Whitewed Advise: The Value of Keeping Momentum

Here at Whitewed, I work with engaged couples, wedding venues and suppliers alike, and 13 years in the industry and many thousands of contacts means I have a true and realistic view into how both sides of the industry react, perform, cope, and what their processes, challenges and wins are.

During the difficult times that the Coronavirus pandemic has presented to our businesses - and especially with 'Lockdown 2.0' announced, it's important to keep moving forward - tough it out and continue to progress.  Keep momentum.

Momentum can be applied to everything – your health, food and eating, exercise, well-being, …and of course your work. It’s about progression, keeping going, keeping things improving, things developing.

BUT, to give an example, it’s really easy to have a boozy weekend with lots of food after being really good about your calories and healthy eating over previous weeks, and then feel like you’ve ruined it all now and you might as well have that extra chocolate bar and cake as it’s all gone wrong now and you won’t get back on track again.

But actually, it hasn’t gone wrong, the reality is you’ve just lost momentum for a snapshot in time – and that’s exactly what Covid has done to our businesses – it’s caused a loss of momentum for a snapshot of time.

It can make you feel like everything is broken, that there’s no point to it all, that it will never end, that you can’t go on with it. But actually, you can.

The momentum is simply broken, it’s not lost.

Of course, momentum cannot go from 0 - 100% straight away, nor will the new momentum look the same as before – indeed your business will never look or feel the same as it was pre-March - however, you can start with tiny baby steps on the path of gaining back momentum. 

Taking tiny positive steps may only make the tiniest change today that you might not even feel straight away, but together with another tiny step tomorrow, and another the following day, you will be going in the right direction and you will be back in control.

So, ask yourself: 'what is the one thing you can do today to move you in the right direction?'  

What is the one small task you can complete today, or indeed start that will get you back on the momentum road? …and once you’ve done it, that’s enough for today. You can then think about what you will do tomorrow.

Over time, these small steps will snowball, and each day will be easier because you did something the day before and set the tone, and it felt good. You don’t need to overstretch yourself as things will naturally develop over a time of consistent small step actions.

I saw a great poster recently that prompted this piece; it featured two ladders – one ladder had many rungs which made the climbing of it easy and the person was at the top with their head in the sky, the other ladder had so few rungs that the other person couldn’t reach the first one as it was too high, and therefore they couldn’t progress and gain momentum – it’s a real lesson. Small and steady is always the winning formula when getting back on the momentum track!

As hard as it’s been, every day since this started, I have shown up. I have worked each day, even on the days when I didn’t want to, even on the days when I’ve had to make difficult and painful decisions – and I have told myself that if I just show up and do one thing, then it’s off my list, it's an improvement for the next day, and I don’t have to worry about it any more.

I’ve had to be realistic, I understand that things have had to be, and will continue to be, different. I know that my business is changed as a result of Covid - but I've accepted it.

It’s important to accept that your business has and will change, and it’s equally important to be OK with that. By accepting it you can move on and move forward. It means that you can take back control and make your business serve you again, and not the other way around.

Taking these small steps may feel scary, and quite frankly you sometimes won't want to make them, but force yourself forward in the early days and the momentum will come.

So many of you will be grieving for your business, and that’s totally normal too – but this situation doesn’t need to beat you. Every one of us has the most amazing skill set that can be put to alternative use for a time, and small steps each day will set you on the right track to generating new income that will keep you going.

My business is totally different to 7 months ago, but it still works, it’s different, but it works and it’s profitable, and it has the added benefit of new strings that will allow me to grow into other industry areas going forwards.

Be OK with how your new world looks and feels, keep taking steps every day and you will flourish.

On a personal level, I have found that I can deal with situations in a better way, that I am more resilient, and I feel so much better for taking control of my life and my business.  Find the positives and things will seem lighter.

What is the one step that you will take today?

Kindest, 

Natalie Lovett, Director of The Whitewed Directory