It's been a while...
It's been almost 3 months since my last blog post and the constant reminders about the importance of consistency with blogging and SEO keep going round my head as yet another notification from Facebook pops up on my phone to kindly tell me that "410 people who follow Elsa Rose Boutique haven't heard from you in a while". Thanks Facebook, with your automatic reminders to remind me how crap I've been. I was doing so well a couple of months ago, publishing a blog post weekly and gathering a little following but things have changed massively in our personal lives and I decided to write this blog post to explain why I seem to have fallen off the face of the Earth.
A couple of months ago, a little person came into our lives and changed them forever. I became a mummy to a 6 year old after a long process of paperwork and training sessions. It's been great and I wouldn't change a thing but, as we slowly start to settle into a new "normal", things have had to take a bit of a shift. My time out has left me feeling unsettled (I've learnt that I really need routine!) and there's nothing quite like Facebook to remind me that I'm not responding quick enough to messages to make me feel even worse. Social media in general seems to be serving that purpose for so many of us though doesn't it? I constantly find myself making comparisons between my pretty uneventful days and others' highlight reels and the same applies to my business.
Today's fresh panic was about the fact that I don't have a pension. Seriously. It came out of nowhere and before I knew it, I was doubting every decision I've made, business-wise at least, and questioning how long could I realistically go on doing what I'm doing. Maybe it's having a little one to think about that's set me in a spin but it was a sinking feeling all the same. Now I know that hard work and tenacity lead to success, I'm not naïve enough to think it just happens overnight or is handed out like a golden ticket, but where things have slipped over the last few months, and quite rightly so, building things back up is daunting. And it's not the orders that are coming in; that's the fun part! It's the blogging (which I do actually enjoy when I have the ideas), the accounts, the email list (sorry if you've not had any updates if you've signed up - I'll be back on it soon!), the promoting yourself when you feel exhausted and vulnerable, the consistency when you can barely remember what you need to pick up at the shops (I went to the supermarket 3 times in one day last week...and then again on the two days that followed). I'm not the most confident person; I doubt myself daily and certainly don't stand up for myself as much as I should (I would have still been teaching if I had - but then I wouldn't be where I am now) but deep down I have an unfaltering optimism that everything will be ok with my business. I have no evidence but I can appreciate the small victories I've made in the last three years and I know that I'll get there one day.
So here's to living in the now, seeing the positives in each day and celebrating the little victories we make. Building a business is hard work, being a parent is too and I think we all deserve a medal, whatever our situation, for making it through each day without being too hard on ourselves. Just remember, you've got this and you're doing a great job :)
What are your top tips for staying positive when the going gets tough? Leave a comment below and let's make each other smile :)