Most of us left the nine-to-five to have the freedom to work less, do work we are proud of for people we actually like, and earn enough money to afford life’s little luxuries.
Sounds great right!?
What actually happens when we leave the nine-to-five is that we climb aboard an all-consuming, seven days a week, emotional rollercoaster that brings in less money than before and is literally driving us to distraction.
Sound about right?
I’ve been a business owner for seven years, and in that time I’ve felt stressed, confused, uncertain, anxious, emotional, disorganised, and overwhelmed…sometimes all at once!
What I’ve learned over those long and difficult – but also extremely rewarding and liberating – years, is that a lack of clarity is the central factor in all of those feelings.
Clarity is the root of everything, and without it, we are lost.
Think about the things that are holding you back…
- Mindset
- Distraction
- Fear
- Time
- Confidence
- Confusion
- Overwhelm
Now think about how it would feel to have complete CLARITY in your…
- Purpose
- Vision
- Packages / Offering
- Pricing / Value
- Ideal Client
- Messaging / Brand
- Sales
Do you think you’d still feel distracted, confused and overwhelmed?
Clarity delivers:
- Certainty
- Direction
- Focus
And what do you think these three things add up to: SUCCESS!
Let’s get to the nitty-gritty helpful bit…why you don’t have it and how to get it:
WHY YOU DON’T HAVE CLARITY
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
Emotional Sponges
Are there people in your life who constantly complain and drain your energy?
They call you up in the middle of the day to moan about something or other, and you end the call feeling stressed and upset because they’ve soaked-up all your good vibes and left you feeling empty.
You’ve completely lost track of what you were meant to be doing and spend the rest of the day flip-flopping from task to task.
The harsh truth is – those people are dragging you down, mentally, physically, emotionally.
If they don’t add anything to your life, and they don’t actually need to have a place in your life – cut them out.
Do it however feels right for you, but do it.
Trust me – the relief alone is worth it AND it will contribute massively to your clarity.
If cutting ties isn’t an option, set your boundaries and stick to them – don’t answer that middle-of-the-day call, spend less time with them, don’t take on board what they say as much.
Remember – who is in your life and how you let them impact you is YOUR CHOICE – choose wisely!
Not-My-Vibe
We all have loads of people in our lives who just don’t ‘get it’.
They don’t understand why we left a good job with a stable income, they don’t understand what our business is all about or what we’re trying to achieve.
They aren’t in our ‘world’ of ideal client, sharing value, authentic sales, etc – it all sounds like a complete load of hog-wash and a total waste of time to them.
That’s cool.
Not everyone in our lives is gonna get it – and it isn’t our job to make them get it.
You don’t have to talk about your business with everyone you know.
There are a million other things to chat about with these folk – life, love, netflix, holidays, the weather…
If you try to convert them to your way of thinking, they’ll either (a) try to convince you you’re wasting your time or (b) make you question everything you are doing (and not in a good, constructive way – in a ‘oh my god I’m wasting my life’ kinda way!).
DISTRACTIONS
There are SO many things pulling our attention in a million directions…
Aside from our family and home-life, we are being constantly bombarded with things to draw our energy and focus away from our businesses: social media, YouTube, Netflix, the internet…
Then there’s the next-big-thing bright-shiny-object syndrome that has us watching hours of useless webinars and consuming days of weak content that, ultimately, won’t get us any closer to our objectives.
Seriously guys – if you are being distracted by stuff that ultimately doesn’t matter: STOP.
Focus on doing the basics well, the rest will follow.
LIFESTYLE
This is a big one, but something we don’t often take into consideration when it comes to clarity and progress for our businesses.
I attended an event a few months back and a message that resonated with me was from Lewis Howes when he advised…
First – master your health, without it you have nothing.
When we are stressed, anxious, confused, overwhelmed it tends to eek over into our health and wellbeing – affecting how much we exercise, how much we sleep, what we eat, how much alcohol we drink…everything.
If your health isn’t good, nothing in your life can be good.
Master your health first guys – it’s the single most important thing you can do for yourself and the good news is you can start immediately and simply:
Nourish your body with healthy foods, exercise a little bit every day, get a good sleep routine that helps you get proper rest.
After hearing that back in March I immediately joined a gym and got a personal trainer – the difference it’s made to my overall health, wellbeing and my ability to focus has been astonishing.
Please take care of yourself – you are your own biggest asset.
EXCUSES
If you find yourself saying any of the below…
- ‘I don’t have time’
- ‘I don’t have enough money’
- ‘I don’t know how’
In the nicest possible way – cut the crap!
You are making excuses for your lack of progress, and it’s time to stop.
Your excuses give you permission to stay stuck, because you aren’t taking responsibility.
Excuses put the blame elsewhere and turn you into a victim of circumstance.
Are you a victim?
I don’t buy it.
If it’s important enough to you you’ll make time, find the money, learn how.
It really is as simple as that.
Are you about ready to ditch all the crap holding you back and move towards a brighter future with a clear mind and complete focus?
HOW TO GET CLARITY
MASTER YOUR HEALTH
Do whatever it takes to adjust your lifestyle to master you health.
That’s really all that should be said here, ’cause it really is that simple.
We all know which foods are good for us, how to exercise, how much sleep we need.
If you don’t know how to make it happen for you – GET HELP.
- I got a personal trainer and that’s helped me master my health.
- I cut out carbohydrates and cut down on the wine and that helped me master my health.
- I don’t play on my phone before I go to bed and that helped me master my health.
It doesn’t have to be a big complicated plan – just do small things every day that add up to a healthier lifestyle and a better you.
Healthy Body = Clarity
If you are having issues with your mental health – GET HELP.
Talk to someone you trust, go see your doctor, do whatever it takes.
What I know for sure is that if you don’t do something to master your health – nothing else will matter.
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
Your happiness, wellbeing, and lifestyle are your responsibility.
The minute you make excuses and give other’s too much responsibility for any of these things, you turn yourself into a passive victim.
YOU ARE NOT A PASSIVE VICTIM
You are an intelligent and powerful being who has the ability to live a beautiful and fulfilling life.
Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, unhealthy, stressed…what ya gonna do about it?
The choice is yours my friend – choose wisely.
PLAN
I’m a HUGE fan of a plan.
As a creative-type, I’m naturally all over the place. Without a plan I’m a mess.
But rather than sit back and BLAME my creative nature for my lack of success – I chose to take control and make a plan.
I make plans for everything: business, health, life, holiday’s, how I spend my time…
The saying goes:
Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail
It’s right. Plan. It’s that simple.
TAKE ACTION
So you are gonna master your health, you’ve taken responsibility, you have a plan – it’s time to TAKE ACTION.
This can be where everything falls apart, because your old behaviours are ingrained and it’s actually kinda hard to take action and stick to it.
But this is what it takes folks.
HUGE ACTION
INSPIRED ACTION
TINY ACTION
MINUTE BABY-STEPS ACTION
JUST…ACTION!
Here are three ways I stay on the right path:
- Routines: I set myself daily routines that incorporate my intentions to master my health and carry out my plans.
- Discipline: Because I know my plan I consciously don’t allow myself to get distracted by stuff that isn’t going to get me closer to my goals.
- Lists: I write Love-Lists, not To-Do-Lists, and these keep me on track and moving towards my goals (whenever I accomplish something I put a big heart next to it AND cross it out – very satisfying!)
I bang on about clarity so much because I truly believe it lies at the very heart of our ability to be successful.
Clarity can make or break your business, the choice is yours.