Milestones 2017

The year started with great promise. We were involved with a huge project that took up a lot of our time. After months of frustrating toil, it led to a big zero and loss. I learned a hard lesson about human nature. Some people are totally dishonest and literally turn on you when things don’t go their way. All you can do is learn from such experiences and not repeat them.

The Takeaway

Communication is important. Make sure that the other party understands what is involved. Also, get a good idea of what their expectations are. Sometimes they build up a false picture of what they are going to get and what they are paying for. It’s better to get a rejection because you have clearly placed all your cards on the table. That was a disastrous start to the year. Learn to become a better communicator. Ask questions to make sure that you understand what they want.

So, the year didn’t start well, and I had all my eggs in the wrong basket. Nevertheless, I celebrated 25 years in business for myself. That was a milestone worth achieving.

In April I acquired the best camera I have ever had. It is so advanced and packed with potential that it will take me a long time to learn all that I can do with it. Since I started using it I have progressed to a much higher level in my photography. The camera and my printer are also the perfect match delivering top quality prints that I am proud of. Another milestone in my business.

Yes, after hard work and some lucky breaks I managed to bounce back after the initial setback. You learn to not let anything get you down when you have been in business for a long time. I spend a lot of time motivating and inspiring others to be happy and positive. When setbacks come my way, I get the opportunity to practice what I preach.

Being self-employed involves making the right choices that affect your future. It often involves unchartered territory and you must operate by faith. To be successful you can’t drop your guard. It’s like rocket science. To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you stop the action you stop moving forward. Then, no income.

All this also involves risks. Most often you try things and only see the results afterward. By then you have already invested time and money. That’s the risk part. It’s not for the fainthearted.

Anyway, I made it through the year successfully. I guess I made more right decisions than bad ones. Most of my risks paid off. The bad decisions were used for education. I managed to keep operating by faith. I continued to operate with rocket science – action and reaction.

Finally, I reached another milestone. That being married to my spouse for 44 years. That was today. I am grateful for having a wonderful wife and companion. We accept each other as we are. A huge milestone for her was being on national TV and in a famous magazine after undergoing a makeover with the renowned Glam Guru. So, it’s not all about me. The success of our long marriage has been that we give each other enough space to be just who we are. We also love and support each other and remain committed to our marriage.

Oh yes! We also managed to complete our first year of Bible School without being absent once. We completed 2 years of Bible School 25 years ago. This time it’s just to refresh and brush up our knowledge and faith. When you work for yourself you need to know much more than how to operate a business. You need to understand what makes people tick and where you fit into the big scheme of things. You need to be humble and realize that there is a right way to do things. If you stick to the right way, then you are bound to succeed.

Now I am nearing the end of 2017 and will also tick that off as another milestone in my life. Thank you for regularly visiting my blog. Blessings!