The Japanese word ganbaru is often translated to mean “doing one’s best”, but in practice, it means doing more than one’s best.
Ganbaru is working with perseverance or “toughing it out”.
The word has its origins in the Zen Buddhist tradition where one learns to endure with patience and dignity.
Ganbaru = endurance + patience + dignity.
For entrepreneurs, this type of resilience is often needed amidst routine.
We often have the tenacity to make it through tough times.
It’s easy for us to put in the hours, to work & slay.
But can we muster up the moxie through the menial, through the mundane?
Having the tenacity to being your best while working on tedious tasks is one of the keys to entrepreneurial success.
One of the tasks, I slogged through early in my entrepreneur days was writing down every single step in my agency’s process.
If I wanted to grow, I needed to give over my tasks
If I wanted freedom, I needed to delegate.
The first step was to take my uncommon knowledge and make it common.
It took me close to six months to get through each of the tasks from sales, marketing, operations, accounting, website design, programming, testing. You name it, I logged it.
After it was all done, I realized that the biggest obstacle to completing the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) was simply my reticence to the process. (It wasn’t fun).
After it was done, I felt such a sense of peace and satisfaction.
And it wasn’t that hard. It was all in my head.
Today, coming up with a process is one of the things I love doing. Capturing each nuance is fun.
Our team at Citrus Studios, the Waxing Co, Luxe Link, Orange & Bergamot, all have processes, checklists, spreadsheets, trackers. I have team members learn each other’s duties so when vacation happens you’re not stuck picking up the slack.
Are you drowning in the overwhelm?
You may want to commit to the Japanese art of ganbaru and capture every little step, no matter what it takes.
Let me know how I can help you! I’m here for you!
Xoxo
Kalika