Being your own boss, and the only employee in your business can be a scary thing when unexpected illness strikes and suddenly you are out of action for over two months! No income, no work, missed deadlines and too many trips to the hospital is a pretty effective recipe for breeding fear and uncertainty even in an entrepreneur who is used to knocks and facing big challenges!
In today’s show I share with you my I’ve been so unwell the last few months and what that has meant for my business and my headspace.
I talk about fear and how inaction – even when (or maybe especially when) it’s forced on you from outside circumstance, can be a breeding ground for fear, inaction and mind gremlins working over time to tell you that you are good enough to chase your dreams!
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So what combats the fear?
So often though, when faced with this major challenges is right when we grow, rediscover our own inner strength and get clear on what really matters to us! So I also want to share with you what I have learnt from this experience, most are lessons I’m being reminded of for the second, third or maybe twenty seventh time – but I figure you might need reminding too!
Get connected to your WHY and your core purpose in business and life.
It’s easy to think about your WHY on a fairly surface level but when was the last time you dug really deep, did some (maybe confronting) self enquiry and uncovered what really makes you tick and what your CORE PURPOSE is behind your business?
Don’t be afraid to look at the selfish, NO, self-focused aspects behind what drives you. Don’t let guilt or shame over shadow your amibition and desires for yourself.
Want help uncovering your WHY? Download this simply worksheet and give yourself some time to explore.
Take ACTION
Even the very smallest action can help you chip away at those really nasty mind gremlins! So even when you are totally overwhelmed with kids, day job, client work or just life, make sure you set aside just 10 minutes a day to work on your bigger picture dreams and goals.
It might be really simply admin stuff like sending emails or updating your social media, maybe you need to be journalling out what your big dreams really are – whatever the action is, even if it’s really small the key is to do it consistently and make it a part of your everyday.
Lean in to your Community
It is vital that you believe in yourself – but on the tough days borrow strength from all the amazing people around you who believe in you too! Knowing other people have your back can really help you get out of that scary dark space and back to focusing on the positives and taking the action you need to be taking!
It might be a parent, a partner or a good friend. It could be a Facebook group or local community of like minded business peeps. Who ever your best supporters are, don’t be afraid to tell them you are having a hard time and need a little extra love at the moment.
If you are not already a member of the Artful Business Community Facebook Group, I encourage you to jump over there and say hi. It is a safe space to lean into whenever you need it.
Extra lessons I learnt on my hiatus
There are a few things I got to experience, only because I was so sick and forced to stop completely but I intend to schedule these things into my weekly plan. I want to share those with you too.
A lot less computer time
I had weeks at a time where I was physically unable to get out of bed. This meant that I went from spending 12 or more hours a day on my laptop to NOTHING basically overnight, and while I am excited to be back on deck, I am certainly mapping in a lot more offline time into my weekly plans.
A lot more family time
My beautiful partner and adorable son both spent many hours hanging out in bed with me just to keep me company and keep me sane. This time was so incredibly beautiful and maybe the thing I’m most grateful for (except maybe the new family members who caused the sickness in the first place).
There will more connected family time in our every day lives going forward.
Reading amazing books
This is a lesson I was already experiencing this year, Katie Wyatt and I did a reading challenge as part of our #ladyboss Chats Podcast back in May. These last few weeks I have been blessed with time to read several great books and feel very inspired and motivated from the stories shared by amazingly ordinary people doing extraordinary things with there lives!
Last but not least this down time has given me a HUGE amount of time to really consider the future of my business and what offerings I really want to offer moving forward. The impending arrival of two new babies, bound to take up LOTS of my time means I have gotten really discerning about what work I love, and what work is just busy!
Take time to really consider your business and your next steps
Make sure they are taking you where you really want to go!
Thank you for listening, I’m so glad to be back on the airwaves! Next week I will share with a gorgeous interview with one my favourite makers of all time, Karyn Selby of KBS Designs and KBS Styling.
