My son Zac has been in LA for the past year…

As part of an exchange programme with Edinburgh University, he got the opportunity to study for his art degree at The University of California (UCLA).

In his final weeks, he had to do a performance art piece.

And… well… it was unusual to say the least.

Zac stood next to a CNC machine (basically, a noisy wood-cutting lathe) and proceeded to harmonise along with the mechanical drone and occasional screeches.

This went on for EIGHTEEN MINUTES in front of his fellow students and tutors!

Now, Zac would be the first to admit…

He can’t sing.

So he found it hard to hold even the note of a screeching piece of machinery.

Worse, doing any kind of vocals in front of a crowd – especially for a non-singer – is a BOLD move.

He told me that the audience laughed… got bored… then laughed again… then got bored… then laughed…. and so it went on.

As expected, he found the experience utterly excruciating.

His face turned bright red (a sure sign of his embarrassment) and yet he committed to his bonkers performance, no matter how uncomfortable he felt.

If I’m honest, I haven’t a clue what it all means (he called the piece, ‘Eulogy for a Splinter’)

I suspect he is actually being a bit of a prankster – he loves to add uncomfortable humour into his creations.

And hey, it’s performance art and anything goes! (Heloise is relieved that while in California Zac has created some ‘proper’ art pieces!)

However, what I really admire is his determination to keep going through all the discomfort and self-doubt that he felt in the moment.

And whatever they thought about his piece, the attendees probably won’t EVER forget what that weird English guy did in the art department workshop back in 2025.

The upshot is, Zac pushed through the pain to get a result.

And this got me thinking about you.

Which of These Common Challenges Makes

You Most Uncomfortable?

I know that a lot of readers find certain aspects of running a home business uncomfortable, embarrassing or even downright excruciating.

Okay, so it’s rare that you’ll have to do a live duet with a lathe. But sometimes even the little things can stimulate the ‘ick factor’.

Common challenges that inspire dread and shame include….

• Having to share details of your life online
• Using your voice or face in webinars, videos, podcasts and other media.
• The thought of having to interact with lots of strangers on social media.
• Doing deals and getting discounts from suppliers.
• Having to choose designs and colours for products and webpages.
• Having to be pushy or forceful in sales promotions and pitches.
• Grappling with confusing tech platforms and tools – even the ones you are told are ‘easy’.
• Writing clearly and persuasively when you haven’t had much of an education, or you struggle with English.
• Feeling exposed to your friends and family by having a business visibly online for all to see.
• Sharing information and offering advice when you’re not an expert.
• The idea of launching a product or service and getting no sales, or an angry response.
• Crunching numbers, doing stats and dealing with numerical reports when you are awful at maths.

Do any of these ring a bell?

It’s different for different people.

But it’s likely that you have at least one ‘resistance spot’…

A fear or self-doubt in a certain aspect of home business.

Even just ONE of these resistance spots can stop you from pursuing potentially lucrative income ideas… or it can make you give up just when you’re at the crucial point.

So is there a way to overcome this?

Well, thinking about Zac’s mad performance, there are a few lessons.

Have a Clearly Defined Ultimate Goal

When Zac felt his face burning up and saw people laughing, that could have been the end of it.

But he persevered, knowing there was a final result (his university degree!) that he needed to achieve, which was MORE important than some temporary bad feelings.

So it’s crucial that you have a clear goal when you start any kind of business.

That means working out, and writing down, what your life will be like when you get to the end of the process….

How much money you’ll be earning… what you’ll do with that money… and what you’ll feel as a result of your efforts, for instance, pride,

fulfilment and security.

When these are strong and present in your mind, you will be more able to endure moments of discomfort.

You simply ask yourself “What would the ideal future version of me want me to do right now?”

And the answer will inevitably be, “Stick with it, because without you doing this, I won’t exist!”

Discomfort is a Good Sign

There are virtually NO worthwhile projects in life that don’t involve moments of pain and suffering.

Whether that’s bringing up a child, renovating a home, creating a garden, writing a novel or starting a business.

You’ll hit obstacles or go through difficult patches.

You’ll have times where the only recourse is to do something you fear doing, or hate doing.

And there will be moments where you cringe, doubt yourself, or feel exposed.

When this happens to a home business project, many people back out, assuming that it’s “not for them”.

But these pain points are good signs…

They show that you are tackling a big, meaningful challenge that will make a difference in your life.

As the cliché goes, you cannot make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

And from each challenge you endure (and overcome) you will develop new skills and strategies, growing in experience and wisdom.

You Don’t Have to Be ‘Good’ To Succeed

Zac has zero singing abilities.

He couldn’t hold a note.

Yet he still sang.

It didn’t matter, because he wasn’t being judged on his ability to stay in tune….

He was being judged on the concept of the art piece.

After all, when you’re duetting with a lathe, it’s not too important how intricate your harmonies are.

The same goes for business…

You don’t need to be an expert or particularly talented, to get started.

For example, if you lack writing skills it doesn’t mean you can’t create an Etsy listing, or create an email newsletter, or script an advert on Facebook.

People aren’t judging your writing. They are interested in getting information, or accessing a product that they desire.

Same goes for a clunky YouTube video or a website that’s a bit rough around the edges.

People don’t care as long as there is something in it for them!

Sure, it might make you feel embarrassed, but all that really matters is that it gets a result (clicks, comments, sign up and sales!

Don’t Be Ashamed To Admit Your Flaws

Zac didn’t try to hide his embarrassment…

Instead his awkwardness became part of his performance art piece.

It gave him a flawed human charm as he stood next to the mindless droning machine.

The same goes for you.

When you’re running a home business it’s okay to be open about some of your struggles.

For example, if you send an email newsletter to customers but it often has clunky bits or errors, it’s okay to admit that you dropped out of school or you’re dyslexic.

If your product launch goes wrong because a server crashes you can just tell people honestly that you had technical hitches (I have to do this a LOT!)

If an Instagram post with a photo of yourself makes you cringe, you can mention it humorously in the copy – you could even make your shyness an unusual ‘stand-out’ feature of your social media posts!

There’s no need to hide…

Being honest and upfront about your weaknesses is an alluring quality that usually draws MORE people into your business than it puts off.

Anyway, if Zac can survive the embarrassment of his lathe duet, I’m sure we can all push through our own pain barriers!

And one more thing before I leave you…

If the idea of running an online business makes you uncomfortable… or you’ve always told yourself you’re not “techy” or confident enough to do it…

I may have the perfect solution.

It’s something new I’ve created where almost all of the hard, awkward, and challenging stuff is already done for you.

If that sounds like something you need, click here and I’ll show you exactly how it works.