Business (and life) is full of ups and downs. Even the most successful of people have had struggles on their way. Thanks to social media, it may look like the road to success was easy for others, but we all have our challenges. What may seem like a meteoritic rise to the top, usually took dedication, persistence, and hard work.

We all have days when business seems harder and our thoughts are often amplified when compare ourselves to others. Try not to get stuck comparing your struggles to others success stories. These success stories are never the whole story. Instead, try to celebrate the success of others. Use their success as inspiration for why you can do it too.

Persistence, persistence, persistence

Often, what seems like an overnight success took years of dedication and work. Business success is about persisting through the challenges. It is about showing up day by day and doing little bits to get you to your goal. Persistence is what will move you forward.

Perfectionism does not exist

We think it is admirable to strive for perfection, but, perfection does not exist. Striving for perfection leaves us struggling to meet our own standards. That is because we set goals so high that they are unattainable. When we cannot meet the standards or goals that we set for ourselves, our momentum suffers. Our creativity takes a hit and our productivity tanks.

Be You

You are the only one that can make a success of your life and your business. No one else has your perspective, experience, and personality. This uniqueness can help you reach the top. Being yourself means you can what your business does and what it offers. It’s your style, your personality traits, your humor that draws people to your business.

Take care of You

You are your business. If you take care of yourself, you are better able to take care of your business. Make sure you are maintaining good habits, such as eating healthy, moving or exercising, sleeping properly and learning new things (that are not business related). Try mindfulness or meditation to keep stress levels down and set goals for your life as well as your business to keep yourself moving forward.

Action

Much like getting stuck in perfectionism, we can also get stuck in procrastination. We get analysis paralysis, where there are just too many choices and things to consider so we simply do not act. At the end of the day, most of the choices don’t hold as much weight as think they do and by not taking any action at all we are actually harming our chances of success. We cannot achieve our goals without action, so if there is something you have been procrastinating about, take a small step today and take some action.

Business ownership is a journey, full of challenges and surprises as well as successes and causes for celebration. It is about showing up, taking action and enjoying the steps along the way.