You have absolutely NO traffic! Lessons from Bridget Jones

byGail-UK

3.8K followers

9 months ago

If, like me, you have grown up with the Bridget Jones books and films, then this post is for you.

As a single woman (of a certain age) I have laughed and cried watching Bridget struggle with her relationships over the years. I love the fact that she is so human, and is funny, flawed and fabulous all at once!

In the films, she is looking for her Mr. Right and is always checking her answer machine (well her early 2000s version of one) to see if she has any messages, usually with a glass of red wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

At one point, the woefully under-worked machine responds with:

"You have absolutely NO messages!"

It's a sad blow to her hopes of ever getting the things she dreams of, namely, a steady boyfriend!

Fast-forward 25 years and Bridget's life has improved dramatically - there have been highlights and low points of course; mini-breaks, fireman's poles, pregnancy, prison and bereavement, but she has remained stalwart and steady throughout. Her tenacity, patience and perseverance in pursuit of her goal is ultimately rewarded.

Now I won't spoil the story for anyone who has yet to complete the series, but suffice to say, her life changes beyond all recognition. She learns, and she grows up!

Lessons for Online Business Owners

So, what can we learn from her struggle?

Well, firstly, we're probably not in the market for a steady boyfriend, but the pursuit of our business goals, well, that's another story. Where Bridget longed for a phone call, we often yearn for some internet traffic. Where she wanted love, we want likes and followers.

So what is the lesson?

No. 1 - there is no point in checking your traffic, your ranking, your indexing or ANY statistics every 5 minutes when you get started. All you will hear is: "You have absolutely NO traffic" and this can be a bitter disappointment after all our efforts. However, this is one disappointment you can spare yourself from having by NOT checking too often. Then, when there is something to report, you can celebrate each step forward.

Understand that like Bridget's journey, things take time. You have to learn, grow, make mistakes and get back up when it all goes horribly wrong!

You need resilience in bucket loads, and I would advocate that a good deal of ice cream and red wine may well be needed for some too! I don't drink, but I'm stocking up on Diet Coke and Ben & Jerry's just in case!

The point is this - be kind to yourself, understand things take time, and don't worry if it all doesn't go to plan the first time around. This is a long-term game, and if you hang on in there, you will succeed.

Let's raise a glass of whatever you fancy to that!

Cheers!