Online Business: Renewing My Purpose and Doing the Things I Love
It seems like yesterday and forever ago that I started my YouTube channel. I’ve been through ups and downs, and tons of changes. I’m learning new things every day - not only about my business, but also about myself. I’m writing today to explain why and how I’m doing what I love most, and why I keep on going every day. I sometimes get lost in the day to day grind (as does everyone), and I need to remind myself of why I started this and why I keep doing it.
I’m not going to go into the history of how I grew my business as much as the changes that have taken place and what I’ve learned along the way. I never thought I would be one of those people that could say I have my own business. Recent conversations with my mother-in-law have proved to me that some people don’t like what I do, or agree that what I have even is a business.
I do know that taking things online over the internet scares some people. Generally, people will avoid anything they decide is new, unpleasant or scary. People tend to discriminate against things they don’t understand.
The most important thing that I’ve come to realize is that I didn’t give up. Doing what I do, specifically, is a lot of work, without much gain at the beginning. Think about it: when you start out, you have no market, and no following. Basically, no one even knows you exist. It can get super discouraging, and sometimes, the only thing that keeps you going is to have a supportive group of people (family, for example), to keep you motivated. Luckily, in my case, my mom and husband were there to back me 100%
In most online businesses, you do a lot of work up front in order to make passive income at a later date. Trust me, it really does get old when you work your butt off for over a year with nothing to show for it but a lot of unread articles online. The trick is to hold tight until you’re at the point when you are making that passive income. Then you can sit back and relax for a bit, knowing that your hard work paid off.
It’s actually at this time that I worked even harder. I got to the point that I was so used to working hard, I trained myself with good habits of effectiveness and productivity. I kept going and learned to make any focus time really count. I used day theming and batching to save time and focus myself so that I was super effective at task management. I learned what time of day that I was my most focused and willing to work hard (i.e. when I had the most energy). From this lesson, I learned I was in fact a morning person who could get up at 4:30am or 5:00am when I never could before.
Despite all this, I know that I can always learn more, so I decided to take Janes Masterplan Course (from Janes Agenda). It’s a productivity course which I’m actually learning quite a lot from. One of my goals is to increase the amount I work on personal development, and I think learning more about productivity counts as such. There are always new books to read that teach you things you never knew.
I always want to keep learning and growing. I don’t want to be stagnant and stuck in a rut. I’m not so egotistical that I think I know everything, because I certainly don’t. I’m trying to streamline my processes all the time and trying to work smarter and not harder. I love discussing ideas with other creators online about the products I create, and the ideas that come from my videos. I get the best inspiration from the constructive feedback I get from my viewers and followers.
Now what I’ve talked about sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but I absolutely love doing it. It’s so enjoyable to me that it doesn’t even feel like work. Trust me, I thank my lucky stars every single day and express gratitude that I get to do what I love from home. To make it even better, I get a thrill realizing that it was all me that created what I have. No one else helped me or put in the work. I’m pretty proud of that.
That leads me to why I’m doing what I love. First of all, it makes me happy. I think anyone and everyone should be doing what they’re good at, what they love and making it work for you however you can. I realize that I’m very fortunate that I can do that.
Second, I get to spend time with my kids at home. As every working parent knows, work-life balance is always a challenge. But when you can achieve it, you get this sense of everything just falling into place. Your kids are happy, your spouse is happy and most of all, you are happy too. I mean, you can’t please everyone all the time, and it can be challenging, but when it happens, life is magic.
Thirdly, I want to inspire people with my creativity. Creativity breeds new ideas and knowledge. I want people to feel something when they read one of my blogs, or watch one of my videos. I’m so grateful for all of my followers and viewers for all their support and consideration and constructive feedback. All of you make me a better creator.
Fourth, and last, as I first read in the Cultivate What Matters Powersheets, I want to leave a legacy for my kids. Not only am I growing a business with potential income that far outweighs my dreams and goals, but I’m leaving memories of me. There are blogs I’ve written, videos I’ve produced and art I drew and painted that my kids will be able to keep for their kids and so on. I’m leaving a trove of knowledge for them that they can keep and cherish, and that makes me feel good. In the end, all we have are our memories, and I feel like the creation of something that is from me, by me, is a good memory to hold onto.
So in a nutshell, I’m renewing my purpose with my online business every day. Every new thing I make or create is a new tidbit of wisdom, knowledge, power, inspiration, and creativity to share with the world. Thank you so much for sharing in my journey. If you are also a fellow creator, I wish you the best of luck, but remember, the power is within you to make your own luck! It just takes time, hard work and dedication!
💙 Sandra
