Climbing Out of the Pit, One Step At a Time

I think that “how to improve your life” has been “Googled” millions of times. And why not? Sometimes, we all get the feeling that we are stuck!

It wasn’t long ago that I was traveling across Nebraska. Now, if you have ever driven across Nebraska, you know you’ve got time!

Time to think.

I don’t drive a fancy vehicle, so I have to listen to local channels.

And, um, well, sometimes out in the middle of “nowhere” in the very FLAT state, you don’t have a lot of options.

This day was no different. But I got lucky! The only channel I found was airing a business and financial talk show.

And the topic of the day was scaling your small business. They discussed ways you could slowly and steadily “scale” your business.

They assisted small business owners with small steps that gradually grew their businesses and yielded positive results.

I actually learned a lot!

One, because I own a “very” small business, and two, because I thought their discussion could apply to life in general.

Life is overwhelming. And frankly, if you are a single mom, you have more on your plate than most people.

Sometimes, it’s all you can do to keep your head above water.

I don’t think most people understand this. I really don’t.

Most single parents would do “better” if they could. But getting from HERE to THERE seems almost impossible.

I think that’s why this radio program hit home.

And I would like to share my thoughts about this and how we can both apply it in our everyday lives.

Step One: Consider the areas of your life that could use some scaling.

These are simply some areas that need growth.

I realize while writing these, I have quite a few areas that need “growth.” I think this probably makes me very human.

Here are some areas to get you started.

Finances, faith, health, parenting, education, improvements in your homeschooling journey, and areas of your small business that need to be tweaked.

Recently, in my homeschooling journey, I was made aware that some of my children were struggling in Math and Language arts.

My small business needed additional products and some pricing adjustments.

These are areas that need growth in my life. What are your areas?

Step Two: Write down 2-3 specific ways that you can scale upwards in these areas.

I don’t want you to be overwhelmed here. That will cause you to abandon the whole idea.

Keep it simple. What are some ways that would really make a difference in your business, homeschooling, housekeeping, and life?

My goal here is to write down on paper some ideas that could take you from just surviving to actually thriving.

It may look like this:

• Waking up 15 minutes earlier to have my quiet time
• Walking 2xs around the block before I pick up kids from school
• Increase profits in my small business
• Get additional tutoring for the child in the upper grades

Write down the ways that would be super helpful to your situation.

If you don’t know exactly what that would look like, spend some time researching it.

YouTube, Pinterest, and other internet sources can be very helpful!

Step Three: Get specific.

Write down the date you want to have the change made by. And write down the specific steps needed to make that change.

It may be as simple or as complex as you would like.

For example, when I needed to increase Math and Language Arts in my children’s education, I found an online education program that specifically addressed those issues.

I conducted the necessary research and then signed them up. That was a fairly easy way to “scale” up.

When it came to my business, things were a little more complicated.

I watched some YouTube videos regarding pricing, evaluated my costs, and then adjusted my prices accordingly.

You might find that some areas are easy to scale up, while others will take more time and research to complete.

In conclusion.

I would never want to give the impression that change is easy. It’s not.

But “scaling” gives you a way to get from Point A to Point B without overwhelming us or causing us to “give up” because it’s “all too much.”

I can’t make huge changes, I simply can’t as a single mom.

But I can make “little” changes that in the long run will make a “huge” difference.

Prayers for your journey,
Lacey