Goofing Up and Growing Up in Business

Several weeks ago I wrote an article entitled “Are You A HO?”. The article was about making the distinctions between being a Hobby Owner vs being a Business Owner in your business.  To my surprise, that article generated some interest -- and not all of it positive.

While there were new subscribers and some wonderful email responses, there were also some unsubscribes, and one colleague got upset and challenged my appropriateness in using the word "HO". 

Worst of all, I learned that I had not given credit where credit was due.  Uh-oh.  Time to take care of that.

So, first things first:  “Are You a HO?” is Suzanne Evans’s brilliance, which came from her recent event, “Be the Change”.  I completely loved the cleverness of the idea and wanted to share it with everyone.  (Next time, I’ll remember to give credit, right?)

Here's what's especially interesting: during the same week I wrote the "HO" article and I was publicly challenged by my colleague, I was participating in a class called “Money, Marketing & Sales Mastery” led by my wonderful coach, Pamela Bruner.  Not only was the class on learning how to better market your business, but it also had lots of tapping (doing EFT -- the Emotional Freedom Technique) opportunities. 

The very day that my ezine came out, someone in the class was tapping with Pamela over the phone on her fears of being judged for putting herself “out there”.

Two days later, my colleague stepped forward with judgment and accusations about my using the word "HO".  By the way, she later also publicly apologized because she realized she had been triggered (hello, who can't relate to that, right?); I thought that was really great of her. 
 
So, here’s the thing with all of this:

1. When you are building your business, you’ll make mistakes.  Sometimes ones you cannot completely fix.  It’s okay.  Just move forward.  Learn from them and grow. 

In my particular situation, I had already submitted that article to article directories.  I can’t chase down each one and give credit to Suzanne Evans, much as I may want to.  But I can do it here and on my website.

2. When you are putting yourself out there, not everyone will like the way in which you do it.  It’s okay.  You’ve got to realize that it’s their stuff.  And you are not responsible for their stuff.
 
In this particular situation, I was not responsible for my colleague’s trigger regarding my use of the word “HO” in marketing.  She was.  And I was able to let it be okay with me that she didn't approve or like what I did.

3. If putting yourself out there or making a mistake brings up your stuff, well, then, guess what?  Yup.  It’s your stuff, and that’s your work to clear up and take care of. 

So, in my situation, my stuff was that when I realized I hadn’t given credit to Suzanne, I felt like I’d been taken to the principal’s office and I’d gotten in trouble -- and everyone knew. It was old stuff that was coming up for me to clear (yes, that happened when I was a kid, more than once!) -- and I am grateful to be able to clear it out.
 
It is important to realize that mistakes are a part of the learning curve; they are a part of putting yourself out there.  And it’s okay to make them.  And sometimes you won’t make a mistake and someone will want to let you know that they think you did.  To the degree that you can let them have their opinion and not let it affect you, you will be free.

And isn’t that what we all want, both in our businesses and in our lives?
 
So go, grow in your business and be okay with the goofs.