#2 Making the choice…….then sticking to it.

So it seems I’m not off to the best start as I find myself delayed in making my weekly entry…..I am grateful for having learned flexibility and forgiveness as it has lightened my load considerably since I made peace with my imperfections.  I was due to make my entry four days before Christmas….what could possibly have interfered?  Lol!  Let me list the ways…..!  I can do this…..I sort of can?  I am making an entry into my calendar with weekly reminders to write my post…no matter how short or messy……Done.  I guess I need to double up with my entry today since I missed last week.    Don’t worry…I will endeavor to not drabble on…..

Now where do I pick up?  Begin at my start?  No,,,,I think the gaps will fill themselves in as we move forward with the experiences I am having during this adventure that I am sharing with you.  The days following my last post I was overwhelmed with my realization that during the creation of my site I had shut off the commenting due to some spamming that seeped in during the build.   I thought I had checked that it was back on only to have some kind co-students alert me to the issue.  UGH!!!  I beat myself up for endless hours trying to locate the source of the problem.  My anxiety was through the roof!  “Maybe I can’t do this?  Who am I kidding?”  “Ask for help….the resources are all available” I’m told…but what do I ask?” The questions screamed through my mind all weekend.  On the Friday I attended another educational session highlighting the coming week’s goals….I feel so far behind!  We are told that many of my classmates are in the same boat or worse….doesn’t that make me feel better?  I tell myself it should.   What do you do?  Continue at your own pace?  Feel overwhelmed?  Give up?  Skip ahead so you can stay with the group? Rush to catch up?  I for one, am not comfortable lagging behind but skipping potentially important steps doesn’t seem reasonable either.  I decide to rush to catch up, reassuring myself that I will review the material and my work to ensure everything is correct at a later date….just not too much later.  I am relieved to find that the following week is not a heavy one and this gives me opportunity to review and refine.

So…what can I learn about the week in reflection…..why was I behind in the first place?   I second guessed the name of my business and had to come up with a new name.  Not just the name of a business as I had initially anticipated, but a name appropriate for a blog….I don’t feel comfortable using my personal name as so many have done since I still work professionally and need to keep this separate for now.   But I also needed a name that would reflect me.  I don’t need to revisit this as it is clear what I chose to use.  I think this is a theme I can live up to.   So, does this choice of theme reflect a lack of self-esteem?  Perhaps.  Or maybe just the acceptance of the ebb and flow of life…..?

Secondly, I needed to pick a theme for the layout of my blog…..my mentor suggested something simple, easy to read and find your way around.  There are thousands of choices of themes available….this was no small task and as I am well known for my indecisiveness it was an agonizing process….albeit crucial that I persevere and succeed in making my choice.   Some people can make these decisions very rapidly like my ex-husband did….I was always astounded at the speed and success of his choices.  This did rub off on me a little and made me just let go of second guessing my choices.  This was no small feat!   Is this something you struggle with?  I remember being told to first be clear what you are looking for….an item on a food menu, clothing item, furniture, advertisment…..before you even begin looking…..what are you hungry for? Purpose of food/item…..snack? seasonal? Preference of type, style, color etc.  and where/what will it accompany/represent?  Once clear on what is needed you can proceed quickly sifting through all the items that do not match these parameters.  The “shiny objects” are pushed out of the way leaving a clear view of the options left that are suitable.  Then pick one and turn the page.   There are LOTS of amazing choices that would all be a good fit.  You only need to pick one of them.

Ok, so I made a choice I can live with and I expect I will make many more in the coming days.  We begin our journey, documenting our experiences.  So, the following week we gather at an event to revisit our chosen path and are given a look at the experiences of our mentor and his team had beginning their journeys into the web.  We listened as they shared their stories of where they are now in their businesses and the visions of where they are headed.   Fears, anxieties and doubts overcome by the drive of their dreams, keeping them focused and determined to succeed…no matter the odds.   A guest speaker, Alex Jeffries, mentor to Dean Holland, shared a number of gold nuggets with clear, sensible advise…..most people fail because they fail to start or quit too soon…often quitting so close to moment of their success….but how do you know you are close?  Truly….you can’t…..as demonstrated viscerally in the following pictograph as was shared in our training:

So what’s the take away?

• Make a plan to enable you to select your best choice based on the parameters of the need for the choice.
• Make a choice and don’t revisit or rethink it.
• Move on.  You made your best choice already!
• Stay focused…..begin what you started out to do.
• Stay the course!  Keep moving slowly forward…..
• If at first you don’t succeed….try, try, try again!

So tell me….have you made any big choices recently?  What choice did YOU make and why?  Leave it in the comments below and share some of your gold nuggets for us all to benefit from!

YOU CAN DO IT!