I remember my first paying job. You know the job other than babysitting your little brother or getting paid a few bucks for mowing someone’s lawn. I was in high school but it feels like it was yesterday.
I was 15 years old and got a job working as a doorman at a movie theater. I would tear tickets, welcome customers and smile at everyone. That was my job. At the end of the shift, I would help to clean up trash, monitor the parking lot and generally just do anything I was told by my manager.
I was not very good at my job at first because I was new. If I’m totally honest, I was pretty terrible. I remember being told to do things so many times and I think the only reason I got to keep my job is because they really needed the help (and my mom knew the General Manager). But after a while, I got better at my job and became more and more confident about completing my required tasks.
The benefits of the job included eating as much popcorn as I could handle and watching free movies. Plus, I was making a whopping $3.35 an hour. In my mind, I was rich!
I couldn’t wait to spend my first paycheck. I remember dreaming about what I would buy. Would it be food from that fast food joint that I could rarely afford? Would it be clothes to impress that girl I liked? Would it be a new tennis racket to help me become more competitive? Never in my mind once did I consider saving any of it. Because after all, hey, I was rich!
And then I received my first paycheck and reality set in. What were all these deductions? This is not what I agreed to! Who in the world would deplete my paycheck like this? Oh well, I still had some money, right? That is, until I realized I needed gas for my car to get home.
Fast forward a few years when I was promoted to assistant manager at that same movie theater. And now I thought I had made it. I was promoted because I got to be pretty good at my job, or so I thought. In actuality, I was promoted because I was the only one who knew how to do the job because I’d been there for so long. But I was confident that I could do the job and excel and show the world what an assistant manager at a movie theater could really do. I, once again, thought that I would be rich because of my new title and my new responsibilities. I was wrong again.
I quickly realized that being in leadership was difficult. I didn’t quite have the confidence to do the job and for the first few weeks I considered quitting. But eventually, I gained the skills and necessary confidence to do a good job.
I had I held several more jobs throughout high school and college and each time I worked a job I quickly realized that in order to gain the confidence to do that job, I had to take it seriously and be patient with myself.
I initially set out to fill my bank account with the money that I thought I needed to be happy. But in every job that I held, I realized the money was okay, but it wasn’t what made me happy in the long run. Doing the job well because of the confidence I had in myself made the work fulfilling…that, and getting paid! 🙂
I had to learn that confidence was key and the way to gain that confidence was equally important. It was a mixture of knowledge, skill, practice and persistence that allowed me to have the confidence to do anything necessary to be successful at a given task or job.
After I graduated from college and got my first “big boy” job, I remembered the hard the lessons that I had learned early on and gave myself room to grow. For the next 35 years in my adult working life, I learned a lot of different things, but one of the most important things that I learned was in order to fully appreciate the money that went into my bank account I would have to learn how to fill my “Confidence Account.”
Confidence in myself as an employee, confidence in my abilities and what I was able to learn, confidence in my work ethic and doing the right things and finally confidence in knowing that if I was patient and gave my all, I would eventually succeed.
So, what does this have to do with running an online business? Well, I’m glad you asked!
Doing what I am doing now is very different from what I have been doing the last 3 decades. There are some similarities, but for the most part, owning your own business and being in control of your paycheck is much different than working for a company who gives you that paycheck.
I learned very quickly (and am still learning) that in order for me to get a paycheck I had to give myself that paycheck.
When I first started this venture, I was not very good at it. And frankly I still have a long way to go. A lot of the time it’s because I lack confidence. There, I said it!
I’m not one to quit, so I’m willing to do what I need to do to get the job done. And often times, the job is not just learning how to own and operate my business, but it is to become confident in a healthy way to do this new job well. Just like before when I first started out, I realized very quickly that in order for me to keep a job and fill my bank account I had to fill my confidence account. I had to learn how to do new and challenging things. Every day it seems like I get more confident.
My wife and others close to me have noticed that my confidence level has increased. I feel a lot more comfortable asking the right questions. I feel a lot more comfortable watching what other people do and not just mimicking their actions but replicating it in a way where I can make it my own.
Every day I become more and more confident. And as my confidence level increases, I have noticed that my satisfaction increases. Along with my satisfaction increasing, my bank account will also be increasing. I’m enjoying what I’m doing for the first time in a very long time.
I guess what I’m saying is that I’m giving myself permission to not be very good at new things. With that said, I am not giving myself permission to quit and give up. I am not giving myself permission to give into excuses and justification for whatever seems to be going wrong at any given time. I am allowing myself the time that I need to not only learn how to run this online business, but to develop a confidence that will carry me through to the next level.
As I look at my calendar every day and plan for what I intend to accomplish, I need to remember that it is OK to not succeed at something immediately, but it is not OK to accept failure. I am absolutely 100% confident that I will succeed at my online business. I am confident that it will take time in order to get to the place where I want to be in my new career.
What about you? How full is your confidence account and how has it affected your progress and what you are trying to accomplish. Whether it’s business or personal, do you agree that confidence has a lot to do with becoming successful? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please drop a note in the comments below.
It is late in the day and as I log off my computer, I take stock and what I accomplished today and celebrate that I learned a few things. That has boosted my confidence and gives me the fuel for the next time I power up my computer and learn more new things to deposit into my confidence account.
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” — Helen Keller
“Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.” — Vince Lombardi
And of course, a few VERY BAD Dad jokes:
I used to lack confidence when telling dad jokes. But now……I’m punstoppable
I used to be a baker with low confidence…But now I rise to the occasion.
Until next time, STAY FRESH, Friends!
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“I’m giving myself permission to not be very good at new things”; that phrase summarizes all of us here trying this Affiliate Marketing thingy!
Great post and makes us think back at all those little jobs we did – and most likely hated – but that gave us the experience we needed to get to the next level – and next higher paying paycheck!
Cheers!
Hi Marc – Thanks for your reason taking the time to comment on my little blog post. Yep, it’s all about all those little jobs that we had that have brought us to this one point in time. Experience is something that one obtains and earns and I hope I continue to gain experience and expand my knowledge! Have a great week!
I agree that confidence is the next great stepping stone to our success. The seemingly slow progress in terms of people buying from us may be the chaos currently happening in the US economy. However, I’ve been told online businesses transcend that kind of obstacle. As Dean always says, we don’t know what we don’t know which makes me think I’m missing something.
Here we are at a brand new week (Sunday). I am determined to make it matter!!
Hi Kate – As I have followed you closely over the past few years, I have noticed that you seem to make everyday matter and that is motivating and inspiring! We do live in interesting times, but I am not giving up on the hope and dream that I have to make this business not only successful but also meaningful. Thank you for your visit!
Okay, first of all — those dad jokes at the end? Chef’s kiss 😂 But seriously, this post was such a needed reminder that we’re allowed to be beginners, even if we’re not exactly “just starting out” in life.
I’m also navigating the world of online business after decades of doing something totally different, and yep — the confidence account definitely needs its own savings plan some days! What I love most is that you’re not sugarcoating the process, but also not letting the challenges win. That blend of honesty and optimism is exactly what keeps the rest of us going, too.
Thanks for sharing this — and for making the learning curve feel a little less lonely (and a lot more human)
Hi Alison – I hope that I always have a dad joke in me regardless of the situation. As we navigate this online business, I hope that we always rely on who we are and have a sense of humor as sometimes you just have to laugh! Thank you for taking the time to visit and to comment on my little blog post. I also follow you and continue to learn from you every day I stumble upon your fantastic blog! Have a great week!
That first-job feeling of being “rich” until gas money kicks in… so relatable! My first job was on a mince pie machine. I made 1000’s of them, I honestly thought I was going to be able to buy a new top I had my eye on for weeks- I was wrong. It took ages!
I really admire your honesty about not being great at first, but choosing not to quit. That’s where the magic happens, right? And I love how your growth is being noticed by others too – that’s the best kind of progress. You’ve definitely inspired me to give myself more grace as I build my own thing.
Hi Sarah – I like how you summarized much of my blog post in 4 words… choosing not to quit! That is my choice every day and I see it is the same for you and others. Having those first jobs not only shapes our character but also shapes our motivation and what is possible. Thank you for your visit and for your friendship!
Ernie, Thanks for sharing this, your story reminded me of my first real job after university. I started as an Engineer in a massive company/factory, unsure of what I was doing and terrified I’d be found out. Like you, I was slow at first, constantly second-guessing myself, but I stuck with it. Bit by bit, as I learned and kept showing up, I noticed something shift, my confidence grew. Now that I’m running my own business, I’ve had to rebuild that same confidence from scratch all over again… but this time, I know it’s possible. You are doing great my friend and I am loving your TikTok’s too. The Oscar is coming!
Hello Atif – Yes, when we start anything, our confidence may not be where we want it to be until we gain a little bit of experience and feel a little bit better about what we are doing. That’s exactly the way that I felt when I started my first job, every job since, and when I first started this online business gig. It’s fun to see how my confidence and business grows but it is scary at times. Just have to remind myself that I can do it and each time I learn something new my confidence account grows as well. Thank you for your nice thoughts and have a wonderful week, my friend!
Hey Ernie, awesome post! Your story about starting at the movie theater and now running your own business was inspiring. I totally get how confidence makes such a big difference, your point about being patient with yourself really speaks to me. I’m working on building my own confidence too, and your journey motivates me to keep going, even when it’s tough. I always love to hear your adventurous stories. Thanks for sharing. Keep it up!
Meredith
Hi Meredith – Thank you for your visit to my blog post and for your very nice comments. I bet we all have those stories of how we started and maybe not have been as successful as we wanted in the beginning but eventually we got to where we needed to be. I always ask myself the question, “who would have thought I could have learned that?” I’m enjoying watching your business grow and following you online, in your blog, and I look to you for motivation… so thank you!
Ernie, you’re well on your way to entrepreneurship. You are certainly connecting the dots to this online maze and doing it in real fashion. Keep up the good work and keep filling that confidence account!
Hi Ken – Thank you for your visit and for your nice comments. What you said about an online business is true… it really is a maze, and the idea is to get through as efficiently as possible, right? I trust you are having a very good and productive week, my friend!