Thin people watch portion sizes.
Instead of loading up their plate and eating like there's no tomorrow, thin people take small servings. And only take more when they're sure they're still hungry. Even then, they may wait a little, just to make sure they really DO need a few more bites.
And successful people strive for daily steps to move their business forward.
There are times when it pays off to take a calculated risk. We take on a new show, we redesign our brochure, we try a new marketing strategy. Not all big bites are bad!
These are good things. We've tried out our products, we've done our research, we're ready for the next step.
But sometimes people take huge bites without looking. They're in such a hurry to "get there" they make leaps that take them right over a cliff.
I know of a very new craftsman who designed a fashion accessory widget. It was cute and affordable. It got picked up by one of those home shopping networks on TV. It was a huge success!
So huge, in fact, that the craftsperson was facing over 10,000 orders for the widget. There was an immediate problem, not only with labor--how many could she possibly make in the next few weeks??--but also with supply. Her supply companies couldn't even stock her components to make the darn things. A friend in the biz with production connections looked into all angles, including having them made overseas, but to no avail. Time ran out, and her "huge success" came crashing down.
Another craftsperson invested big bucks in the very best equipment to do shows--tent, display, transportation, etc. And then did a few shows. And found out they hated doing shows.
In my travels as a workshop presenter for professional development, I see many such "cart before the horse" or "gorging" scenerios. And we've ALL been guilty of it at some time. Trying to leapfrog up to the next step before we've even sorted out where we are now, or what we want next.
Artists will drop a ton of money on fancy support paper--brochures, logos, catalogs, letterhead even. Without thinking that in two years, their work or direction may totally change as they evolve and grow. All the big bucks spent on fancy literature that no longer fits them.
Or they don't think through what they want this literature to DO for them. Are they targeting a wholesale market? A retail market? Their current customers and collectors? Is the literature a marketing piece? A buying/ordering piece? Something to give stores interested in buying your work? Something you give your customer after they buy the piece? It's worthwhile determining this BEFORE you sign the big check.
I also see many people "leaping" at "special offers" to artists and craftspeople. "Sign up for this special introductory offer!" the ad copy screams. "Last chance!" Just like it's hard to turn down that offer of dessert. "Oh, just this once," we day. Or we get the Sudden Chocolate Death dessert (a real local dessert) with the lurking fear the world will suddenly run out of chocolate tomorrow. We artists may feel the same anxiety about turning down that "once in a lifetime" opportunity that really ISN'T a "last chance".
It's funny how savvy we are in our "normal" life about such offers, especially when we see them on TV. "Act now, and we'll include this amazing slicing/dicing companion book with your Veggiematic!". Um....hasn't that ad been running for a few months now? Is there REALLY any urgency here? But we creative types fall for it all the time.
Just like a dress you don't need that's on sale is still a dress you don't need, a "special offer" for an opportunity that's not right for you is still an opportunity that's not right for you. Or if it's a "special offer" for information you could gather yourself...consider it only if the time involved to do it yourself is worth the price.
It's also good to see the full effects of our little steps. Just like thin people wait a little, to see if they're really still hungry, sometimes we need to wait and see, too. Instead of just assuming something didn't work and leaving it behind. Sometimes a show is just not for us. And sometimes, a show needs a few years to "grow" into us. Hard to tell the difference, and no short, magic answers. But if enough people tell you it took a few years for them to really get a following at a show, that's something to listen to.
There's another interesting corollary to portion sizes.
Thin Secret for Success No. 8 1/2:
Thin people will put the same amount of food on a smaller plate--and make it LOOK like they're eating more.
The same amount of food on a huge plate won't look like much.
Who knew the appropriate size plate could change your perspective so much??
The same is true of our accomplishments and successes.
I realize that so many times, I'm in such a hurry for success, I forget about what I've already accomplished. Sometimes I've worked so hard to take the next step, to achieve the next goal, that when I get there, I forget to stop and smell the roses.
So as you take each step forward, whether it's a steady little step or a brave big step, take a breather. Look at how far you've come! Give yourself a pat on the back--many other people never got this far, and you did!
