Every New Year that comes by gives us the feeling of a new beginning and new possibilities and then before we know it we are back living life at the same pace and becoming frustrated because things have not really changed. Does that sound familiar? The great news is that things can change and become better in every way as long as we are willing to let it happen. I love this quote from Helen Keller, "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; Nothing can be done without hope." And when you think about it that really is so true! If you don't believe in who you are and what you are doing you will never achieve your desired results. I do know that all the studio owners that I have met have thoroughly believed in their concepts and their power to put it all in place but it is also very easy to get discouraged and start to let doubt enter your way of thinking.
It seems that once the holidays are over life in the studio business becomes like a runaway train that just keeps gathering speed at every turn. You have two choices you can either get on that fast moving train and ride it all the way to the end or you can decide to stay where you are and keep the pace the same as always. If you choose to stay where you are and I mean that figuratively, then you have to expect things to stay the same as they are in every way. Now you may be very contented with the way everything is going in your business, your teaching and your personal life, or you may be in a rut where you want change but find it difficult to get on that train. This is a very common feeling usually based in fear of the unknown and a lack of commitment to yourself and your goals. The end result in this scenario is usually a feeling of not being able to break free and move ahead or sometimes just total frustration because no changes are being made. My advice is to hop on that train even if you think it is going too fast for you and use that motivation to force yourself to make the changes that you know in your heart need to be made to keep everything fresh and interesting!
I'm sure that you have made your New Year's resolutions for all facets of your life but what plans have you made to keep moving ahead? Sometimes change can be scary especially when it takes a lot of additional effort but what a huge difference change can make to you and your business. We are all overworked and have very little additional time to follow through on new strategies or plans but perhaps that is where the most change needs to take place, maybe what you really need to do is make it a possibility to get others around you more involved. If you have a good team of staff and faculty there at your studio why not re-examine ways for them to help you more by using their talents that perhaps have not been recognized or utilized, so that you do have more time and energy to really get your new ideas moving. One way is to meet with all your staff and faculty whether as a group or individually and ask them where they feel they can contribute to your new ideas or changes. The people who work for you generally love what you do and love you too and will probably be happy to give extra assistance if it helps to improve the way the studio runs. They may also see it as an opportunity to advance within your studio and /or improve their wages both of which are good motivators. I know what you may be thinking, "How can I let them take over any of my classes or put in more time to help to make these changes?" you may be worried that you will not be able to pay them any additional money. What I have found over the years is that if I focus on making things happen they will indeed happen and the extra money will be there to spread around to all who have helped. Again it totally comes back to how strong your belief is that you have the power to make things happen, if you are still feeling doubtful then you must first work on yourself to strengthen your beliefs and ability to face new endeavours with courage. There is risk in everything you do, in fact you took a huge risk when you decided to become a studio owner these new changes are a calculated risk that can come to fruition if the right mindset and power is behind them.
Set definite deadlines for when you want a particular project ready and then push everyone to keep that deadline. Sure you will find there is resistance sometimes but that's ok just keep on getting everyone to do what needs to be done and before you know it you will have arrived at your final destination on that high speed train and the euphoria felt by you and everyone around you will be a wonderful thing to behold! The most important lesson to be learned is that there is power in numbers and the more you involve the people in your life who believe in you the faster everything will move ahead.
