Ela Duys is a successful businesswoman. She runs an Instagram coaching service from her home in Western Australia and lives life on her terms.
It is the kind of happy existence many would like to have, but it brings with it many challenges and a hidden struggle that many of her Instagram followers will never see.
Allow Yourself To Feel To Get Through The Tough Moments
Although her life looks fantastic when you scroll through her Instagram profile, Ela is plagued by doubts regularly that make her question herself.
“There are those days when something will happen, and it feels like the end of the world and that you’ve completely failed and you don’t know how to move past it,” Ela explains. “Then, a few days later, you’ll figure it out and realize that was supposed to happen because there’s a lesson involved.”
“I had something happen over Christmas, and I was so upset about it. But because it happened, I changed a whole bunch of processes in my business. And if that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t have done that.”
Ela continues, “So it’s good when those things happen because things change, things grow, and you learn. At the moment, you’re upset. But a few days later, you process it and allow yourself to feel those emotions. Previously I haven’t done that. I just felt guilty and didn’t allow myself to process the sadness. And you have to allow yourself to do that. That’s important, and it will you more clarity to do what you have to do to resolve it.”
Trust Yourself, And You Will Overcome Your Anxiety
Ela Mazur Creative is thriving and, because Ela is her boss, she can do the work she wants to do precisely when she wants to do it. But having that kind of freedom is not always as incredible as it seems from the outside.
“You might feel like giving up every day if it’s your business,” she explains. “There are some days where you think, ‘Why am I doing this? I should just find a job or work for someone else’. Or if something happens with a client, you’re not 100% happy with, or if someone is vulgar to you, you take it a lot more personal because it’s your business. If it’s someone else’s business, you can think, ‘Oh well, next person.”
Ela continues, “There were quite a few times in 2019 when I was looking for jobs because I just thought, ‘I’m done, I’m going to go find a job, I don’t want to do this anymore.’ So that’s when it’s important to have support from someone. And my husband said, ‘No, you don’t have to find a job, you can keep doing this.”
“One thing that used to happen is a client contract would end, and I haven’t been able to find another one to fill their time. I used to get anxious and think I’m going to find a job. But then it would always work out that as soon as that contract is about to end, someone else will pop up straight away. So you have to trust your gut and trust the universe.”
Motivation Is Easier If You Know Why You Are Doing Something
Ela’s company, Ela Mazur Creative, is now a six-figure Instagram coaching business that operates entirely over the internet. She has three employees in locations worldwide and works with leading brands such as The Bod, Krista Tier, and Melissa Ambrosini.
However, she could never have made it to this stage if she had not found her purpose, her reason for starting her business, and her inspiration to work hard to make it grow.
“If you know what your purpose is and what drives you to do the work, then you will do it,” Ela explains. “So if you have a goal and say, ‘This is why I’m doing what I do and what I want to achieve, then you work a lot harder and a lot more because you’re working towards something.”
“You’re not just doing some work because somebody has told you to, you’re doing it because you want to help this many people, or you want this many clients, and you want to do the best you can for them. Or you might want to hit a certain financial goal. These little things can drive and motivate you, and that’s what will make you keep going. If you have a really clear purpose in mind when you work, then you work harder to get there.”
If you would like to discover how Ela can help you improve your social media, check out her Instagram For Business Course.