Pulled a Humpty Dumpty Lately?
As business owners it isn’t hard to get to a state of overwhelm or sheer exhaustion. We bring new meaning to the term ‘burn the candle at both ends’ these days. With all the opportunities that abound in the world around us (yes, even in this economy) we are constantly taking action, looking for what’s next and pressing in for more. But what happens when all the plates you have spiraling around you start to fall? What happens when it all just starts to be a bit too much? What do we do when we just can’t manage it all?
Succumbing to the pressure, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
Sometimes the pressure that we put ourselves under, and that the world around is placing on our plates can get a bit overwhelming, or just tiring. What is key is to know before you pull a Humpty Dumpty and fall of the wall?
Here are 3 tips to support you in stepping back and checking your pressure points. (I have just gone through each, they work.)
- Stop and notice what is running you vs. what you are running in your business and life.
Taking the time to step back and reflect on what is driving you to that wall is key. It is beneficial to put yourself around people that can help you name what is going on and show you how it is possible it is negatively affecting you. My family pointed it out to me. Staying up late, to rise early, working on two businesses, president of an association, volunteering, writing books and workshops, traveling, speaking, blogging, networking and so on…and so on. It all got to be too much and I was letting important things fall off my plate. That was not how I wanted to be showing up in the world. It is not taking exquisite self-care either, which is of paramount importance to me. By stopping to take stock on what lane I want to be traveling in and being willing to let some things go (hence, long overdue blog post) helped me to further define my lane and took me down off the wall. - Ask for help! Seems easy right? Well, not so much for most entrepreneurs who are passionate about their business and create it as their identity. We have a driving force within us that has us looking for the next coolest thing or to create the next big ticket item that our Target People (TP) will love. It gives us energy and motivation to stay firmly planted in the creative mode. Most successful entrepreneurs, crash and burn a few times before they either can’t be put back together again and go get a job for someone else or they get the clue that the key to success is being willing to ask for help. Let some things go so that they can do less with details and more with what they do best. Hire a coach to help you identify your key areas of support. For me, I hired a Virtual Assistant, have an editor on board to start soon, have a marketing firm in the wings, and have the family helping more around home so that I can be free to relax on the weekends. Novel idea eh?
- Identify your lane and stay in it. There is always a lot of information circulating on the latest trends for growing business, social networking and search engine optimizing to name a few. We can easily get sucked up in the vacuum of proverbial chaos if we don’t clearly know what our ‘Lane’ is and stick with it. The Lane is that item or that area of focus that 1) brings you the greatest fulfillment, 2) has the greatest return on investment for time spent and 3) aligns most closely with your business vision plan. All other things are just potential distractions on the side of the road that can take you off course and cause you to fall. Spend some time reviewing your business plan and measuring it up against the items that you spend the most time on each day. Do they align? If yes, then stay in that lane and keep moving full speed ahead. If they do not, then time to bring in some outside help to assist in refocusing on your intention toward what you want to create.
While these ideas are not new, it is good to revisit them frequently. If you haven’t considered getting involved in a Mastermind Group, you might look into that for support in all three areas. There you will find the support to keep you firmly planted in your lane, on your wall and in your life.
Tammy,
Sometimes a blog post comes along that looks like it was written just for me. I needed this advice today. I agree that we should all do what we do best and leave the rest to other experts, who can do it better than we can, anyway.
As solopreneurs, we get caught in the trap of wearing all those hats. And because some of us (hmmm, I wonder who?) tend to be stubbornly independent, we think we can do it all.
On top of it, I’m a random thinker, so it’s very easy for me to follow every creative path that presents itself.
The suggestion to join a Mastermind group is an excellent one. Bob belongs to yours and I can’t tell you how much it has helped him focus. And he doesn’t feel like he’s alone because all those supportive colleagues “have his back.”
Thanks for the wise words, just when I needed them (I’ve been trying to decide whether I should give up my newspaper reporting because it’s just been too crazy lately.)
Oh, and thanks too, for the link. We are honored to be your “marketing partner.”
Judy Dunn
May 26, 2009
Judy,
Thank you so much for the transparency within your comment. I acknowledge you for where you are ‘right now’ and for the fact that you are exploring what’s next.
I know I have gotten out of my lane a few times and I know that the feeling is uncomfortable. It is wise to know what the feeling is and to try to head it off at the pass Or at lease make a course correction pretty quickly.
My question for you (ehem, cuz that’s what coaches do) “What keeps you hanging on to the newspaper reporting and how does that line up, or not, with your business goals and personal vision?
As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated and I am so glad Bob is finding value from his time with our Mastermind Group!
thecoachescoach
May 28, 2009
Great question, Tammy. I don’t know why I’m keeping that journalist hat on. I guess when I was very small, I would interview my siblings and write stories. Something about being a reporter just fascinated me. So in some ways, I think it’s a “thwarted dream” type thing. And when a publisher approached me, I thought it was very cool.
But you are right. It is a distraction and doesn’t really fit our business goals. Except that when I write about business and marketing and get that byline, it gives our business more credibility. So maybe in a way it does.
I love it because you always get me thibnking.
Judy Dunn
May 28, 2009