As an entrepreneur or a sales manager, you have an extraordinarily busy schedule. Many unexpected incursions happen that throw you off-course. Do you stay steady or chase the interruption? Can you differentiate between a true crisis and a puff of smoke? Learn to tell the difference. Not everything requires your energy.
In our competitive, capitalistic culture, we are encouraged to want more of everything. If you are hitting your stride on most of your goals, you likely aim higher and further just for the sake of it. This tends to be true if you are hitting 50% or 90% of your expectations for yourself. We also tend to believe we must address everything that presents itself to us. Can you say “no”? Not every opportunity is appropriate for you now or in the future. Sort through what makes your heart sing. Be conscious in your decision-making.
Polls say only a third of Americans are happy. Why? Most want more autonomy, more balance and more free time. Not money, or a bigger house or a faster car. Suggestion: give yourself, your spouse, your employees a day off!
Are you one of the happy ones? Even if you aren’t, you can be. Some of these are easy, some require more work. Pick a couple, get in touch with your happiness quotient and let the magic happen.
Decide what is really important to you: rather than trying to be all things in our hyper-active society, pick how you want to spend your time. Seriously. If you hate doing something, eliminate it. There is a solution to out-source just about everything.
Manage your expectations: you, your company, your products, your employees are never going to be all things to all people. Define your goals, make your employees define theirs that align with yours, choose your target audience, and stay focused. Every time you entertain a different direction it competes for your time, energy, money and personnel. Use your resources wisely. You’ll have happier employees too, because they will know what’s expected.
Play to your strengths: none of us is good at everything. Your business needs leadership in sales, marketing, finance, accounting, production, operations, IT and human resources. Build a team, understand what they are tasked to do and set goals. Choose people you can trust. This frees you up to manage your area of expertise, to keep innovating and to manage your vision. Take this FREE short assessment to learn your strengths.
Create balance: if you work excessively and never take a break, your stress level increases exponentially. Take time for a massage, exercise, play with your kids, have coffee with a friend, get enough sleep.
Network: you are not alone in what you do. Make it a point to attend professional organizations where you can share ideas and resources with other entrepreneurs and sales people. By getting out of your cocoon, you’ll learn about outsourcing options, grant money, economic development opportunities, find new employees and create awareness of your products. All things that can be stimulants or shortcuts to solving bigger issues that are holding you back from reaching your personal best.
Take care of yourself: Exercise, meditate and have fun. Watch how much you eat and drink. Anything in excess is a sign of unhappiness and can lead to addition.
Quiet your mind. Don’t be judgmental. In mindfulness training, we learn to simply watch and not react. The only thing you can really control is your reaction. You decide if you are outraged, upset, insulted, or HAPPY. Forgive everyone for their slights, bad habits, inconsistencies and humanity. If they are toxic, eliminate them from your life.
You can have the life you envision. But first, be sure the life you envision is the one you want. If you would like to explore how to enhance your happiness, contact me at Deb@CoachMaz.com
