Ep. 19 - Lessons in Risk Taking

We’ve been on this journey together for a few weeks now. I am discovering a lot about what drives people, and I love having the opportunity to share those stories with all of you.

Today I want to share my story.

 

I thought I knew what I wanted to do when I was very young, but I spent a long time searching before I found fulfillment. Before I could find it, I had to take a risk and step into the unknown.

My first private practice was a side gig in a dirt cheap shared office. I didn’t get a phone call for six weeks, but eventually I was working an extra 10 hours a week as my own boss. It was difficult, but I was really happy.  

But I still wasn’t fulfilled. I wanted more. I needed to step further into the unknown.

I left my day job and went into private practice full-time, and things started to get really interesting really fast. The romance, excitement, momentum, and motivation that come with making a big change quickly fade when you come face-to-face with the realities of the venture.

 

In 2015, I had some of the highest highs and lowest lows, and I learned a few lessons in the process:

• Things don’t move in a linear fashion. The mind sometimes thinks that’s the case, and wants it to be the case, but the unexpected always happens.
• Don’t internalize your experiences. When my business numbers went down, I made myself feel like I was doing something wrong. I labeled myself a failure. I wasn’t a failure and, with patience and determination, my business improved.
• Make yourself open to opportunity. I was trying to control everything and everything had to be perfect. I was so focused on everything being my way that I closed myself off to other opportunities. You will find abundance more easily if you stop resisting, and start accepting, your situation.

 

Life is a learning laboratory – open yourself up, take a risk, and have some fun.

 

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My podcast episode with Melvin Varghese on Selling the Couch talking about my challenges in beginning my business:  http://sellingthecouch.com/session-82-surviving-tough-times-private-practice/

 

Interested in learning more about how I can help you through coaching?  Find out more at www.johnharrisoncounseling.com/individual-coaching/

 

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