Lessons I’ve Learned in the Past Six Years as an Entrepreneur
Lessons I’ve Learned in the Past Six Years as an Entrepreneur
Is it just me or is this year flying by? Like stupid fast.
A friend of mine congratulated me on 6 years with Wandering Roots at the end of April, and I had this realization of both “wait, is it that right?” and “is it April already?” and then got swept up in the rhythm of life again and kind of forgot about it again.
Until I didn’t.
I was on the long flight over to Scotland and it popped in my head again. 6 years. Wild.
Whenever I have these revelations, I like to reflect on the highs and the lows.
Ponder how much I’ve grown and all of the lessons I’ve learned.
So here it goes…
I’m acutely aware of my limiting beliefs. Like as I’m saying them to either myself or out loud for all to hear, I’m getting really good at catching myself and reframing it to something that I would rather believe about myself. It’s not perfect, but a very worthwhile practice in my opinion.
I believe I’m the creator of everything in my life. Good and bad. Which is why I’m trying to be acutely aware of what I’m saying about and to myself ;)
Asking for help is the gateway to living your best life and it’s still a practice for me. The undoing of living in this stoic, I-must-have-all-of-my-shit-together-even-though-it’s-perfectly-ok-if-everyone-else-doesn’t-have-their-shit-together demeanor is something I’m working on. I remind myself that whenever I’ve asked for help in the past, it’s always been a positive experience, so I might as well keep it up.
Every day I grow more confident in who I am and what I’m capable of. It’s probably equal parts getting older and giving less fucks and constantly throwing myself into the next scary thing that have built this confidence and I’m absolutely loving this current version of me.
Telling your imposter syndrome to f-off is always a good idea and I’ve had to do it often. The only difference between my first international retreat where I only got 1 person to register and this current one in Scotland where 9 of the coolest ladies I know joined me, Abs, and E is that I didn’t give up. If you keep showing up, doing the thing, gaining experience, growing an audience, whatever you want will happen.
It was really hard to build an audience from scratch and it took time. Like years. Quitting a 13 year career as a laboratory manager in the biotech field, doesn’t get you thousands of Instagram followers overnight.
But also, if you believe it’s going to be hard then it will be. And that thought process worked against me for a year or 2. Really glad I broke out of that cycle.
I still believe life is 99% showing up and reminding yourself that progress isn’t linear.
Giving yourself some pep talks and a whole lotta love along the way doesn’t hurt either ;)
So, whatever it is you've been daydreaming of, friend, keep going. It's always worth it, and I believe in you!
Images by Personal Branding Maven Elise Kutt at Mod Bettie Portraits
My name is Anna VanAgtmael, and I am retreat host, travel designer, and a certified yoga instructor with a passion for yoga, travel, and connecting with others.
I believe in trying everything once. My values lie in collecting memories over things.
My ambition is to inspire and encourage you to unmask your fears and jump into the unknown.
Anna VanAgtmael | Retreat Host | Travel Designer