Instantly regain your clarity and creative drive using these quick steps.
Let’s get this right out in the open. Running and growing a business is not for the faint of heart. When you are the one calling the shots, you deal with a tremendous amount of responsibilities, and your daily to-do list can get so crazy that it would bring average humans to their knees.
At times, the uncertainty, stress and workload involved in being an entrepreneur can be so overwhelming that it zaps you of the creative energy you need to produce great work, which brings your business growth to a grinding halt. In this article, I’m going to share with you 3 quick strategies you can start using right now to calm down, regain clarity and get back in the zone.
Organize And Prioritize
As obvious as this one seems, many entrepreneurs get so caught up in the daily grind that they lose sight of which tasks they should actually be tackling and which ones they should be saving for later or delegating to others. When you find yourself overwhelmed, pause, take a step back, and in a notebook or on a whiteboard, calmly write out all of the current tasks that need to be done to grow your business.
Now leave the list for 10-20 minutes and get into a totally new environment.
Go for a walk outside, eat some amazing food, workout, pet a stranger’s dog (make sure to ask first!), etc. When you return to your list, get clear on and prioritize the tasks that will have the greatest impact on your growth, and make it your mission to tackle those before doing anything else.
As entrepreneurs, there is always going to be 1000 possible things we could be doing for our businesses, but the ability to prioritize and attack the crucial tasks is what will allow you to grow and thrive consistently.
Use Your Body To Trick Your Brain
Your mind and body are intrinsically connected, so when one is acting or feeling a certain way, the other will jump on board to mirror that emotional state. This is why your body goes into stress mode when your brain gets overwhelmed. Your brain sends your body the message, and instantly your heart speeds up, your muscles get tense, your energy gets scattered and your posture shrinks.
You can actually use this connection to your advantage during times of high stress by reverse-engineering some much needed happiness into your brain. If you embody the actions that your mind associates with positivity and joy, your brain will follow your body’s lead and begin to produce matching thoughts and emotions (sounds crazy, right!?).
This idea is hard for some people to grasp, but social psychologists have studied this connection extensively and have concluded that moving, acting or simply posing in a way that you associate with fun or happiness can dramatically mellow your mindset. Whether you want to stand tall, smile real big or fist-pump at yourself in the bathroom mirror, the simple process of acting out happiness can decrease stress and get you back into action.
Reconnect With Your ‘Why’
Growing your business requires both consistency and discipline. And although these two qualities are essential to success, they also have the potential to make everyday feel like an obligation. If you’re constantly thinking about the growing list of things that you have to do every day, odds are you are going to end up feeling burnt out and overwhelmed.
Whenever I work with a client who has reached this stressed out point, the very first thing we do is get crystal clear on their ‘why’, the foundational reason that they started their business in the first place. I then have them write it down and keep it in as many places as possible as a constant reminder.
If your business is starting to feel more like a burden than a source of fulfillment, it’s time for you to reconnect with your ‘why’ as well.
Boldly envision the change you want to create, the lives you want to transform, the fulfillment you want to achieve. Spending a moment intentionally embracing your ‘why’ helps you transform your ‘obligations’ into inspiring opportunities that will bring your vision to life.
By shifting your focus onto how your tasks are going to bring you closer to your ‘why’, they become exciting stepping stones to your future as opposed to mundane chores you have to endure.
The Secret Ingredient
The key to not only surviving your entrepreneurial journey, but also thriving and growing beyond your perceived limits, is intentionally choosing what to focus on. A simple mindset technique taught by business coaches and spiritual gurus alike, actively choosing what you focus on determines how you perceive the world, which determines how you think and act.
There are always two sides to the same coin that exist simultaneously, so it’s simply a matter of choosing whether or not you are going to embrace the empowering side.
Yes, entrepreneurship comes with a lot of responsibility, uncertainty and stress. But it also gives you the incredible opportunity to be your own boss, craft your own message and pursue something that you’re passionate about while making money.
You can choose to focus on the obligations of running a business or the opportunity of building your dream, it’s simply a matter of slowing down enough to choose with power and clarity.
Author Bio: Julian Rosen is a writer, speaker and coach who specializes in helping stressed-out entrepreneurs to build thriving businesses. Through his revolutionary coaching platform, The Fearless Life Project, Julian helps entrepreneurs to optimize their clarity and performance while counteracting effects of stress and anxiety so that they can grow and scale with confidence. As a business owner with anxiety, Julian is committed to connecting with and supporting other entrepreneurs who are passionate about building their bold vision in a powerful and fulfilling way.
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