Moving and Shaking? Yes, but you need to recognize it for yourself!

And so I'm currently CEO of two businesses I myself founded, and co-founder of a non-profit.  (whew)  But with all that in mind I have found that sometimes you have to step back, take a look at what  you've done and give yourself a pat on the back along with a little encouragement.  Sure, it comes from others as well, but that doesn't help when you then find yourself wondering if people are simply being nice or if they really mean it when they say that they're impressed with what  you've done.  
It pays to make a list.  
Start with two columns.  The first one is what  you thought you'd have done by now. Include everything!  The second one is where you write the word "completed on such & such a date" , "to be completed by such & such" or "began".  Then go over each one, remembering the amount of work you put into every one of these items - even the ones marked "began" (which can be anything from simply writing down your intentions to an outline or being part way to completion). 
The amount of work you've done will be staggering.  
Be ready to be floored by your own effort.  I mean that.  No matter how much you've actually done or made some effort to do - it all adds up to an enormous amount of time and discipline!  Knowing that you've done so very much in 6 months or a year puts you on the road to confidence and gives you a positive attitude about everything you're doing.  Seeing it written down plainly in front of you really brings home the workload you've had - and how much water you've been treading to get through it.  
Starting again is all part of it.  
Out with the old list and in with the new!  If the things you didn't complete still apply, then carry them forward onto the new list, but if not - get rid of them and don't shed a tear in the process!  Anything we do in life is going to go through the same process that living things go through - growth, death and renewal.  Have "burial" for the things that looked important at one time, and begin the growth process all over again by planting seeds for what you now want to accomplish.  
And don't sweat the small stuff! 
So what if your desk is not as neat as you'd like it  to be or you haven't gotten around to putting all your paperwork into neat, organized files!  The good news is that if you've got lots of paper on your desk it's because you've created a going enterprise that is living and breathing and you're getting ahead!  Yes, little things do count and surely image matters, and yet you need to feel great about your work and focus on all the reasons why you got started on this project in the first place.  Remember the passion.  Remember the ideas.  If you had the courage and stamina to take that first big step - to get your business off the ground - then you've got more than enough of what it takes to tie up loose ends and function more efficently...
Give yourself time to get there. 
It's good to add a couple of items to the goals list that you have a pretty good idea you won't accomplish because of two main reasons.  One is that these things are usually so big that if you even break the ice toward finishing them it's a heckuva lot.  And two is that they give you good reason to keep feeding the dream.  When you get that list out and put it in front of you ( which you should do once a week or at least once a month) the big items can become the stuff that fuels your imagination....and keeps things in perspective!  Doing something big - and that applies to anyone starting out on their own - takes a big amount of time.  So when  you look at your list look at with a little patience and always, always, keep that spirit of enterprise alive!  
If you'd like to read more about my work and what I'm doing, you can go to these websites: 
Nutrabeautiful, Inc.  
Image Savvy International, Inc. 
Teaching the Autistic Through Living and Learning, Inc.