Starting to learn a new subject, starting a business and starting to write a book are all challenging and remarkable things to do. However, they’re nothing in comparison to what comes after them; namely, the actual work required to learn the new subject, run the new business, or write the book.
Too often, we let our past experiences, success and failures, paint the picture of who we perceive ourselves to be and what we believe we are capable of achieving. If you are certain that you’re good at learning new languages, you may begin to learn a language with confidence and ease, but then stop when it becomes difficult. If you believe that you aren’t good at learning new languages, you may never even try to start. If, on the other hand, you approach a new subject with an open mind and don’t consider whether you’re good or bad at it, the process eases up and you can experience profound new discoveries.
When we founded WatzThis?, Chris had over 18 years of experience running a small business. He’s proud of that fact, as he should be. The company he ran was genuinely successful for much of that time. We decided, however, that it’s important to forget what we think we know about how a business “should” be run. Everything that WatzThis? does is based on a new foundation; exploring new ideas and weighing the limitations and advantages of the many ways in which to run a business. We don’t base our expectations of each other on the past.
The result is that WatzThis? runs better than any company either of us has ever been involved in. The atmosphere is highly creative and flexible and routinely finishes large projects efficiently and without stress.
The next time you’re struggling with whether to start something, or if something you started isn’t going the way you expected, think about your expectations. Are they getting in your way? Would you be better off discarding them and approaching the task as if you have no experience at all?