I dreamed of working for myself for years and years. I know have talked about experience working in corporate. It was unfulfilling and I dreaded going into the office most days.
Long before I launched my first blog, GlutenFreedomInc.com I was spinning the creative wheels trying to think of a brilliant business idea to run with. However, when you try to force something too hard, if often has an adverse effect.
After a failed attempt at starting a jewellery business and an artist discovery site, I gave myself a break. A couple years later, after months and months of worsening health problems, I was diagnosed with celiac.
While at first I was relieved to have an answer, I was then quickly panicked because, crap I can’t eat gluten! I started scouring the web trying to find answers to all my burning questions. Womp womp, so many were left unanswered. However, I was determined! I had hustle & drive, thus GlutenFreedom was born.
Fast forward 4.5 years and I finally felt ready to transition my side hustle into a full-time operation. To be honest, I was unsure what that looked like but I took the leap anyway. At first I was feeling FREEDOM. I could create my own hours, spend time working on the things I wanted to work on, and heck, take loooong lunches if I wanted to.
A few months into my #FreedomLife and the high was starting to wear off, the momentum was slowing down, and money was feeling hard to come by. At this time I was pretty low on myself, asking “What the heck is happening?”
I was experiencing the first low in the entrepreneurial journey and unlike other “low” points, I didn’t have a security blanket to fall back on. I was in a state of panic, stress, and bad moods! During this period I had to get real with myself and go within to find answers. It’s been over a year since that time and after seeing a full cycle of #FreedomLife, I have a couple things I’d like to share (don’t worry, there is a happy ending).
1. With every low, comes a high. In the initial downward spiral, I though that I had made a mistake & that I would have to go back to working for something else. I failed to recognize that this is an inevitable part of the journey. You feel the first few the hardest because it’s a skillset of balance that’s yet to be honed. Once you get used to the rollercoaster, you learn to just ride it out!
2. It is really important to lean on others for support. It can feel super lonely when you work for yourself and there are no colleagues around you to talk to or share your struggles with. I mean I’m all for alone time, but I also need to reach out to friends, pick up the phone, plan a lunch date or go for a walk if I am feeling overwhelmed or stressed. Instagram can be great for meeting like-minded babes, or check a local directory for networking events. Another amazing way to connect with aligned women while growing your business is to join my CLAIM YOUR FREEDOM Group Coaching program! Enrolment is open now for September 30!
3. Do not avoid the inner healing. I came to rears with some of my biggest demons in the first few months of working for myself. It was ugly and it was messy, but it brought me greater clarity in the end because I went in deeper to my healing. I worked with coaches, energy healers, developed a very strong daily ritual that includes meditation, kundalini yoga, and journalling. It was because of this that I evolved into @freedomrachh & launched Freedom School; one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!
4. Everything is a lesson waiting to be learned. We are never served anything that we can’t handle, so take every bump in the road as an opportunity to grow. As soon as I made this mindset shift, I stopped playing as a victim and showed up as a total boss babe ready to take on anything that came my way! Things happen for us, not to us.
5. Fun is essential in entrepreneurship. Yes, 1000 times over! What’s the point in working for yourself, creating a business you are passionate about, and building your #FreedomLife if you are not enjoying yourself?! Sprinkle fun into what you do, and you will find that fun finds you (and then all of a sudden, work doesn’t feel like work)!