Feeling Stuck?
Have you been in a home based business and feeling stuck?
I've been there myself and it doesn't feel good!
By reading this blog, I hope to help you get unstuck and be inspired to not give up, no matter what.
Back in 2007 when the real estate market crashed, my back was against the wall and I had to make a decision as to what to do. You see, I had been a real estate for years and got comfortable… even confident… that I would ever have to worry about getting a pink slip.
Well, as you know, while a boss didn't hand me a pink slip, the economy sure did! And I had two options.
Option 1 was to crawl into a ball and go get a job and surrender to the stress of the economy as it crushed my real estate practice.
Option 2 was to stand up and fight for the lifestyle I had enjoyed for several years in terms of choosing who I work with and never having to ask for time off. I was my own boss.
The date was January of 2007 and I was stuck in a situation that called for a solution.
I was $110K in credit card after trying to float rental properties, pay for Homes and Land Magazine contracts that I obligated myself to just before the crash, robbing Peter to pay Paul…you know the drill.
And as bad as my situation was, and in no position to be spending more money but I knew it was my only way out of that situation. I would spend money to make money.
I Moved Off Of Stuck
Sometimes getting unstuck is a matter of making a decision. Whether it's a good decision or a bad decision may not be known at the time, but making the decision is movement. 
I made a decision to pursue the life I dreamed. I hated alarm clocks, high heels and suits and having to fix my hair and put on my make up every day, playing by the rules that someone else set. No. Not any more.
I joined my first online home based business opportunity. I was excited about making money using my computer.
Well… guess what?
I failed miserably for 8 months!
By October 2006 after making no money, yet spending like it grew on trees, I was in worse financial shape and even more stuck.
Do I go on?
Do I get a job?
Of course I go on! This is my life I'm talking about. I want freedom to chose how I live and a job would take me hostage! There's so much social proof that other people are having tremendous success, and therefore, so can I. I just need to figure out how to get UNSTUCK and get moving again.
So this time, I went searching online for a mentor who specialized in online marketing. I booked a ticket to his internet marketing event in Minn., secured my hotel room and flight and headed out.
I didn't question my decision…. rather I was focused on the end result. I recognized I needed more education about how online marketing worked and I needed to begin developing relationships with those 'in the know'.
Through the 8 months of 'zero results'….
I discovered a Greater gift yet….
Failure.
Moving off of stuck to at least make a decision, was still forward movement. Even if I had failed thus far. And actually, I don't consider it failure, I consider it a challenge.
Was I fearful of moving forward in spite of working my butt off for 8 months with nothing to show for it? Heck no! Truth be told, my fear lay in what my life would be like if I didn't failure forward moreso than if I just didn't do anything… but go get a job. Having to get a job terrified me!
I'm grateful for failure.
And while this isn't a blog about failure, I believe 'being stuck and failure' go hand in hand. Reason being…
…People fail because they quit.
…People quit because they feel stuck.
So talking about both failure and stuck in this blog would be appropriate.
My failure was an experience that will forever serve me as I made my journey to success.
Looking back, those months of failure…
- Taught me to be strong.
- Strengthened my determination.
- Gave me first hand knowledge that I
can share with others who struggle to get started.
- Revealed weaknesses for me to work on.
- It confirmed my integrity.
- Set me on a path of personal development that
allowed me to change the very wiring of my thinking.
- Taught me that failure can take a confident 6 figure
real estate agent and crush her to a place of not
recognizing herself in the mirror because of low
self esteem issues that developed.
- Taught me the importance of making a decision
to get back up, brush myself off and get back in
the game was worth creating the life I desired.
- Brought people into my life that I would not have
otherwise never met and are now my best friends.
My life is so enriched, so blessed, so amazing
because our lives crossed.
- Helped mold me to the entrepreneur I am today.
- Showed me that I will have ups and downs in business,
just as I do life, and it's how I deal with them that will
determine my success.
- Our greatest success comes when we stay the
course toward our dreams and never give up… never!
- Failure is part of success and if you want to get to
success faster, take massive action and failure faster
so you can figure out what does work.
- To not worry about what other people think because
life is too short and there's so much life to live, I don't
have time to waste on opinions that don't matter.
Honestly, I can write a book about all the blessings that failure, set backs, and valley's have brought into my life. And one day, as sure as I'm writing this, I will have a book because my story must be told….but failure accomplishes so much and is really just misunderstood in business.
Failure provides many benefits like building character and strengthens determination and drive.
Does this mean that business has to encompass some failure?
YES! Guaranteed!
Having said that however, with the easy access to online training programs, you can earn while you learn, earn while making mistakes, and not have to go through what I did. Online training platforms weren't around. I had to fly to a venue, rent a car, pay for hotel, pay for the education and pay for the recording!
You will decide to quit or succeed as you have your setbacks.
Your decision will be based on how you think and interrupt your circumstances.
BRAND NEW TO BUSINESS?
There will be challenges if starting a home based business is a new journey for you. It's not reasonable to think you can step into a new career and know everything or think it's all smooth sailing. Like anything else that's new, you're going to make mistakes. But learn to laugh at your mistakes and learn from them. Isn't that what you tell your kids when they are trying to learn something new?
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT?
Or maybe you've been down the home business road before and failed. So what. So have millions before you. That doesn't matter. What matters now, is the decision you have the freedom to make about your future.
SUCCESSFUL HOME BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS WILL TELL YOU…
There will always be seasons of feeling stuck… encountering failures and challenges… because sometimes you've got to figure out what doesn't work when it comes to marketing… to conversions… and acquiring new customers and business partners to figure out what DOES work. It's cool. It's all good. It's how business works.
Stuck Is Stuck….Period.
Do you know that whether you make zero money trying to make your first dollar online…. or whether you make $100K a month and can't seem to move past that income…
… if you're stuck, you're stuck?
Stuck is Stuck!
And nobody likes to be stuck!
We have choices when we are stuck at anything.
Quit or get help.
In the home business industry, 98% of people quit.
2% get help.
I've been stuck for a couple of months and it's been causing me to procrastinate in taking my business to the next level.
At first, I kept thinking I was 'big girl' enough to figure it all out and identify what I needed to do to get unstuck… but the fact was, I remained stuck.
So I reached out to a coach who's making $100K a month and growing… and I asked for help. I asked him because he's where I want to be.
He charges $1000 per hour for coaching.
He was able to identify a snag in my business… my position of stuck…. and point me in a direction that will move me forward. After 43 minutes, I had a game plan.
Now, it's up to me to implement, but I'm no longer stuck.
Just like anything else… if you can't self diagnose a 'stuck' situation, get help.
- When you're car acts up… you get it repaired.
- When the kids are falling behind in school… you get them tutoring.
- When you get sick…. you get to the doctor for medication.
- When the roof leaks… you get a roofer to patch it up.
It comes naturally for people who encounter these kinds of problems to hire out the diagnoses and repair.
Why do we think our personal development and business skills would be any less important to get past the 'stuck'? It's actually the most important priority to take care of!
Summary of Getting Unstuck
1) If you're stuck, identify it as that and don't be embarrassed or ashamed. Look at it as a growth opportunity and think of all the people down the road you will be able to coach through the same issue. Consider it a blessing and be grateful for the experience.
2) Don't stay stuck. If you can't identify what specifically you're stuck on, reach out to someone who has the results you want.
3) Don't hold back from moving forward because you may have to pay for someone's time. This is part of your personal and business growth, your coaching fees are tax deductible and it's a small price to pay to get yourself on the right track. Your education and investing in yourself will prove to be your greatest asset.
4) Don't be afraid to fail. Many times being 'stuck' is simply a matter of being afraid of failure and rejection. Understand that you are making progress by taking action in spite of fear and as long as you're not stuck, and moving forward, even if it's baby steps, you'll get to where you want to be.
5) Never quit as one of your options for stuck. Choose the high road… the road less traveled… because your dreams are on the other side of staying the course.
If you are stuck in your life and feel like you are not moving forward toward what you want, I highly encourage you to make a decision that will put you on the path to your dreams.
For me, it was making a decision to live my best life out from underneath the stress and insecurities of a job or the economy. I made it a priority, no matter what, to make a home business work for me.
I invite you to learn more about what I found… which is the personal development I had to have to stay in the game… and the internet marketing training I needed to educate myself… and the commissions and community that fund my lifestyle. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Please leave me a comment and share what you've done when you've gotten stuck in business. I'd love to hear from you and I appreciate you connecting with me today!
As always lots of good information. I think the hardest part is getting over the embarrassment of being stuck and not grasping an idea or method that everyone else seems to be getting so easily. Love your postings!
Hey Lenore…
Truth be told… it wasn’t easy for those of whom you speak. They had to work at whatever they are good at. Don’t be fooled thinking they just got it instantly. And… never be embarrassed about being stuck. As long as you acknowledge it, then ask yourself what needs to happen to get unstuck and then make that happen. I believe in you Lenore. I love hearing from you! Debbie