Don’t Raise Quitters and Don’t Quit on Your Dreams

In a world of deafening choices and multiple shiny distractions, the virtues of commitment and perseverance can seem old fashioned. But having high standards for working through the tough stuff can give your kids the grit they need to thrive while putting you on the freeway to making your dreams reality.

Because…people quit too easily.

They quit their businesses, their marriages, and their own self-improvement when things get uncomfortable.

People will enable you to surrender at the first sign of trouble.

Shaped by being permitted to quit piano, swimming, etc. rather than push through my struggles, I’ve become a stickler for perseverance. If my kids want to quit something, they need to demonstrate valid reasons why.

Gianna would complain every spring, the same time her coaches prepared her for the state competition.

She didn’t like the more serious gym atmosphere and the laser-focused skills feedback. Having the “Midas touch” in everything she did, Gianna didn’t like her imperfections exposed.

This stuff was hard!

Gianna’s shyness increased her discomfort. Months and even years on the team, she still didn’t know several girls’ names. Time intensified the awkwardness of her lack of social initiative.

I didn’t go for the proposals to quit, especially for a girl who cartwheels around our home and with pride demonstrates her new skills to her friends. In fact, I saw the opportunity to work through her trials as reasons for staying in gymnastics.

Acquiring social skills, being challenged, and learning healthy competition and perfectionism were well worth the resistance I got.

Gradually the complaints and quitting requests faded… without me noticing.

And then God gave me a glimpse into Gianna’s world.

My husband usually picks up Gianna from practice. He was working late, so I did.

I walked into the gym and turned the corner. Gianna was in the cove with a group of gymnastics teammates. Without inhibitions she talked, laughed, and smiled with the other girls.

Gianna, like a butterfly, came out of her cocoon. Joy flooded me along with gratitude for not letting Gianna quit. Perseverance forced her to work on her weaknesses, and now she was flying.

Are you tossing out the caterpillar in the cocoon in your business because you think it’s taking too long?

To become a butterfly, you must be patience in your business, including silencing the critics if necessary.

Consider if you are lacking patience in your business and with yourself:

Skill-building takes time. – I can whip through business tasks today that would take me a half a day to complete at first. I can now blog, work with clients, plan, manage business finances, post on social media, take a course, and reach out to colleagues without having an anxiety attack.

A Mom Biz is Unique. – Don’t put yourself on the same timeline as someone spending 40 hours per week on their business with their kids in daycare. The mom-biz lifestyle provides less time to work and creates more distractions. Overcoming those obstacles defines successful mompreneurs, and it is what I help mom business owners do. Follow your time frame with sound guidance and prudent next steps.
Recognize Impatience in Yourself and Others– It is hard for spouses and outsiders to understand where you are headed and what you need to arrive. You must find supportive, inspirational role models, or the outside “impatience pressure” pushes you into overwhelm.
Increase Your Positivity – It’s hard to advance in your business and attract clients when surrounded by negativity. Your negativity may come from skimping on self care, too much work and not enough play, others’ jealously, being misunderstood, too little or the wrong kind of support. Spiritual materials or activities, recreation, entertainment, educational materials help counteract the negative messages with positive ones.

Action calms the seas of impatience—and strategic action leads you to your dream mom or mom-biz life.

Catholic Mompreneur Biz and Life Tip: Add your actual work hours and find ways to be more productive and focused, keeping your eyes on your mom or mom-biz dream life vision.