It’s 12:00 p.m. on a Tuesday, and I am settling down with my cute husband to a 5-star quality lunch with grass-fed beef, crispy kale, sweet tomatoes, and crunchy peppers all grown and harvested within 20 yards of my front door. My lunches are nearly always followed by the latest episode of selling sunset or a nice cat-nap when I feel extra tired.
From the outside, it may look like I’ve given up on work for the day…I’m actually giving in, giving in to my need for balance and joy. I have created a rhythm that allows me to serve myself, my family, and my clients at a nourishing level.
As I cozy up on the couch, I see a herd of cattle graze outside our window and I laugh. I laugh because 5 years ago, I would never have imagined this is where I found my joy.
I was living in one of the biggest cities in the world, and now I live on a ranch in Texas! It’s so funny where this life will take you. But I also laugh at the sight of the fuzzy cow parade, because these moments help me realize the digital world I live in 8 hours a day, is just that… digital.
In my real, tangible world, things move slowly, my heartbeat returns to normal when I take breaks like this, and I’m reminded why I do the work I do, and for who.
What do I do in the digital world, you may ask?
I own a Facebook and Instagram ads agency.
It’s a boutique firm with less than 20 clients, and I am working hard to change the narrative around what Facebook ads are and who they are for. I started creating Facebook ads ten years ago when it was a new fad, all sexy and fun. Everybody wanted in on it, and that’s how I got pulled in. I realized very quickly that most agencies had a rinse and repeat strategy, plugging every business into the same system and hoping for the best without considering the client’s best interest. The whole narrative around it was, “Create an agency, get super rich, then live your dream life.”
So, I channeled my inner Steve Jobs, and I set out to build something different.
A lot of agencies focused on making money for themselves instead of focusing on helping their clients make money. There weren’t enough people out there focused on helping their clients find a real sustainable path to success. Too many agencies were creating ads but not caring whether those ads actually worked or not. I knew I had to design our team to be different, and create my own sustainable life and business so it would translate to my client’s as well.
Now, when my team joins your team, we make sustainable success happen. We fine-tune your entire business to generate really great results!
For example, one client started working with us because she simply wasn’t generating any kind of consistent monthly revenue from her online store. We’re now 9-months in and we’ve made over $330k for her. We took her from a small barely six-figure store to a half a million-dollar empire!
Moments like this in the big city would be celebrated by rushing out to meet friends for celebratory champagne (pre-COVID-19), but when I create multiple six-figure launches for my clients, I head to the back porch with a homemade margarita, the dogs and the aforementioned cute husband. Sometimes the cows join in, too.
The digital world can become so all-consuming, I know I couldn’t operate in a big city, again, and live a “big” digital life.
In my new lifestyle, of course, I still get overwhelmed from time to time, and when that happens I know it’s time to just unplug and take a break. I have three GIANT dogs, and every day at around five o’çlock, they start swarming like a pack of wild hyenas in my office telling me they’re ready for a walk. They unplug me from my digital life, and as I slip on my shoes I know this moment is why I created my business.
These moments ground me in the real world, not the computer world. They keep me focused on what really matters and ultimately what makes me the most happy.
I believe you should do things that resonate with you and your business. If it feels like you need to take a nap, then, girl, you take a nap!
If it feels like you just can’t create any content today, then don’t.
Start tuning in to yourself today by asking these two questions:
- How spacious do you want your business to feel?
- And, how spacious does it have the potential to be?
Here are a few ways you can start to feel at peace, even without living on a farm like me:
- Take a vacation. Take whatever time you need so you can get to a point where you recognize what you need for yourself.
- If you notice that you’re doing anything over and over again and it makes you want to vomit, outsource that baby ASAP! (I call this the VOMIT test!)
- If you notice that something is making you consistently break out into nervous sweats (for me this used to be anything to do with money), hire a VA to do it for you.
- If you notice the digital world is overwhelming you, plan for an hour a day without screens.
- If you are seeing too many friends and calling too many people, take a step back and recalibrate. Social distancing may be challenging, but it’s the perfect time to be alone for a bit.
I know you didn’t start your business with the intention of being a slave to it. You created it with a deep intention and gave it your close attention. It was supposed to be about what really lights you up… what gives you joy.
I give you permission to go find that joy again on your way to sustainable success. You deserve it! Now, if you’ll excuse me, these cows are looking at me like they’re going to drink my margarita.