The trials and tribulations of starting a new business!
You always know, in theory, that it will take time to build a business. It takes time to get the word out, build up the classes and create a community. Of course, no preparation can actually help you deal with what the reality feels like. You have an in depth knowledge of the fixed costs and therefore the reality of a quiet or empty class feels more terrifying than it did when it was all theoretical.
Rome wasn't built in a day, goes the saying, and I know the same is true of building the community I would like to build. I've heard it said that comfort is the enemy of success. Our modern lives are so comfortable, and it is so easy to take the comfortable option, that we forget that discomfort, and the pain of growth are actually useful and helpful tools. The fear is real, and it can become crippling if you start to contemplate it too much. Here are a couple of ideas that I've found really useful with sitting in this discomfort and trusting the process that growth can and will happen.
The first is, unwavering faith. A complete trust and confidence in the bigger picture. The dream has to become a goal with a deadline, and become more than possible, but actually probable in your head. And then you have to believe in that every day - 'I am just as capable, worthy and deserving of achieving *fill in the blank* as anyone else, and I am going to prove it today with my actions'. It makes what once seemed impossible, possible - the very definition of what is possible is redefined for you.
This brings me to my second point - extraordinary effort. That might sound incredibly off-putting - who has the motivation to make extraordinary effort? Again, we have to choose the discomfort. What makes effort extraordinary is actually very ordinary. It is showing up consistently over time. Consistently doing what you want to do and knowing that those small efforts add up.
So, unwavering faith and extraordinary effort. That means my classes will grow, the community will begin to breathe life into itself as we laugh and play and get stronger and practice and support each other. What do you need to apply unwavering faith and extraordinary effort to in your life?