April 29, 2008
Start Making Some Great Mistakes…
My sister had her first baby early on ANZAC morning (25th April). She named him Thomas and we went down to visit her yesterday afternoon.
We walked in to the room and she looked absolutely shattered (can you remember the feeling?). Her milk hadn’t come through yet and Thomas had spent most of the afternoon trying to feed and not sleep.
I don’t know about you, but when I had my first child I had a very similar experience – for about four months! So when I saw her it all came flooding back to me. The frustration of not knowing what to do, of feeling guilty, and even blaming the baby.
Of course by the time you have the second you seem to have sorted a few more things out, and feeding and sleeping were a lot easier.
So I tried to help the new mum by sharing what I learned and put into practice between the first and second children that made all the difference. First I explained the ‘rules’ I had learned – like put the baby down to sleep when he’s still awake. Then I showed her what I meant by doing, and getting her to listen to the difference in cry’s.
At the end of the day though, there are some things she will only learn by doing, by making mistakes and by trying again. And the best thing I can do for her is to give her the benefit of my experience, let her make mistakes, and then be there for her when she needs some help, a pat on the back or a few hours of peace and quiet!
As we were driving home (the hospital is about a two hour drive for us) I reflected on how this was so similar to coaching (OK so I may be a little obsessed with what I do…). I work with my clients by sharing what I’ve learned, sometimes showing examples of what I’ve done. This all helps to shortcut some of the pain out of the learning process.
At the end of the day though, if you are growing and learning, you will make mistakes – whether being coached or not. The difference between those that will succeed and those that probably will not, is the ability to get up and try again, and again, and again. This is where coaching can help you to not only find the lesson, but give you the support you need to stand up proud and carry on.
Just like my sister won’t give up on her son’s eating and sleeping habits, neither should we give up on heading to where it is we want to get to.
Leap ‘n’ Bound: Making mistakes is a wonderful way of learning if somewhat humbling at the same time. If you’re not making mistakes are you really stretching yourself enough to grow? Spend some time this week noticing your mistakes and what you’re learning from them. Are you growing or do you simply gloss over them and move on to the next ‘baby’?
Are you afraid to make mistakes? Have you made mistakes recently that you’ve learned a big lesson from? Why not share your experience with your fellow Mumpreneurs by clicking on the comments link below.
April 8, 2008
Party Pies a Good Lesson?
One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.
– Anthony RobbinsHave you ever watched young kids at a birthday party?
It’s so funny watching the different personalities emerge when it comes time to the party food.
There’s the ‘gotta have a little bit of everything on my plate, and better do it fast before it runs out’ kid. Then there’s the ‘I love those lollies/party pies/grapes and I’m gonna grab the biggest handful I can, and then grab another one just in case’ kid.
There also seems to be the ‘I’ll just hang back here until it’s not so scary and hope there’s something left’ kid. Oh, and the really lovely ‘I’ll just take a bite of this and ewww, I think I’ll put that back where I found it’ kid.
I’ve found it’s also interesting watching the different business personalities emerge
There’s the ‘gotta have my fingers in lots of pies in case one of them pans out’ Mumpreneur. Then there’s the ‘I am going to throw myself into this business lock, stock mortgage and kids’ Mumpreneur.
There’s also the ‘I really want to start my own business but I don’t know what to start it in so I’ll wait for someone to come along who can show me’ Mumpreneur. And of course the ‘I’ll start this business and ewww, it’s not making money fast enough, let’s try the next one, and oops, the next one, and oops, the next one’ entrepreneur.
You know, I think at some stage throughout my life I’ve been every one of these entrepreneurs. Strange as it may sound, I’m really glad I have been. Because each phase has taught me something new about business, not to mention something new about myself.
So what’s the best way to eat party food?
Well when you think about it, I guess eating one thing at a time makes the most sense right? Even if there are a few different things that you’ve carefully selected on your plate, you can only fit one thing in your mouth at a time.
And that’s what I’ve found so far with being an entrepreneur. It’s OK to have more than one thing on your plate (although some of us are better at it than others), but to do anything well you need to focus on one thing at a time. This includes what you are focusing on within your business as well as any different businesses you may be ‘sampling’.
Leap ‘n’ Bound: If you feel a little divided at the moment, take a stand and choose the one thing you are going to focus on for the next x number of days. You don’t have to let everything else go, but perhaps just shelve it for a while until what you have chosen is working as well as you would like.
Do you see yourself in any of what I’ve discussed? Do you agree or disagree with my conclusion? Click on the comments button below and share it with your fellow Mumpreneurs.
Mumpreneur Magic 