Finding Your Emotional Bottom Line

Heather Boerner, who has taken my business planning class, has done some smart thinking in planning her marketing work. If you find that you freak out about what you think you need to do, this is worth reading:

Now I have a better idea of the number I need to send before I make a sale. But for me, there's a difference between what I know I should do and what I'm capable of doing. To me, three queries a week seemed doable, it didn't overwhelm me and it seemed like it might be enough to make a difference.

That is the type of insight that can shake you loose from things that are holding you back. It's fine to talk about what your goals need to be. But what if you can't make yourself get there? Do you give up? No, because that's guaranteed failure.

What she addresses is that even if you can't do what you'd like to do, any progress toward your goal is better than no progress. Write that on a piece of paper and stick it to your monitor, because it's critical. Climbing a mountain is a combination of many steps upward (and a good number sideways and even backward at times). Some people can race along the side. If you can't move as quickly, move a bit more slowly.

That does bring some problems. You're out longer, and so you are more exposed to the elements. You need more supplies to keep you going over the longer period. But you will eventually get there. And here's a second benefit: you build muscle and strength. Keep working at this, and you'll find that the time to climb starts to drop. In other words, you'll be able to query more frequently, or write more articles, or whatever it is you need to do.