I’ve been watching too much Ace of Cakes, obviously. Last night I decided that building a gingerbread house can’t be *that* difficult and went to work with royal icing and a slightly-deformed icing bag. Um. The coffee table is covered in a thin layer of icing. The front Christmas tree is leaning to the right.
For God’s sake, the snowman has a unibrow.
This is also, I have to remind myself, a first attempt. I’ve never piped icing from a bag or assembled a house made of gingerbread. The fact that it’s still standing is a testament to my progress in the happenin’ world of gingerbread houses.
The same principle applies to business. If this is your first business, and particularly your first few years in business, you’re a work in progress. It’s easy to say you’ve effed up your application of royal icing or your snowman is leaning precariously to the side.
For a moment, let’s ignore your mistakes and consider your progress.
This year, have you:
- earned more than last year?
- seen an increase in web traffic?
- maintained a blog?
- learned about SEO, marketing, bookkeeping, or taxes? (Or paid someone else to do these things for you?)
- founded or grown your e-mail marketing list?
- learned about topics critical to your business through books, blogs, or workshops?
- launched a new website?
- tweaked an existing website?
- transitioned to working from home?
- tweaked your pricing for maximum profit?
- gotten hugs or thank you notes from excited clients?
- broken up with Facebook or another form of social media?
- recognized that your brain is an asshole?
- battled depression, and you’re still here?
- found tenderness for yourself or others?
- defeated overwhelm, even for just a few moments?
- made the long journey to the body?
Your gingerbread house of a business may not be perfect, but I’ll wager that it IS making progress.
Take a moment to remind yourself of your own accomplishments.
No one has it all together, and not a single human’s past is free of mistakes and failures. You’re making progress and you’re pretty awesome, too.
P.S. Note to self. For every overachiever out there. (Not that I know aaaaaanything about that.)
