Getting Out of the Fog
“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.” ~ W. Edwards Deming
What changes have I done most recently to improve my work as a Virtual Assistant and Freelancer? Where do I need to start? Why do I need to do these steps? All these and more on my recent adventure to achieve this year’s resolution on getting more Focus and Clarity!
Mentorship: Unlocked!
About two weeks ago, I found my Digital Marketing mentor. I was doing a lot of reading and watching videos of giants in the field, trying to find my mentor in this industry and for some reason, the universe sent me one.
Why? Why did I need to have a mentor?
Well, I have this huge admiration over mentorship and its power to provide guidance and clarity on your path, whether it’s personal or professional, the idea of having someone to look up to and be able to stand on the shoulders of giants is ultimately transformative and gives you a boost that you are doing it right or wrong.
But mentorship is for another blog. But I made a special mention about my mentor here because this person became my last straw to come to the conclusion that I needed to change things.
Being "In the Fog"
My mentor first brought up this phrase to me about a few ago when we started. And I did realise that I was in it. Being “in the fog” can mean a lot of things for different people but as for my case, it was confusion.
When I started as a VA, I was a newbie in Content Writing. I was ghost blog writing for a lot of businesses and it went on organically. I was just winging it, see where it would lead me.
So, this strategy worked for me for the last 6 years but even during those years, every 2-3 months, I would find myself by the beach, trying to unwind, trying to take back my sanity.
Looking back now, I was saving myself from burnout.
Being in this industry, whether you are in Digital Marketing or E-Commerce, Virtual Assistants and Freelancers are the people behind the curtain of small or big businesses. We do not only help them grow but we also save them time.
And in the process of saving other people’s time is that we consume our time and if not careful enough like I did, you would find yourself overwhelmed with the number of tasks.
And sometimes, it can blur and unconsciously sway you to a different direction and eventually, losing your focus and clarity from what you used to enjoy doing.
I realised I was in this fog. I got super busy trying to save everyone’s arses and just helping wherever I can. One day, I was dreading to start working; I mean, there was a time I was just procrastinating my delay the work.
A Better Process
How I typically get into the business of my clients is when I am presented with problems or concerns. So, I get into this “VA mode” and start to function when I see or hear a problem.
Being in this industry for nearly a decade now, I can easily spot a lot of areas that need help and oftentimes, I just dive right in and help.
First of all, I am the kind of VA who typically does not need a lot of supervision– especially in Digital Marketing. (Whoa. Airhead much? Just keep reading)
Not because I do not need one but because I self-study and try to figure my way things out and eventually, create a virtual ecosystem for myself in the business that works along with the business and/or complements the business owner’s working style.
Nevertheless, looking back now, this is not sustainable especially knowing that I want to grow mainly as a solopreneur and as a collaborator.
I needed a better process to progress.
My Evergreen Purpose
Evergreen in business means that it is something that “stays relevant over a long period of time.”
And that the core of every process is a purpose.
When I started out as a VA, it was out of the impulse of helping. And now that I want to grow and help more business owners, the first thing I had to refresh my mind with was the reason behind that impulse and make it evergreen.
“I want to help businesses who speak my language.”
I mainly serve businesses who pay it forward. Businesses whose mission promotes help and betterment of individuals and the community at large are the areas I want to be part of and thus, I would gladly assist.
“I want to help business owners who respect my value”
My time, my services, my extra-mile efforts are my ultimate value. These may seem common to the ordinary eye but I have customized these valuables to the preferences of my clients’ personality, working style, and business model that I blend into the business’ environment with ease.
“I want to collaborate with passionate Virtual Assistants and Freelancers with a growth mindset in the business”
Professionals who have the initiative to seek help not to be spoon-fed but to water themselves with experienced-based strategies and who willingly find the time to study and learn new tools and techniques to provide quality of work are simply the best people who I want to welcome to my exclusive club of Rockstar VAs.
At present...
Currently, I am still in the process of getting out of the fog. This initiative of redefining my people is one of the next big steps to this refresh that I’m doing in my business because I know it will only get even more challenging as time passes by.
The world is still on recovery from the pandemic. The people have adapted to the times and have experienced a lot of things through the quarantine. Times have definitely changed.
So, I think online professionals, like you and me, can go through the same process of reinventing, redefining, and realigning our way of thinking and doing things to grow and become better leaders–altogether, this is the kind of progress we all need.
What changes will you make this year?