It took starting a business for me to learn patience, and 11 years later, it took reworking that business to learn… patience.
For those of you who read my stuff on here (thanks!), you may have read that I’m reworking my business. Yes, we’re still doing bookkeeping and payroll and QuickBooks setup and QuickReview, but I’m also about to introduce StacyKAcademy.com
This post has nothing to do with that, directly. It’s more about how I had an epiphany about the PROCESS of creating StacyK Academy.
And it starts with that bike in my basement. You remember that, right? The bike that sits there, just off to the side of my desk (I have no proper office in the new house, just a corner of our finished basement), mocking me all day while I work.
Here in Michigan, it’s debatable that winter is over, as evidenced by the fact that I was out in the yard 8 days ago chilling in my bathing suit, and 4 days ago IT SNOWED. The days that are nice, I’ve been blocking out 2-3 hours every day to either get out on my real bike:
Or get out and hike 5-7 miles in the local state park.
Because, you know, I have 16 freaking pounds to peel off. Sixteen pounds that I gained hibernating while it was busy being -19 degrees all winter.
The good news? In the last 3 weeks, I’ve lost 4 lbs! The bad news? In the last 3 weeks, I’ve lost 4 lbs.
The other day, while out in the middle of the Michigan woods, I stopped to watch 3 deer that were just a few yards off the trail. All 4 of us were frozen, just staring at each other. Being that still, for me, is very, very, VERY, VERY difficult. I felt like it was hours, but I’m sure it was only seconds - and then they all took off, spooked by some squirrel. Or maybe they could hear Tool coming on my ear-buds, one of which had fallen out of my ear. Doesn’t matter, really. The moment was over.
As I turned back to the trail, I started doing what I do, going over all the things I had to do, all the things I should have done, and I started an internal little bitch session about what a failure I was because all of the details for the StacyK Academy training program weren’t finished, I’d only lost 4 lbs, my kids were behind in their vaccinations…
And then it hit me - this voice in my head, remind me that the “I” in Stacy I. Kildal no longer meant “Immediate” or “Impulsive”. It no longer stood for Instant gratification.
It didn’t take me 3 weeks to put on the weight. It took me SIX MONTHS. I needed to stop beating myself up for not losing the weight quickly. I am getting, as my 6 year old says, “more healthier” in, well, a healthy, methodical way.
It didn’t take 6 months for Kildal Services to become successful. I needed to stop beating myself up for not getting StacyKAcademy.com done in less than a year. I am getting this training program for fellow ProAdvisors up and running in, well, a healthy, methodical way.
As I picked up the pace, hoping I’d see more wildlife on my hike - more deer, a salamander, or even a garter or brown snake. Only this time, with a little more patience, and knowing that it would all happen as it should, and in the proper time.