This is a guest submission from Laura Jones from lauragjones.com

I’ve always known I was meant to be an entrepreneur. Maybe that’s because of my issues with authority.

Or my insatiable desire for freedom.

Or the fights I put up whenever I feel restricted.

What can I say, I’m feisty. Don’t fence me in. But when I graduated college as an international student, I had to take a job.

I spent a year and a half after college miserably stepping over my own boundaries and freedom and staring out the window next to my cubicle (at least I was lucky enough to have a window next to my cubicle!) while my bosses gave me menial work and ignored my creative ideas for improvement.

As 2013 neared and I married my husband (which meant a green card was on the way), I knew something had to change.

So I bootstrapped myself an online marketing education.

I signed up for every big shot coach’s marketing list and studied every sales page and e-mail to learn from them. I connected with other coaches on Facebook groups and spent my commute time finishing blog post after blog post (ah, the wonders of limited internet connectivity!)

I spent my time at work listening to podcasts and Seth Godin audiobooks and writing editorial calendars and marketing plans.

When I got home, after taking a hot shower to wash away the stress of the day (still my #1 tip for overworked employees who hate their jobs) I hopped on the couch, food in my lap, to work some more.

Sheer Will Only Takes You So Far

After about 6 months of doing this whole website thing, I was starting to reach my limit.

My coming-home-to-work-on-the-biz routine involved crying on the couch for a few minutes pleading and arguing with God over why I was still in that shitty job.

Every month, I would find a new creative way that I could just leave my job, and suggest it to my husband.

“I’ll go bartend or wait tables for a living!”

“I’ll become a professional babysitter!”

“Let’s just move to the middle of nowhere and live in a tiny shack and grow all of our own food!”

Go ahead, laugh. I’ll wait.

I was desperate.

And, clearly, willing to do just about anything to get away from needing the money from that job.

Learning how to be in business without anyone teaching you the ropes takes a lot of time. A lot more time than I was prepared to invest before seeing any results.

I was frustrated to no end because no matter how much I had believed in myself as a coach, no matter how much I tried to apply what I learned, the results were just not coming fast enough.

Over time, I learned that it’s about more than just applying what others are teaching or doing.

It’s about understanding why you’re supposed to be doing X and Y, doing it at the right time, and most importantly checking in with yourself and figuring out what works for you.

As I learned those lessons, I tweaked a lot – I tweaked my site, my marketing strategies, my coaching strategies, my sales pages.

I unsubscribed to many of the initial marketing “gurus” I had subscribed to who made me feel like I was just a wallet with a face, and subscribed to others who respected their audience a little more.

Then I started experimenting with my own style, figuring out exactly what I have to offer and how I can offer it best.

I started expecting to make mistakes and welcoming them. I realized that failure is not the end, but a stepping board to new beginnings.

As I moved on with a focus on experimenting, I realized that the energy I spent hating my job and wishing I wasn’t there could be better spent on my business. So I made a commitment to fully accept where I was and not give my day job any more of my thought or emotions.

I completely embraced my situation, and that freed me.

I started thinking up creative ways to make my lunches nourishing, instead of complaining that I didn’t get to stay at home and cook when I needed to.

When my boss threw a mean comment my way I just shrugged it off and happily traipsed back to my desk to return to my blog ideas or chat with my co-worker. Best of all, the release of negative energy I was holding on to made me much more productive and optimistic.

And after a few weeks of surrendering to my imperfect situation, I got called into my boss’s office and was handed a big fat envelope with my layoff information.

pink slip

I could barely conceal the big fat grin on my face.

I spent the next few months looking for other jobs while gathering more readers on my site, building connections with other entrepreneurs, and helping my husband with his natural deodorant company.

As soon as my unemployment ran out, I took a 6-week long trip back to Romania to visit family and friends, and returned to brand new clients I love working with.

I guess I don’t need to keep looking for a job after all. The waiting, working, crying and accepting all paid off.

The Lesson Of Surrender

Looking back, I see a similar pattern for every good thing that has ever happened to me. I wish for it, I envision it, I work for it, then I get to the point where I plead, bargain, and stomp my feet.

But no matter how much I’m tempted to stay in that place and will God into making my wish come true, nothing ever happens until I finally surrender and embrace where I am, and let go of my insatiable need for things to go exactly my way.

So if you feel stuck and impatient – give surrender a try. The results just might surprise you.

Have you ever needed to let go and accept your situation before things could turn around?

 

About Laura

Laura G. Jones helps creative grasshoppers find productivity, clarity, and success without having to overspecialize and structure their lives to the point of suffocation. Click here to conquer procrastination with her free 9-day flexible productivity course.

When not grasshopping between her passions, blogging, or making natural deodorants with her husband she can be found taking long walks in the forest and cudding with her two kitties, a good book, and a warm cup of herbal tea.

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