By Nadine Araksi, Toronto-based Story Coach
Pace vs. patience for your goals
“The hour of fulfillment is buried in years of patience.” – Mary Oliver
Often, when clients come to us, they have long timelines for when their future dreams will become their present.
Stephanie and I often share a knowing giggle because we know the coaching work will help them achieve their new realities faster than they ever imagined.
But then there’s the converse. Some things take time; building a business, for example.
Starting a business, as I’ve learned, is the easy part. So 2.5 years ago, when I told Stephanie that I wanted to build something experiential to replace my media career down the road, we put on our first event a mere three weeks later.
There were hiccups in that time period, including a sick kid and a hospital visit, but I knew I REALLY wanted the goal of executing an event. So I did the opposite of what I’d normally do when things went sideways. I didn’t bail on myself. We’d committed to a date and sold tickets. The work that needed to get done would get done. And boom. Kickstartology was born.
In my experience, growing that business has required different expectations. It’s needed patience, perseverance and consistency—the daily chipping away at the tasks that ladder into the big goals.
Often (OK, permit me one last gardening metaphor here), we plant seeds and expect flowers the next day. This notion isn’t exclusive to entrepreneurs; it applies to any long-term objective or goal we might have. However, we don’t celebrate the actual process. The truth is overnight successes are uncommon, if rare.
After building a business using selfies for social media promotion (and asking my boyfriend to snap me when I look cute), Steph and I had a professional photo and video shoot over the weekend. It was an investment in ourselves, what we’re continuing to build and who we want to be as a business and as individuals.
Working with the women at FoundHer Productions to capture the story of us, I could see how much we’d advanced in our knowledge and expertise over the years. We’ve grown so much this year, thanks to all of you! Taking a moment to notice the “equity” part of our “sweat equity” was valuable to me, so I’m sharing it with you.
Useful questions to ask when checking your pace:
- What are you hurrying that needs to marinate or simmer a bit?
- What’s taking a while that perhaps you can push the gas on?
Get in touch if you want to check on your pace with your goals. Do they need more focused attention? Do they need some patience and a lot of grit? Book an exploration call today to find out.
P.S. Find out how to work with me if you're ready to break the patterns keeping you stuck and get out of your own way: Let's talk.
Book a free coaching exploration call and I will tell you everything you need to know and what results you can expect with my group coaching program for women or 1-on-1 coaching.
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