“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
– Robert Frost, The Road Not taken
I once read about a university survey that was conducted in various nursing homes. These elderly men and women 
were clearly at the end of their lives and they knew it. When they were asked what they regretted most as they looked back over their lives, the number one response was “the paths not taken.”
Not surprisingly, that answer ranked much higher than “things I tried that ended badly.” That’s because people generally don’t regret mistakes because making a mistake just means we’ve learned something.
My wish for you is that you stop allowing fear to hold you back from trying something you want to do. The path towards entrepreneurship is usually the one less traveled because people are afraid of the unknown.
Here’s how I look at it. If it doesn’t work out, the worst case scenario is that you pick yourself up and try something else. But you’ll be starting fresh with the irreplaceable and priceless knowledge that at least you tried. It could very likely work out better than you ever imagined!
Either way, it sure beats hanging onto fear and never trying at all.
If you get out on that limb and start your own home staging business, no matter what happens, you will likely never regret having done it. Home stagers, this would be a great time to leave a comment for aspiring stagers about how you got past the fear and followed your dream.
Related posts:
- Live 88.5 Start Up Radio Features Staging Diva
- Career in home staging lets working mother of three live her dream
- What if Oprah had been stopped by fear of failure?
- Home Stagers – Tips to Face Your Fears and Keep Going
- What will you do with what you have?
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks Debra for your constant validations and affirmations. I am in my own way – I realize that my lack of self confidence and non-response from others I am trying to engage can sometimes be very disappointing as well as paralyzing. But It helps me to read all the successful things going on with other home stagers in these postings and your other communications. Each of the home stagers you mention were once where I am now. This helps me to know that I am not alone. It build hope and faith in oneself, and trust in the process – no matter how long or lonely it sometimes feel when you are trying to create your own business.
This discussion is perfect because I have been struggling these past few months with my languishing home staging business. Partly because I have had so many distractions this summer, some because I’m unorganized and unfocused, and also because I’m in mid-life and struggling to find my stride and confidence in this new phase of my second adulthood. The definition of an Entreprenuer is “a risk-taking business person.” That being said, it suddently occurred to me that it’s not unexpected to feel uncertain, maybe even insecure sometimes about being a new business owner.
The definition also made me think that I have to watch my negative self-talk. And since I’m my own boss, I could boost my confidence if I gave myself a pat on the back more often.
I just listened to the September Staging Diva Dialog audio today and Debra reminds us that she too gets off track. Her strategy to get focused again is to set a deadline or a committment that will force her to get organized. “Know thyself,” they say. If we know our fears or shortcomings – those things that get in our way of moving forward or staying the course, we can also use strategies to recommit and refocus. I plan to set up more frequent Coaching sessions with Debra so it forces me to focus my energy, make committments, and be accountable to her and to my goals. This will lead to more confidence, and I expect, more action for Alaska Premier Home Staging.
Sometimes, each of us gets distracted. We wander back onto the familiar path of self-doubt and old habits when we really want instead to take the path less traveled. It’s a little scarey, and I guess we can expect some bumps along the way, eh?
Thanks for writing Stacy and I so enjoy our one-on-one Accelerator Business Coaching calls to. You have also been a great contributor to our Staging Diva Dialog discussions.
Negative self-talk is a demon we all fight with, whether we’re entrepreneurs or not.
There will also always be bumps along the way to getting to where we’re going. Most people give up when they hit those, which is why it’s so easy to spot the people who are really successful in any aspect of life. A good portion of why they achieve success is because they learn to be resilient in the face of challenges.
If you weren’t feeling uncertain at times, you wouldn’t be challenging yourself. It’s easy to keep doing the same old thing, but it’s rarely as satisfying as taking on a new challenge and rising to it. And isn’t it amazing how soon after mastering something we look back and wonder why we blew the whole thing so out of proportion when we were listening to that negative self-talk?
Was it Mark Twain who said something like, “Most of the troubles I worried about in my life, never actually happened”?
I’ll comment, though I consider myself to be one of the aspiring home stagers hoping for sage advice and inspiration from established home stagers.
I think my fear comes from being in mid-life and the uncertainty of who and what I am in this different phase. Life has, for years, centered on the needs of others, or the demands of a career and a community. Now, here I am. Just me and a dream called Alaska Premier Home Staging. I have certainly set out to challeng myself in a completely new and unfamiliar way. Now I have no set rules or deadlines. No children at home any longer. No boss to please, or make upset. I know I possess the persistance, the skills, the creativity, and the intelligence to be successful. What I’m lacking right now is self confidence. I think this comes from feeling unprepared, somewhat confused, and unfocused – similar to how I once felt when I had to speak in front of a group of peers at a statewide conference without being well prepared.
So, to combat these unsettling feelings and lack of confidence, I’ve committed to organizing myself, clarifying my plan, repeatedly listening to audio trainings, and reading through all five lessons to build my business foundaton. For me, Coaching Sessions with Debra will provide me with a sounding board and a mentor, but more importantly, a process for being accountable to myself and to Alaska Premier Home Staging.
I listened to the recent tape from the September Staging Diva Dialog call. Debra, to help us see she also suffers from inertia or procrastination, mentions her strategy to commit to presentations or projects in order to set deadlines for herself and recommit her energy and attention. I think that discussion during the call was meant for me! Hearing Debra helped me to realize that it isn’t my lack of skill or creativity bogging me down – it’s fear of rejection, failure, and disappointment.
Today, for the moment, I’m back in the saddle, with a more optimistic outlook and a new committment. Running my own business will be a series of temporary set backs but it will also be a series of successes. I looked up the definition for “entreprenuer.” It means a “risk-taking business person.” Guess I’m on track.
I was a counselor for 30 years. I loved working with people. I was beginning to believe there were no happy people in the world since all I listened to were people in pain. I worked as a legal assistant for 3 years and that was just boring.
I want to contribute to beauty in this world. It is not too late for me to take that path. I am doing it as I can afford to get into it with my money from my legal job, for now. It won’t be long til I’ll be out there helping people in a whole new way and loving it!
Debra,. thanks for keeping me on track.
Jessica