Have you ever felt the need to “keep up with the Joneses?” Do you ever feel the need to keep track of what everyone around you is doing and make sure you are doing what they are doing? Do you ever suffer from fear of missing out (FOMO)?
The belief that you need to do what everyone else is doing can put immense pressure on a person – and a business!
In this podcast episode, I am joined by Rebecca Stanisic, a seasoned blogger at Bit of Momsense where she has written for over ten years now. What started as a parenting blog has grown over the years to include lifestyle, travel, family, and food. In addition, she’s a freelance writer and also offers digital content marketing. She focuses on helping small business owners and other bloggers create and curate intentional goals.
In the ten years Rebecca has blogged and done digital marketing, the belief of keeping up with the Joneses has come up often. When these thoughts come up, however, she knows she needs to go back to her own goals and stop focusing on what everyone else is doing.
What works best for you?
Looking to see what everyone else is doing is something we all do because whenever we start something, we want to see what other people are doing. Then we start to measure ourselves based on what they're doing and trying to figure out how we're going to do that for ourselves.
As business owners, we’re told all about the best practices, best tips, and best resources, and the best ways. And there's always contradictory information to what we’re doing ourselves. It comes down to what works best for your audience or what works best for you. Your path won't be the same as someone else's. And it's really important to know what your end goal is.
This relates to the podcast episode with Stephanie Rainey on what's the right way to do things in your business. It all comes around to the same thing: instead of focusing on the right way, what is it that we need to be doing for OUR businesses?
What do you want in your business? What does success look like for you, and what are your goals? What is it that you want out of this business and this life? Once you know that, then everything can draw a direct line to that.
Before accepting a project or working with a client, ask yourself: Why are you saying yes? We have all said yes to projects or assignments or partnerships that weren't the best fit. This could be because everyone else was doing it, or it was a bit of a panic decision or because you fear you will get left behind.
Whose path are you on?
You want to figure out what it is that you want to create because otherwise, you’re on somebody else's path. This relates to the idea that the next thing that you’re supposed to want is the bigger house, the second car, the manager job, whatever. It's the path we think we're supposed to want. And then we realize we're driving down somebody else's road.
We need to figure out what it is that we want.
We can't be all things to everybody, and we need to figure out what it is that we want.
In Rebecca’s early days, she was creating a blog, “I just wanted a place to write, and that was a piece of my own. And then as it became a business and the freelance writing and social media marketing, but it still came back to the fact that I was a stay at home mom....” The life that Rebecca created through her business resulted in more time. She’s the one who picks up the kids from school, and she’s available for them when they need her. Her business has always meant more time – for her family and self-growth.
Financial and Strategic Goals
What is your ultimate goal? Your goals, like everything else, should be your own. For Rebecca, success doesn't need to be based on being a millionaire, but the financial goals she sets are related to her strategic goal of having time for her family, travel, etc. She knows what her number is every quarter that she wants to hit. She also knows what her number is every year that she wants to hit. Knowing this makes business decisions easier.
Just because you don't have as much time, doesn’t mean you can't make more money. You can get a lot done in less time. People are working 60 hour work weeks who are not getting very much done because they are trying to do all the wrong things.
Focus on your journey
You can’t be jealous of other people's choices. If other people choose or if you decide to put more hours into something, then it will look different then someone else’s who may have spent more or less time than you. You need to remember this is your journey. Focus on your choices and what you can control and want to control.
We all do things differently. What other people choose to do and how they do it, that's not necessarily what's going to work for us. Our goals are different, our motivations are different, our ways of operating are different, and we need to remember that we're not cookie-cutter versions of each other.
Whether you are a stay-at-home mom starting a blog as a hobby or you're working full time and building a side hustle, the way you spend your time and your hours will be different. Everyone’s journey is different.
To learn more about Rebecca Stanisic, check out her blog or information on her other work at: https://rebeccastanisic.ca/
Resources & Links
Join my Free Facebook Community
Book a free 30-minute call with me
Subscribe on Stitcher
Podcast editing done by Eric Wellman