Have you heard that expression? To me, it fits what my life has been feeling like, and I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse!
I have LOTS of balls in the air. Amazing clients that are moving FAST and having breakthroughs that are shifting their businesses. Creating the structure and content for the Rapid Results Intensive coming up in July, and networking and speaking like a mad woman to attract just the right small group of entrepreneurs to be in the room. And launching an all new online program that I see as the foundation for my business going forward.
Whew!
I kinda get tired just thinking of it! Yet I also LOVE it!
But here is the deal. When you are feeling a bit on the hamster wheel, you also get to know when to STOP! And it’s probably no surprise that the “theme” of my Results Club group coaching call on Tuesday was the need for “self-care”!
Yesterday I had my wake-up call. I realized that I’d been “going” for so long that I just plain needed a break. It was one of those rare days that I had only 2 phone calls on my calendar! I started the day excited that I’d have loads of time to get work done on those projects that I’d felt behind on. I used my Priorities Planner to dutifully make my list for the day (if you don’t have the daily sheet I use for managing my priorities and time, you can get it here).
And then I did…nothing…
I pushed paper around and I called a friend and I cleaned the kitchen. I didn’t want to work. I’d sit back down and respond to a couple of emails (putting off working on my top 3 list for the day, one of which was to get this weekly update out the door), then I’d get another glass of iced tea, or play with the cat.
You see, he just got a new climbing tree and he seems to be thumbing his nose at it a bit. I even put his “old” mini-bed on top of it to entice him to explore it, and he’s just not sure about the change. See the pic of him sitting atop the new higher climbing tree, but not looking so happy! I guess even my cat is stuck in his ways!
About 3 pm, it hit me. Why was I fighting this? I’m an entrepreneur. I set my own schedule. No one is making me clock in and out, and I don’t have any pressing “to dos” that can’t wait until tomorrow.
So I stopped working. Blasphemy!
Instead, I took a walk. I thought about the things I was focusing on and what was taking up so much of my time. I allowed myself to celebrate where I really feel like things are going well, and acknowledge where it feels like I’m pushing water uphill.
I came home and watched a movie I’d recorded. And then last night I looked at my calendar with a whole new eye. I got really clear that I don’t have to do it all.
I decided to skip a couple of new networking events I’d planned to attend that were just not easily fitting into the other commitments I have. Instead of totally re-working my schedule to fit in a client that needed to reschedule, I gave a time that worked for me without moving other stuff around. I blocked out my calendar on my birthday…I get to have a 4 day weekend.
This morning, as I write this, I feel empowered, excited and a whole new sense of freedom and inspiration!
One of the key tenants of what I teach is that as entrepreneurs, we get to build our business around the lifestyle we want to create and the income it will take to support that. I realized that I’d gotten out of alignment with that premise. I was treating my business as a job. Yuck!
There is so much I want to give and do and be that I can get really focused, with my head down and working, working, working. My former business partner used to say that I could put out more work in a short period of time than anyone she knew.
While that is still true to a degree, I’m much more cognizant than I used to be of the price I sometimes pay for that. For the opportunities I miss, not seeing the forest for the trees. Can anyone relate?
I appreciate my own wake-up call yesterday that I was out of alignment (and the nudge from my amazing clients towards self-care!). Today I’ve already completed my top 3 list from yesterday (it’s 11 am as I write this!), I’m heading out to a networking luncheon with one of my favorite networking groups, and I’m getting a pedicure this afternoon!
So today I invite you to look at where you get to slow down to speed up. If you aren’t inspired to take the actions you know are next for you, mix it up! Go see a movie this afternoon and spend a couple of hours working after dinner. Take your computer to a coffee shop with a short list of to dos, and don’t leave until you are complete. Give yourself an ENTIRE WEEKEND off, no thinking (consciously, at least) about your business. Find your own groove and work style…you’re an entrepreneur!
You just might be amazed at the clarity you have when you sit back down at your desk. And know that the universe is conspiring to align everything you need to create the amazing results you want. Because you are sharing your gifts, and you deserve to be rewarded spiritually, and financially, for doing that!
P.S. This is a different blog than I intended for today. Last week I promised to dive deeper into Ikigai (the Japanese word for purpose) and how to find yours. And what I’m sharing today just needed to be said instead. But no worries, we’ll get back to your search for purpose next week, with a renewed sense of …purpose.
