I recently wrote a post that has struck a chord with my readers called, Is Negative Self Talk Killing Your Home Staging Business?

In it I confessed to realizing that I have been operating from a belief that if I don’t keep pushing myself to conquer ever more challenging business situations, my business will stop growing and I’ll stop accomplishing anything.

Even writing it here, I have a little voice saying, “But that’s true!” Perhaps the difference is “how” we keep ourselves moving forward.

Do we do it with an imaginary whip that says, “Get back to work you haven’t done enough to build your staging business!” Or, do we motivate ourselves from a place of self-love and compassion that says something like, “Remember how important your dream of building a staging business is to you and how much you love decorating houses to sell? Why don’t you turn off the TV and stop looking at Facebook and take that next step you promised yourself instead.”

Since 2005 I’ve dedicated much of my working life to inspiring and empowering others who want to make a living from their creativity. I’ve taken what I know about building a successful home staging business, marketing and being an entrepreneur and I share it with thousands of people every day.

Yet, when I can’t think up a topic for another blog post for the Home Staging Business Report, or my monthly newsletter, Staging Diva Dispatch, or I’m too tired to work on my next home staging training product, I beat myself up that I’m not doing enough.

Deciding to enter the 8th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business was a great exercise in reminding myself of what I have accomplished over the past 12 months. I had honestly forgotten so many of the projects I finished until I had to document it all to prove I was worthy of an award for the 4 categories I entered:

• Best Coach/Mentor of the Year
• Best Blog of the Year
• Best Canadian Entrepreneur
• Best Entrepreneur of a Service Business Under 100 Employees

I’m proud to say I’m a Finalist in all 4 of these categories and the only non US-based company to be considered for Best Entrepreneur of a Service Business Under 100 Employees! This last category is probably a long shot since my competitors have pretty “big” organizations. I still operate out of my home office with 3 virtual assistants and no employees, but I did make the Finalist list out of 1300 applicants overall!

The reason I “forgot” what I’d achieved until I was forced to document it is that I’m usually jumping on the next idea rather than also pausing to celebrate “the mountain” I’ve just climbed. Perhaps you do that too?

I can tell you from experience that it’s important to celebrate your victories and recognize how far you’ve come.

Otherwise it begins to always feel like “work” instead of the joy of doing what you love. So I invite you to add your comment below. Share whatever successes you’ve had in moving towards your goal of running your own home staging business. Remember that what your inner critic might call a “baby step”, can actually be huge for you. We all start somewhere and every step we take brings us closer to our goals.

If you’ve been a home stager for awhile, share your latest accomplishments and perhaps some words of encouragement to the new home stagers that are coming up behind you! There are so many WOW moments when you’re your own boss and doing work you love. Take a moment now to remember and document some of them.

And if the idea of adding your comments is triggering that little negative voice in your head says, “It’s wrong to brag,” remember that you aren’t bragging when you’re speaking the truth of what you’ve accomplished. Besides, I know this community will get inspired and appreciate your sharing!

 

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Intrepid entrepreneur Debra Gould has been self-employed since 1989 and reinvented her career many times to suit her interests and passions. She knows how to make money as a home stager and developed the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. There are more than 4000 Staging Diva Students in the U.S., Canada and 20 other countries. Debra is frequently profiled in the media for her home staging expertise and is the author of 5 guides for home stagers.