Practice — and success — look different for everyone

In our current COVID-19 state, some things have opened; others have not.

Yesterday I went to an outdoor yoga class. It was at the local Y. The class was limited to nine participants. We were socially distanced, each of us having a parking place for our mat.

It was nice to participate in a “normal” activity. I came away relaxed and with a feeling of peace. Wonderful for our times.

I used to practice yoga on a regular basis. Today, I don’t practice as much as I’d like. No real reasons. I just don’t.

So what does this have to do with your creative arts business? Here are three lessons I took from the class.

Start where you are.

I hadn’t practiced in a while. I was, well, out of practice.

It surprised me that I had problems with some of the balance poses. My tree was definitely a bit wobbly. Perhaps it was that my mat was on asphalt rather than a smooth surface.

Regardless, it reminded me that that was where I was and I needed to practice to get better.

In your creative business, you are exactly where you should be. You start where you are, learn from there, and grow. Even if you take a step back and start over, you can get back up to speed. It only takes practice at doing the work to get better.

Skip the comparisons.

We all have different skills and abilities. Focus on what you can do at the present time and build on that.

It’s easy to get caught up looking at where others are in their journey and think you should be in the same place. I often tell my clients to stop comparing their Chapter 1 with someone else’s Chapter 10.

This is particularly hard with curated social media. Everyone looks like they are so far along on their journey.

It’s not about being as good as, or better than, someone else. In the end, your only real competition is yourself.

Everyone’s journey is different.

In my work as a FASTer Way to Fat Loss Certified Coach, we talk about bio-individuality. This refers to a no-one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to nutrition.

As creatives, we have creative business individuality. We may all want to get to the same or similar places — successful pattern designer, or teacher, or photographer.

The path that we take to get there is individualized. What works for others may not be what works for you.

Look for the right path for you.

It’s your turn

What is stopping you from starting where you are?