Yes, for many of us,
this is our busiest time.
And yes, it is tempting
to work 24/7
without breaks,
without rewards.
But we NEED rewards.
We need,
at the very least,
5 minute breaks.
We need sleep.
Or we’ll break down.
We’ll quit.
We’ll become ill.
Reward yourself today.
This could be a bowl of berries
or
a 5 minute walk outside
or
a nap
or
something else.
Rewards will keep you
going.
“A change centering around
deprivation
doesn’t last.”
A mentor told me that
once.
She also told me
to focus on
what I gained
by the change,
not what I lost.
For example,
we shouldn’t tell ourselves
we can’t ever
flop on the couch
and watch TV
after our day jobs end.
We tell ourselves
we get to spend
our evenings
working on our own businesses.
We shouldn’t tell ourselves
we can’t spend our excess money
on the latest toys.
We tell ourselves
we are investing in
our businesses
and in our dreams.
Don’t focus on
what we lose
by starting a business.
Focus on
what we gain.
I have a book
(a project)
due
(to be finalized)
soon.
I went outside
for five minutes
and watched the bees buzz
and listened to the birds sing.
The Amazon Rainforest is in
its death throes.
The Great Barrier Reef
has been bleached
beyond recovery.
The AMOC is slowing.
Your neighborhood
won’t be immune
to climate change.
Go outside
for at least five minutes.
Look at a tree.
Touch grass.
Feel the sun
on your face.
It will calm
your stressed a$$ down,
allow you to think
more clearly.
And years from now,
when your surroundings
are less…hospitable
to nature,
you will look back
at those five minutes
and be grateful.
Doers do.
Sometimes we do
too much.
A loved one
recently took on too much.
He was considering
taking on yet another task
(to help someone else).
He ran this possibility
by me.
I said no.
I told him
he already had too many tasks
to complete.
He told the person
he couldn’t take on the task,
citing that he was told
he couldn’t do that.
He didn’t say
WHO told him
he couldn’t do that.
And he didn’t say
why he was told no.
The blame was deflected
to the unknown person.
His relationship
with the favor asker
was undamaged.
Sometimes we need help
saying no.
Enlist that help.
According to weather forecasts,
it is going to rain
in my area
every day
for the next two weeks.
That is…disappointing.
I had things to do outside
But I can’t change the weather.
That’s not my area of expertise
or my business model.
I have to accept it will rain.
And adjust for it.
I might erect tents
so I can work outside.
Or delay that work.
Or try to bring it
inside.
Or make another tweak
to my plans.
In your business,
there are things
you can’t change also.
Accept that
and work with or around them.
When the world
becomes too much
of a tire fire
and I reach a point
where, emotionally,
I can’t handle
hearing about it,
I put my head down
and I work.
I throw myself
into business building.
I get sh*t done.
I work with focus.
I tune out the world
and I live the business.
That calms me.
It builds my confidence.
It makes me happy.
When I feel ready again,
I resurface
and I catch up.
Doers do.
When the world gets
too much for you
to take,
tune as much of it out
as possible
and do.
Get sh*t done.
A gardener buddy
was talking about
how he ‘cheats’
when making compost.
Making compost isn’t a competition, dude.
No one is tracking
how you make compost
or how much you make
or how quickly you make it.
Much of building a business
isn’t a competition either.
We sometimes compete
with other businesses
for customers.
Yes. That’s true.
But we don’t compete
with them
in the
who wakes up the earliest
or
who works the longest hours
or
who goes the longest
without seeing loved ones,
etc.
categories.
Ignore the urge
to compete in areas
no one truly cares about.
Go at your own pace.
Find your own happiness.
Yesterday,
I advised all of us
to take a one minute break
and enjoy the world around us.
I didn’t say this
merely to increase
our happiness levels.
Though that WAS
my main reason
for giving
that advice.
I advised to take a break
because that will help
to keep us healthy
– emotionally and physically.
And very few of us
have the excess time
to be sick right now.
Being sick
is sh*t for business building.
Take a f*cking break.
The holiday season
is a busy time
for almost all business builders.
This might be
our best time for sales.
Partners might be taking
time off
over the holidays.
WE might be taking
some time off.
We have a lot of sh*t to do.
But take a minute.
That’s all that’s needed
– one minute.
And admire a display of holiday lights.
Or savor a bite of holiday baking.
Or watch someone open a gift.
Or hug someone you love.
Give that minute of happiness
to yourself.
And THEN you can
get back to work.
The average adult
is extremely stressed.
According to the 2023
Stress In America report,
24% of adults
rated their stress
as extremely high
(compared to 19%
in 2019).
Stress levels are lower
for older people.
Only 9% of those aged 65+
feel extremely stressed.
In contrast,
34% of those aged 18 to 24
feel extremely stressed.
What does this mean
for business builders?
Our employees are likely
to be under a LOT of stress.
Our customers are also
likely looking for ways
to lower their stress levels.
If we can reduce stress
with our products, our services,
our management style,
we are more likely
to earn loyalty
from the people around us.