7 Things I wish I knew before I created, My DREAM JOB!

Here’s a list of 7 things I wish I knew before creating my DREAM JOB.   If I had, I think I would’ve run things differently, and maybe the outcome would have been greater, or I would have stayed loving it a lot longer.

The internet is full of blogs and online programs to help you to FIND & FOLLOWING YOUR PASSION to creating your DREAM JOB.

I had my dream job… & I left it!  No, I ran away from it!

I created a job from what I was PASSIONATE about and did it for 20+ years.   Most of that time, I loved it.  And I made a very nice living doing it!

I bought into the myths about “success.”  If you have enough willpower, strength, “natural” talent and a willingness to practice and grow, you’ll be successful forever.  

But things changed as my business grew. My dream job was running me, and I no longer did the things I loved to do.

Let me explain…

My dream job was as an Interior Designer. We created and designed spaces for people’s homes and businesses.  My business was so much fun, creative and fulfilling I adore working with my clients and staff to make these creations a reality.

When everything is smoothly running the synergy between the design, client and staff are incredible!  And when it wasn’t it’s agonizing!!

Not having your business not function well because you’ve made mistakes, you-didn’t-even-know you were making is a frustrating place to find yourself.

Here are seven important things I wish I had known before I created my Dream Job.

Number one: There’s no such thing as work-life balance unless you understand that is it a thing to be managed just like the rest of your business. 

There are plenty of days when my personal life suffered to get a project finished.   Not only to complete the project but to rest and recuperate once it was done completing it.

And then there were those days when my business suffered because I had to be elsewhere and not manning-the-ship.

But mainly I believed I was not enough or that I wasn’t doing enough. (Common ailment for most entrepreneurs.)

Learn to be okay when you cannot be in two places at one time is important because it’s impossible. As long as you can check in and be available for something big, you should feel that you’ve done your best.  AND you might want to consider learning how you can delegate.

 

Number two: Sometimes when your company grows, you find yourself not doing the things you love so that you can survive.

Moving away from what you initially loved about your dream job is a soul killer. I hear this all the time from people who have businesses.

Honestly once I realized this was happening to me I was already in burnout mode. How can anyone have the energy to run a business if they’re no longer doing the job they signed on for and loved?

Know that… if you grow your company, you will have to do many jobs.  You will always be promoting your business’s brand/services, and dealing with all other aspects of the company, accounting, billing, payroll and keeping employees & vendors motivated.  It doesn’t have to be forever.

But, If that is exciting for you, you are in luck and charge on!

If not, don’t be afraid to slow down the growth of your company until you’re ready or have enough money to hire or contract with subcontractor the parts out you don’t like.

 

Number three: It’s okay to walk away from clients or projects if you feel that they or their business no longer serves. 

“To serve you”  means including you & your employee’s health and well-being.

Remember clients don’t have the right to be abusive. If they don’t respect what you & your employees do, then it’s time for them to go.

Let’s face it having the courage to turn away a bad client is difficult.  We all want to pay our bills and have work.   But what I found was when I walked away from customers who didn’t respect an employee or me all I was doing it created space for the right customer to walk through the door.  

There was a lovely project I turned away, from an excellent potential client, because I didn’t feel that we had the staff to do the project properly without working crazy hours. I ended up getting the respect of the client and my employees.  Years later the customer returned.  She knew her project would be given our full attention if we took it and it would not be jeopardized by us trying to take on too much.

 

Number four: Learn to feel comfortable and run towards things that make you fearful and uncertain.

HUGE… BIG ONE!  Since learning to do this, I have become a “better me.”   Personally and professionally. Making me more courageous and able to move forward on many of my deepest desires. (I talk about capturing this in Intuition Journaling.)

 

Number five: Being friends with employees and vendors.

Challenging for anyone who enjoys having a level of casual friendliness with everyone. In business, I believe this only confuses the relationship. I have found it to be most effective if you keep a professional distance and don’t ask people what they want… but tell them what you need for them to do {in a nice professional way}.

The clearer you can be about expectations and goals the easier the relationships become, not only with employee/ employer relationships but with the clients and hired vendors.

It’s so much more appropriate NOT go after making everyone “liking you” but to have everyone respect you.

 

Number Six: Hiring is as important as firing, and I believe both let you know what kind of employer you are.

Even before you decide to it, it’s been my experience… that you need to carefully analyze if it is a sustainable position that you’re creating. Doing this will help you and the new employee be clear of their job their responsibilities as well as their feeling of security.

(In the beginning, starting off with subcontractors can in many ways be a better choice. ) 

Another thing I learned by hiring people & contractors is to be very careful with how you advertise the position. What you say or don’t say is what you will get.  

For example, I was in the design industry, and I advertise for subcontracting people who could work their hours as long as they made their deadlines.  I ended up attracting people who had no clue how to manage their time, who focused more on the part of “do-what-they-want,  when-they-want” in the advert.  Putting me in the position of being a time manager or a parent renegotiating deadlines and always creating new incentives for them to comply with their contracts.

 

And finally number seven. People who do the same things are not automatically in competition with you.

I saw everyone as a competitor. That included others in my industry as well as among my employees. It caused me not to hiring some of the best talents in the business for fear of competition.  I was fearful that I would lose control of the company  I’d worked so hard for.  In the end, this attitude costing me BIG when I was growing my business and trying to find someone to take my place.

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Since this first experience, I have learned a great deal more.  I know exactly how to be consistently at my best.  At my best in my job and life.  I am confident in my ability to figure things out and overcome adversity on the path to success.  

Imagine having a successful career, time to have a healthy body, awesome relationships, and massive energy for the rest of your life.  It’s called SUSTAINABLE HOLISTIC SUCCESS.  

How do you get it you might ask?   

I am not superhuman, and you don’t need to be either.  It is about learning the right skills and methods adapt them fully into your life so you can be consistent & confident in every area no matter what life throws at you.  

What are you presently doing?  What have you learned?   Please share in the comments?  I would like to know.