Do you have a hard time stepping away or taking time off from your business? You are not alone my friend. As entrepreneurs we live very different lives from our traditionally employed counterparts, in that we are ultimately responsible for and affected by everything that happens with our businesses.
Woah, that's a lot of pressure, can I get an amen?! In this episode I'm sharing 3 things we can do as business owners to help combat the "separation anxiety" we often experience, so that we can move forward in continuing to grow our businesses without experiencing as much of the worry or stress that can go along with it.
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I don't know about you, but I have personally had some experiences since becoming an entrepreneur where other people who aren't entrepreneurs just didn't "get" the way I am or the way my life works.
I've even been accused of working too much, not being able to step away from my business, being on my phone too much and not having healthy boundaries. (And yes, if you're wondering, those kinds of words do hurt).
Non-entrepreneurs often don’t get it. We live in a different world where the weight of all the things rest solely on us, as opposed to only being responsible for the execution of someone else’s vision. We can’t just clock out and forget about it because our tasks are done.
The reality is that, as business owners, we often wear all the hats. We are the CEO, the manager, the doer, etc. And that reality makes it really difficult to completely turn things off and step away.
When we have people and projects to manage in our business, and the accountability for those people and projects falls to us, there is a great level of ownership involved.....so it's no wonder why fear, worry and anxiety can often come into play.
Entrepreneurism is not just about doing what you love or what you’re passionate about, or finding your gift and monetizing it. Business is about making decisions and taking ownership of everything that means. THAT is what we signed up for. Which, by definition, is really darn scary.
If ever you feel like you're alone, I want you to remember that you. are. not. Even really successful people experience the same kind of intimidation about the weight of their level of ownership and accountability for the effects of their decisions.
To combat that scary feeling, successful people are intentional about surrounding themselves with people who get it AND who are sharp and give them greater confidence in their decision making.
In addition to surrounding yourself by other positive, encouraging, smart and successful entrepreneurs who understand the journey you're on and can help bolster your confidence as a business owner, you can also do the following 3 things to help stave off feelings of separation anxiety from your business.
1. Know your deadlines
I am a BIG fan of mapping out everything in your life and business on an annual calendar, because it requires you to make well-thought out and well-planed decisions for both your life and business for an entire year. It eliminates the element of surprise that can often contribute to feels of worry or anxiety. When you know what's coming next, you can more easily let the small things go because you're focused on the big pictures.
In addition to planning out your annual calendar, I strongly encourage you to revisit and reexamine it regularly. Make adjustments as you need to- nothing has to be permanently set in stone! The point is to make decisions about things before they come up, so you can rest easy and feel like you have more space for the unexpected things that really ARE out of your control.
If you don't feel confident in your ability to map your annual calendar out, find a person or resource that can help you get things nailed down. Find who or what you need for decisions support (my new webinar training Your 10 Point Path to Raising a Successful Business is all about this!)
2. Know your business' different cries
As business owners, just as with being moms, it's critical to learn the difference between our business' different signals or cries. There are usually two categories that most issues fall under: the urgent and the important. Usually we end up spending the most time on the urgent, those fires that constantly pop up needing put out right away. Typically the urgent isn't actually that important in the long run, but we spend most of our time there.
When we shift our focus to what's actually important, coupled with knowing what's coming next down the pipeline, we are better able to accomplish what we really need to without feeling the constant need to be a firefighter in our businesses. We want to live as much as possible in the place where things are important, but don’t feel urgent.
When something comes up in your business, ask yourself why it feels like a fire so you can determine if it actually is a fire that demands your attention. Can it wait? If so, make it wait! We waste time feeling like we have to be present all the time, doing whatever we can to put out all the fires that come up.
But just like we do a disservice to answering every little whimper our kids make, we do a disservice to our business by not teaching it and equipping it to resolve things on its own. Certain cries require an immediate response, and others don't. Learn the difference in your business.
3. Be proud of yourself
Have you ever heard of positive and negative emotional attractors? Did you know that it takes on average 5 positive experiences to outweigh the impact on 1 negative experience? That's crazy....but valuable information.
Taking time to regularly reflect on all you've accomplished, how far you've come and how hard you've worked can make a world of difference in your outlook. When we develop a practice of celebrating ourselves and our businesses, we become much less likely to focus on the negative things that inevitably arise in favor of remembering that, even though challenges will come, everything will be alright.
Tell yourself every day that everything will be okay. You and your business are going to survive until tomorrow. Nothing except the end of the world is ever the end of the world.
And just remember: there really is no such thing as work/life balance. BUT we can make decisions that helps us be decisive so we can avoid separation anxiety and just be good leaders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, etc.
Referenced in the Show:
(Just FYI, some of these links may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using the links I may receive some love in return!)
Raising Your Business is an 8-week self-guided course that walks you step-by-step through the 10-point path you need to follow in order to raise and nurture a truly successful business.
This program is perfect for you if you’ve started your business, but don’t feel like you are super clear on how you will structure your brand, programs, pricing, and content. If you know what you want, but don’t know how to get there, then this is a great fit!
If you want to know more about Raising Your Business, be sure to check out my newest live workshop, Your 10 Point Path to Raise a Successful Business, where I will walk you through the process to ensure you’re raising your business the right way. Save your spot today!
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