“What do you want to do with your life?” This is a question that we have been asked since we were very young.
And ugh — isn’t it just the WORST sometimes?
Some of us have an answer, and some of us don’t.
If you are the person who has an answer right away, you will probably feel your entire world crumble underneath you when someone asks you “why?” or “how are you going to do that?”
You will undoubtedly feel anger at their doubt in your dreams.
And if you are the person whose response is an eternal “ummmmm,” then you are going to feel like a tiny little ant in a room full of giants, completely crushed by the fact that you have no idea what you want to do with your life.
But just because you don’t know the answer to that question right now doesn’t mean you’re doomed for failure or a mediocre life.
In fact, NOT having an answer to that question may open you up to a lot of opportunities you never imagined!
But as you can tell by the title of this post, knowing your skills is step #1 in creating copy for your business.
I’m going to be totally honest: knowing your skills is step #1 in creating your business, period.
So let’s get into it.
First of all, know that everyone has a strength, what some people call “a gift.” I’m not a big fan of the word “gift” — I find it overwhelming and intimidating.
It’s much easier to make a list of your strengths than it is to make a list of your gifts, am I right?
So, grab a piece of paper and a pen (or your phone or your laptop), and start making a list of what your strengths are.
Don’t think just in terms of what could create a successful business, or what you think will sell. Write down anything that you think is a strength.
Can you solve math problems ridiculously quickly?
Do you have an eye for a good photo?
Are you incredibly organized?
Are you a good listener?
These are all things you should be thinking about when gathering your strengths. Nothing is too small or unimportant to put on your list!
One thing that is super important: don’t be picky. Think of everything you can and give everything you can a chance.
Give yourself permission to do a lot of different things — don’t force yourself to focus on one thing before you’re ready.
Sometimes you’re just not sure what you’re capable of!
Now that you’ve got your list, you can start putting your strengths to the test.
Take action and take note of how things go. This is a great way for you to experience many different things!
Once you see one of your strengths shine brighter and more successfully than the others, and you see yourself gaining experience, then limit your work to that thing.
Such an important piece of this process is making sure you do not force yourself to do things that don’t make you excited.
If you think you can find success by become a wedding photographer, but in reality you HATE taking pictures, then don’t force it!
In order to truly find success, you have to work hard. And it is nearly impossible to work hard at something you really don’t like.
Sure, you may be able to for a while, but you are going to burnout somewhere down the line.
One of the biggest takeways from this post is to realize that everyone goes through a path of discovery to determine what strengths to say goodbye to, and what strengths to move forward with.
And always remember that it is okay to give up! If you go down a path that just doesn’t feel right, don’t keep forcing it.
It is totally okay to give up and move on.
The two biggest questions you should ask yourself with your business are:
- Am I seeing success? You don’t have to be making millions, but is it generally working?
- Am I happy? Do you enjoy what you are doing? Be realistic and know that every day isn’t going to be sunshine and rainbows (no matter how much you love your work, you will be frustrated by it at times), but you have to overall feel happy about what you are pursuing.
I would love to hear what some of your strengths are! Share them with me here or on Facebook.
xx
