Growing your capacity as a business owner is not something that can (or should) happen overnight.

Growth takes time.

It requires your attention and commitment.

I like to think in terms of capacity.

Capacity is the amount of something you can hold. It is the volume of things that you’re able to take care of, and how consistent you are at tending to the needs of your business (and life).

Capacity fluctuates and changes based on circumstances, our well being at any given moment, unpredictable events, our mental health.

Capacity is our ability and we have to understand and know ourselves to know what we are capable of.  You have to be honest about:

• The amount of stress you can hold
• How long you are able to focus
• If your creativity is flowing
• How much time you have available in your day to work on things
• Your beliefs about things
• What you can (or cannot) trust
• Your ability to show up with confidence

Think about the capacities that are needed for you to run your business.

You can grow your capacity to:

• speak clearly about your work
• boldly invite people to hire you – or buy your product
• manage the administrative tasks
• juggle a busy schedule without dropping the ball on things
• deliver what you say you will
• communicate with integrity
• create offers that make a difference for people
• say no to things that don’t work for you
• rest and take care of your well being

There are SO MANY capacities we can focus on.  Where are you wanting to grow?

Everyone grows at their own pace. We all have different things that we deal with. The world out there wants us to work, work, work, produce, produce, produce, go, go, go.

We are not all operating with the same capacity. Capacity is personal and subjective. It is variable and always changing.

Creating and building a business that is healthy and sustainable means understanding your own capacity – in any given moment. It means growing at your own pace.

We will usually grow and thrive in environments that support our individual needs.

Blackberries grown in abundance where I live. They don’t need much to thrive.  But wild blackberries were not a big part of life when I lived in Colorado.

What kind of conditions do YOU need to thrive?  To grow, to expand your capacities?

Do you need lots of loving support and encouragement?

Do you need someone to give you a map to follow?

Do you need to be left alone to think and formulate your ideas without much outside input?

Do you need to talk things out, in a safe conversation?

Do you need to practice lots and fall down and get back on the bike to try again?

Do you need to mess up without anyone watching so you can figure things out on your own?

Do you need someone to watch and point out what you might be doing wrong, how you could improve?

Knowing ourselves helps us to grown our capacity.  

Understanding our individual needs and limits is essential.

Getting the proper support can make a very big difference.

Meet yourself where you are.  Grow from there. At a pace that makes sense – to you.  

As humans, I think we are wired up to grow and learn, it is in our nature.  BUT, the ways that we expand and become is unique.  What works for one person, may not work for you.

Some of us grow quick with little care needed, like the blackberries.  Some of us are very fussy – like an orchid.  I have a tendency to kill succulents, even though they are supposed to be “easy.”  I just can’t figure out the right conditions.

Society at large wants us all to just produce all the time, no matter what.  (fast, more, better, hurry!)

I invite you to question this.  Listen to your own rhythms.  Go at your own speed.  Learn and understand yourself.  Listen to and honor your own needs, your own capacity, your own goals and dreams.

Pay attention to what feels good and supportive – FOR YOU! 

A major benefit of being a small business owner is having the freedom to do things our own way, to create our own path, to figure out what is going to work best – for everyone involved: our family, our customers, the communities we are part of, and ourselves.

We get to make up the rules.

Capacity and growth is a place to think from, to practice, to inquire into.

What do you think about this?  How do you go about expanding your capacity, learning new things, growing as a business owner – and as a person?

Over this past weekend, I repotted a few of my plants.  I could tell that they were stuck, limited in their growth and unhappy in their containers.  They needed more room to expand.

How can you do this for yourself?  Are you hanging out in too small of a pot?  Do you need some fresh soil?  A little nourishment?  A better spot to sit in the sun?

What supports you in your growth?

I love hanging out in these questions!  I hope you will continue to explore them with me.

 

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A post shared by Be Bright Studio – Runa Bird (@thebebrightstudio)