As in life, the journey of being a creative entrepreneur is filled with ‘highs’ and ‘lows.’ And just like in life, learning to embrace and celebrate both the highs and lows is integral to entrepreneurial health.
In this blog post, I’ll share my own experiences as a creative entrepreneur, but also some incredible tools and findings for how to truly embrace both the highs and lows.
The Journey of a Creative Entrepreneur Is An Uncharted Path
The thing with being an entrepreneur is that there isn’t really any set of regimented rules (well, besides the law, of course!) or playbook for any one way to do it… no matter how many ‘best selling’ business books exist. The fact of the matter is that every single creative entrepreneur is different, and your path is relatively uncharted.
Perhaps, like me, you’re the first member of your family or friend group to become an entrepreneur. Not having a clear example in this arena can be hard, but it’s also incredibly liberating because you get to be the boss and decide on your own terms how you’ll run your business.
Let’s be clear, though: without really a group of biz besties and/or a coach alongside you, this journey can feel very lonely at times, especially when you see your peers hitting other ‘more traditional’ milestones before you. But this path can also be the most rewarding when you build something entirely your own.
Embracing Duality + Balance
One of the most powerful and underrated tools of my own personal development journey has been the embracement of DUALITIES. What I mean by this is that most of us tend to think of things as black or white. This or that. In reality, we live in a relatively gray world, filled with nuance and possibilities. Instead of this OR that, can it be this AND that? BALANCE is found in embracing these dualities.
That’s why embracing that the journey of a creative entrepreneur has both highs and lows is important. That way, in the lows, you can remember the power of the highs. Easier said than done, which is why I will share another powerful tool with you: ANCHORING.
Anchor Emotions On Your Journey
A powerful tool for remembering how good the high points and ‘wins’ of your business journey are during the more challenging moments is to create an anchor around a positive experience.
Let’s say, for example, signing your first customer or making your first sale. Instead of breezing by this moment and onto the next, take a moment to pause and first bask in gratitude for this high point. Then, select an appropriate talisman (a stone, a crystal, a piece of jewelry you may be wearing that day, etc.) and hold onto that piece while you root deeply into the feeling of this moment.
In future, when you’re struggling to remember just how powerful your business is and the impact it has, you can select that talisman and root deeply into it to remember the beautiful high points of creative entrepreneurship.
A regular way to practice anchoring is to save messages from past clients or happy customer reviews in a private folder on your phone for you to return to when you need to remember how incredible your business is (perhaps in moments of imposter syndrome, or in periods of limiting beliefs)
Prioritizing Rest + Self Care Before Burn Out
Navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship is much easier if you prioritize rest even before you ‘need it.’ Waiting to feel intense burnout and fatigue before taking a break, resting or practicing self-care will lead to more burdens in the long run than if you make regular rest part of your priorities.
A regular self-care practice is essential to being a successful creative entrepreneur.
Celebrate Your Strengths
Harvard Business School ranks the following as the top traits for successful entrepreneurs:
- Curiosity
- Willingness to Experiment
- Adaptability
- Decisiveness
- Self-Awareness
- Risk Tolerance
- Comfort With Failure
- Persistence
- Innovative Thinking
- Long Term Focus
- (Source: Harvard Business School)
Some of these traits are things you may have inherently within you that you aren’t recognizing, while others may be things you didn’t even realize were your strengths.
For example, self-awareness and emotional intelligence are absolutely priceless skills in relating to people every successful entrepreneur has. Consider the approach you bring to the people you work with and how you may not recognize your strengths.
Take note, too, that this list also features traits that touch on the very fact that there are inherent challenges and difficult patches to being an entrepreneur. That’s why successful entrepreneurs have the ability to focus on the long-term, are more comfortable with risk and never see ‘failure’ as final.
Which of these traits do you have? Which would you like to develop more?
Dive Deeper
With my free masterclass, FULFILLED, you’ll learn how to:
- shift your focus from outward success to inner fulfillment
- dedicate yourself to your most creative + fulfilled self
- understand how to create sustaining life-changing habits
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Burnout 101: For Creative Entrepreneurs
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3 Creative Ways To Raise Your Emotional Awareness
What Is Emotional Intelligence?
