Have you been so consumed by your business that it is taking over your life?
Did you start your business because you thought that it would give you more freedom but you find the opposite is true?
Do you have a deep desire to do more of the things that you always wanted to do but can’t seem to find the time?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then it may be time for you to reevaluate your business model so that it supports your life instead of the other way around.
I can just hear all of your gremlins coming up saying that this may be possible for others but not for you. You are telling yourself that you are the glue that keeps every customer happy, troubleshoots every minute problem and keeps the income flowing in by being at everybody’s beck and call.
And I get it. I come from an extensive background in the Real Estate sales world where this mentality was rampant. Real Estate agents are paid on commission and only when a house sells. The fear of losing a client before the transaction is consummated would mean working countless hours for no pay and this causes most agents to jump through massive hoops to get and retain clients.
This mindset that is energetically born of fear (scarcity and lack) causes many agents to give up on having any days off, important time with family and mental downtime. They let their customers dictate their schedules and then they eventually become burnt out and resentful because they go for months without replenishing themselves.
And let’s face it, being burnt out and resentful is not a recipe for a successful sales business, is it?
There is, however a better way and some of the most successful business owners I know have shifted that paradigm so that they have more time off, travel more and make sure that they are at all important life events.
They are happier, more grounded and often healthier mentally and physically because they are mindful about creating their life and business on their terms, in alignment with what they value most. They have found a way to let the “dog wag the tail” instead of the other way around.
The key is to consciously create your business in a way that it supports your life instead of the other way around. I hear the gremlins again. “That may work for someone else but not for me”.
This is where you have to take that leap of faith and believe it is possible and that it is totally up to you to make it happen. Be patient with yourself and stay diligent about shifting. your mindset about what is possible for you!
Start by envisioning what you want more of in your life and write it down. Ask yourself what feels missing? What do you long for? Maybe it is more time with family. Maybe you see your children or grandchildren growing so fast and you realize that you aren’t really “there” in a way that you would like to be. You aren’t savoring those moments that happen when you least expect them because your thoughts are always on your business and your clients. Maybe you would like to start living more consciously but your mind never stops racing with all of your “to dos”.
What would it be like if you could focus more on who you love? What if you could take that art class that you always wanted to take or travel to Europe? What if you could actually make it to yoga class 4 times a week and feel that calm energy wash over you and bring you back to you-that divine you that is calm and centered and in touch with inner light? Feel into your vision of life as you would like it to be.
That is the beginning of manifesting what you want -creating your vision of what you want more of in your life and making it real by taking action.
The next step is to place more and more focus on what you want (and less on what you don’t want). Here are some ways:
- Create a vision board of all the things that you would like more of in your life and place it over your desk
- Schedule things that are important to your heart and spirit into your calendar and treat them as your most important priorities-put them in red ink
- When you start feeling burnt out, tired, aggravated, do what seems counterintuitive and take a day or 2 off, schedule a massage or some time to read or do whatever makes your heart sing
- Schedule vacations into your year as well as day(s) off each week
Here’s the thing:
When we let our customers dictate when we work we become puppets on a string and we end up losing control of our life.
Once you make a decision to honor your most precious gift-your time-with more reverence, you become the puppet master of your life and business.
The trick is to change the mindset of “if I don’t jump when someone says jump I will lose business” to “I am in control of my life and business and my ideal clients will respect my time and understand that I provide them with such great value that they would be crazy to go anywhere else”. Yup! Now that’s what I am talkin’ about!
Some of the most successful business people that I know set clear boundaries on their time and their customers totally respect them. Their secret sauce is that they are really great at what they do, own their value, wow their customers and create their boundaries regarding what is reasonable. They lead.
This is an inner mindset shift. They see themselves as leaders of their company.
So how do they do this and still stay successful?
- They understand how to leverage their time by concentrating their efforts on income producing activities and creating systems so that they don’t have to keep reinventing the wheel.
- They do things like leveraging the internet to reach more people.
- They spend time nurturing relationships that will help their business grow.
- They ask for help.
- They hire assistants to take care of the day to day things that gobble up precious time that could be used for income producing activities.
- They provide great value by getting results for their clients.
- They put most of their focus on ideal clients and less on the ones that are not ideal.
They are the puppeteer-they are the leader and they understand what their role is as leader.
If you believe that it is time for you to start taking your life and business back, to create it by design instead of default-the time is now.
Cheers to you and your sweet success,
P.S. If you would like to set up a discovery session to see how coaching might help you create your best life and business, email me at marianne@mariannecherico.com
