Have you ever noticed how sometimes starting is the hardest part? Just as our clients feel daunted by starting a decluttering project, when we’re starting a new venture, the obstacles to starting that new venture loom large.
Like a big hairy monster in a child’s nightmare, they block our way. They appear from nowhere when we least expect them and haunt our thoughts. We hide under the covers, hoping they’ll go away.
But here’s the thing about those big hairy obstacles blocking the way. When you shine a light on them, they become merely hurdles to leap over.
Why? Because those obstacles are often simply our own fears getting in the way of what will truly make us happy in the long run. When you face your fears and stare them down, you will see the path laid out before you. And yes, there will hurdles to leap. But you’ve got this!
But surely, it’s not as simple as that? It could be. I’m not naïve enough to think that they’ll go away entirely, but they can be minimised. Often big hairy obstacles (BHO) show up as self-doubt or nervousness. Shining a light on the BHOs means to get the facts, apply logic and see them from a different angle.
Here are some common BHOs.
BHO: What if I make mistakes?
You will, and it’ll be ok. Better than ok. You might just learn something and grow from your mistakes. Here are two mistakes I made when first starting out as a professional organiser.
- I wasted money on advertising. But it’s ok. I learned from it and never wasted marketing $$ again.
- I said yes to a client when I should have said no. But it’s ok. I learned to be clear about my policies and boundaries.
BHO: What if I don’t know all the answers?
You won’t, and it’ll be ok. Stop expecting perfection from yourself. There will be times when your client asks a question you don’t know the answer to… yet. It’s ok to admit you don’t know but you’ll do your best to find the answer. Here are two tips to help you when you find yourself without the answer.
- Remember that the client often has the answers within them already. Asking the right question will help them uncover it. It’s more important for an organiser to know the right question to ask than it is to have all the answers.
- Remember that there is always more to learn. New organising techniques, new information about how humans operate, new tools, new business growth strategies, new specialties. You don’t know what you don’t know… yet.
BHO: What if I don’t succeed?
What if you don’t try? There are no guarantees in life, but one thing is for sure. If you don’t try, you can never succeed.
Yes, you will make mistakes. You will learn things along the way. Here are two things you can do to improve your chances of success.
- Ask for help. You don’t have to start from scratch. You can learn from my mistakes, and my successes. My Online Professional Organiser Training is a great starting point.
- Recognise that the skills you have are valuable to someone else. They are waiting to work with you, and it may just change their life. Don’t wait any longer to start.
I know you can do hard things. You’ve probably done hard things before and look how far you’ve come already. One day you will look back at all the hurdles you leapt over and wonder why you let the big hairy obstacles bother you at all.
Remember, you’ve got this!
