
- Study people that have achieved what you’re trying to accomplish.
- Find supportive people who understand.
- Consistency and persistence with taking action makes a difference. It doesn’t seem like it at first, but when you see your efforts produce small changes, it feels good.
- Keep going forward. No one ever said, I had to leap and bound. That was my expectation. Truth is baby steps can get you to your destination too.
- I had to take steps away from my comfort zone. I still cringe, whenever I have to do something I’m not comfortable with. But I’m telling myself, this is part of growth.
With all these lessons, what has it gained?
- I’ve got 2 listing that have been favorited
- I have 1 follower to my shop
- And I just made my very first sale!
It may not seem like much, but I am very proud of PandaTudePress. I love the way my store is coming together. I love the listings I’m providing. I feel like I’m growing and my skills are developing. I get to be creative (with the help of Midjourney AI), and, here’s the best part, I’m having fun doing it!
Having a dream of owning my own business has been with me for a long time. I’ve tried other business models in the past, even though I knew it wasn’t right for me. But, I was looking for that quick fix that I was promised. Needless to say, those ventures failed quickly. Disappointed and untrusting, I let the dream fade, but it never went away. Years later, the dream started to call again and I finally opened the door. I’m glad I did. It got me out of the darkness of my cave and looking at the stars again.
I’m not sure whether PandaTudePress will succeed like I pray it will. BUT I’m willing to put in the work and see where it takes me. I’ve already taken steps away from the cave and now I’ve got my traveling boots on and ready to take on this journey.
Move, enjoy the stops, and don’t worry so much! That’s what my heart is telling me.
If you have a dream to build, take the steps. You’ll be happy you did.
feature Photo by Evgeni Tcherkasski on Unsplash
