This week I have talked about progress a couple times. The first instance was in a soap making group and the other on my social media sites. Often times I judge myself by comparing where I am to someone else’s progress. I look at how successful they are. It’s very discouraging at times. This kind of thinking can be unfruitful in the long run. Progress simply takes time.
The quote I post on my Instagram and Facebook was ” Slow progress is better than no progress.” This a great reminder at this point for me. When sales are not coming in at the rate I would like and I see others selling out within hours, l start to question myself. “What am I doing wrong”, ask myself. However, I have made progress in this journey. At one point I was barely selling anything. Today is a different story. That’s something for me to be proud of.
This is a marathon not a sprint. I have heard that so many times in life. With running a business, I have to believe that it’s true. The fact is that I don’t want to accept is that growth takes time. When I look at all aspects of life this is true. Growth from conception to adulthood takes 15+ years. Growth of tomato plant from a seed take six to eight weeks. Depending on the process the time for growth is different. This is true for business. Everyone runs their business a little different from others. Therefore, affecting the rate of growth.
I am not like every other soap maker. I may be similar in certain ways, for sure, but my differences will cause me to grow differently. I have to remind myself of that factoid. The other person is ready for the growth and expansion and I am simply am not there yet. However, I am continuously growing. I am reaching new customers, expanding my knowledge of advertising, learning more about SEO, etc.
My time will come. I just have to continue to work hard and continue learn how to improve my business. With this mindset there is nowhere to go but on and upward.