How this for irony? The #1 reason we start businesses is to find FREEDOM.
Freedom from the 9-5, freedom from a cubicle, freedom from soul-sucking-meaningless-work for THE MAN (*insert fist shaking here*).
Freedom to work from a lounge chair on the beach (or your backyard or in your jammies in your bed, whatever works for you) at 3 in the morning. Freedom to be our own boss. Freedom to make tons of money and take vacations around the world and get paid to exist.
Except, most entrepreneurs aren’t experiencing freedom.
Most are experiencing OVERWHELM.
Sheer exhaustion by the unending checklist of items on the to-do list. Frustration that it’s been six months or a year or three years and all that freedom you thought was right around the corner is playing a really sneaky game of hide-and-seek.
So we’re starting these businesses to find freedom and feeling trapped by these same businesses that just aren’t working for us.
*shaking head*
At worst, we’re struggling. We’re wondering if it’s time to get a job because the rent has got to get paid. We’re hustlin’ our booty off, but we know our marketing is completely inauthentic, our offers kinda generic, and we don’t know what the heck we’re doing wrong.
At best, even if we’re doing ok, it’s not the dream life + biz we imagined. We’re laying in bed every night, secretly dreaming about throwing it all away because there is no way this is it, right? There’s gotta be something ELSE.
I feel ya. I’ve been right there on both ends of the spectrum and here’s what I know:
Do more of what brings ease. Do less of what brings stress!
When you are working from a place of ease in your biz, you find this amazing sweet spot where all of your talents, gifts, life experiences – everything you uniquely have to offer the world – all come magically together into a business, a brand, and an offer that can’t be denied.
When you come from a place of ease, your work becomes a true reflection of your zone of GENIUS. You put awesomeness into the world and people can’t wait for a taste of it.
When you step into ease that whole work/life balance issue completely fades away. It blends into this beautiful rich fully expressed LIFE where work feels like PLAY, PLEASURE brings INSPIRATION, and time away from your biz allows you to bring your BEST to your biz.
Sounds good, right?!
So here are a few ideas that can help you get on the road to more ease + less stress:
1. Create a STOP DOING list.
Right now, take a look at your to-do list. Pick up your pen. Cross off 20% of the items.
It might sound crazytown, but consider the 80/20 rule. The 80/20 rule basically says that 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort. This means 80% of the things you’re worried about getting done AREN’T IMPORTANT!
Ideally, you can spend all your time just focusing on the most important 20% and minimize the other 80% (or build a team to manage it). BUT we’re gonna take small steps and start with just 20% of those to-dos that stress you out, that aren’t generating income right now.
Not sure which items on that list are really important? Don’t miss out on the Fired Up & Focused Challenge – you’ll get my trick for minimizing my to-do list.
2. Create an IDEA PARKING LOT.
When I first started working in the consulting world, I would host 2-3 day-long strategic planning retreats where C-suite execs would bring their entire team to look at the next 5 years of the corporation (lots of good stories there).
It was basically a huge brainstorming idea fest which was incredible. Multi-million dollar ideas that no one had ever considered before came out.
And there were always amazing ideas that someone was super excited about but didn’t fit in with the immediate needs and goals of the company.
But here’s the thing – too many ideas can completely SLOW YOU DOWN and STRESS YOU OUT!
Ideas are like buses, there’s always another one coming!
Brainstorming is fantastic for keeping the creativity flowing in your biz, but not every idea is meant to be implemented right this minute.
In my experience, most ideas need to be tucked away safely to ripen in their own sweet time.
So save those ideas. Create a Google doc or an Evernote that is 100% dedicated to ideas. I have one just for program ideas, one just for webinar ideas, and one just for client ideas. Review them occasionally. When the idea really fits what you desire in your biz + life, then it will be the perfect time to bring that idea out to play.
3. Choose Yourself!
Give yourself permission to do the things that light you up, that feel good, and you’re inspired to do.
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed with all the conflicting advice out there because we want to get everything 100% right and perfect in our business! So we put ourselves under all this pressure to do everything the “gurus” say we need to do – even when it makes us feel completely exhausted.
Choose yourself. You have an amazing internal wisdom that will not steer you wrong.
If you were waiting for permission, here it is!
xo,
Racheal
Conscious Business Design is both a training and online mastermind for entrepreneurs who want to create a life AND a living doing what you LOVE and loving what you DO.
On the surface, It’s about business and marketing strategy.
But really, It’s about doing YOU in your business and consciously designing a business and a life doing work that you LOVE.
It’s designed for people who want to do business BETTER than usual – people who want to do good in the world and build a business based on service, generosity, and mindfulness.
This program works for yoga teachers, holistic healers, creatives, spiritual leaders, wellness warriors, and life coaches, and you can read dozens of testimonials right here.
By the end of Conscious Business Design, you’ll know how to:
- Create irresistible offerings that are your BEST work (and exactly what your dream clients can’t wait to scoop up)
- Effortlessly attract said dream clients into your community (watch them ASK how they can work with you!)
- Replace all the hustle and stress of business with elegance and ease (whew! big sigh of relief!)
And best of all, you’ll have the experience of DOING YOU in your business.