The Advice Jar #3

A (very familiar) writer worries she's messed up big time.

Welcome to a special edition of The Advice Jar! I didn’t get any submissions this week, so instead of skipping it, I decided to follow the advice of another coach and thinker I follow (Mandy Tang, whose work is well worth diving into): to coach yourself, too.

It was important to publish this post for a few reasons. First, NO coach has it all together, and you probably shouldn’t trust one who acts like they do. Second, I know I’ve written about this topic before—and, we all know, in the messiness of life we don’t just have an issue, heal from it, and move on. This is a consistent battle, and I’ll write about it until it’s no longer in my head. Finally, I KNOW I’m not the only one who struggles with the below…so it’s my sincerest hope to help even just one other person.

If you have a question of your own, click the button below to send it my way! And as always, you can like and comment at the bottom of the post to be part of the conversation.

Dear Nora:

I took a big risk recently and started my own business…and I thought it would take off a lot more quickly than it has. I’ve believed in the value of my ideas since the beginning, and I’ve had a few cool opportunities come up, but I’m not where I feel like I should be by now and everything I try feels like yelling into the void.

I’m now doubting myself more than I ever have, and it’s due in no small part to the fact that I’ve gone from 50% of our household’s income to about 5%. I want to believe that money isn’t the only indicator of a person’s value, but that’s harder and harder to do as the economy tightens and things get more uncertain.

Am I just being stupid? How do I keep going?

Sincerely,

Did I Eff Up?

---

Dear Did I Eff Up:

I have the privilege of knowing you very, very well (I see you every time I look in the mirror!! Hey girl!). So, I’m going to fill in some context you’ve left out along the way as I gently, yet firmly, get you together.