Fashion Business Owner Musing: Don’t Sit in the Stress
You know how sometimes you find yourself in the situation in your business where there’s something you need to do but you’re dreading doing it?
This situation is something we all find ourselves in sometimes whether it’s speaking in front of a lot of people, making a scary phone call, or doing that LIVE video.
When something makes you that level of nervous where you’re actually starting to feel sick, it’s not a fun place to be. We all know what needs to be done but we feel stuck and we can’t manage to do it.
Honestly, even as I write this, knowing I have one of those situations on the horizon, I’m getting a little lightheaded. Dramatic, maybe, but true.
When situations like this arise, the first thing I do is say to myself, “Don’t sit in the stress.”
You know that place I’m talking about where you think about it over and over and over, you imagine outcomes, and you create scripts and conversations in your head?
That place where you get sweaty palms and a nervous stomach from worrying and contemplating, not to mention projecting . . .
That’s the place in which you cannot sit.
Is it better to sit in your stress, worrying, fidgeting, and anxiously thinking about what’s to come? Or is it better to take a deep breath, and just rip off the band-aid?
I know the answer seems obvious but I think that a lot of business owners sit in the stress for too long worrying over things we have to do, especially those things that are related to money or vulnerability.
It’s important to recognize when you’re letting that stress take over, causing actual physical harm. And to do something about it. Otherwise, you’re setting up unhealthy habits for your business and for you as a human being.
OK, so once I’ve told myself to stop sitting in the stress, the next thing I do is to make sure that I’m as prepared as I can be for what’s to come. Because, honestly, that’s all you can really do.
Have you done all the research, created your questions, practiced what you have to say, clearly defined your ask, or whatever else you need?
If you think about what you have to do and come up with a list of things you can do to prepare, it will help to make you feel more confident.
Ultimately, running a fashion business means that sometimes you have to do hard things. Too often, new business owners try to skip the hard things. But doing the hard things is what keeps your business moving forward.
Lots of love and encouragement,
