I started back at work this week (FINALLY), and though working from home, I’ve now had to switch my focus to checking emails, joining meetings, and catching up on projects and things I missed during furlough.

Even though I’m back working full time, I’ve also been busier than ever with business clients. In the past three months, I’ve brought on four new clients, in addition to the three consistent clients I already had. I have a new organization system that’s really working for me and I could not be more excited to be continuing to grow my business, but it’s keeping me busy on top of my 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. regular job.

We also brought home a new puppy this past Sunday.

He’s a six-ish month old boxer/shepherd mix who has basically lived in a shelter or bounced from foster to foster all of his life. He’s the sweetest, most loving and friendly little guy, but he’s had essentially zero training. He’s not fully house trained, his manners need work, and he’s still a puppy with a lot of puppy energy.

Let me just say – I’ve really had my patience tested this week.

I’m learning a “new normal” being back to work (though working from home) and balancing my client load. Sometimes it’s tough to log into the meeting when last week I would have been sipping a glass of wine and reading my book on the patio.

And I’m also trying to train a puppy.

I knew what we were getting into with a puppy, but let’s just say I’ve never been the most patient person in the world. I’ve said “off,” “quiet,” and “potty” more times this week than I have probably in my whole life combined. I had to buy a baby gate to block off rooms in the house because he must be watched constantly. And our other dog is still getting used to him, so she needs to get extra attention!

I’ve found myself getting so frustrated. Either I’m on a conference call and the puppy is going crazy jumping on things and barking, or I’m trying to write a content piece and have to take him out 6 times before he goes potty. Or I really want to work on a client piece, but instead am focusing on a work project.

BUT THIS IS LIFE.

There’s always something to distract you. Something to drag you down or discourage you. Something that must take priority, even if you don’t want it to. When you’re building a business, especially if you’re also working full time, things won’t always go your way.

And that’s why patience is so important.

You won’t be a huge success overnight. Your client list won’t boom in one week or even one month. You won’t have as much savings as you’d like to quit your job. Your website traffic may take months to be where you want it. But part of building a business and being a freelancer is remembering these things even when it’s hard and life seems to get in the way or even knock you down. Trust me, it took me a long time to understand and embrace this.

It’s so important to have patience because that’s what will keep you going, knowing that one day you will be a huge success, and your client list will be nearly more than you can handle, and you’ll have enough savings to be able to quit your job and do what you love full-time instead.

I’m more motivated than ever to continue to provide excellence to my clients and grow my business, portfolio and profits. And, I have more work than ever to prove it. I’ve had to be patient with myself while I figure out how to juggle my time and work and normal life after three months of having endless time to do whatever I wanted. I’ve had to be patient with the puppy, because after all, he’s just a puppy. (One day, he will be an amazing dog and these puppy months will be a distant memory.)

I’ve found that the more patient you are with yourself in life, the more you will be able to get out of life. And yes, this is much easier for me to say than do. But if you give yourself time to become who you want to be, and build what you’ve always dreamed, getting there is so much sweeter. And, you get to enjoy the path along the way.

They say to live for the journey, not just the destination. It’s easier to do so once you understand the importance of patience ✌️