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“I don’t have enough time in my day.” If only I received a nickel each time I heard those words. Come to think of it, I do. Sort of.
Plenty of smart, successful people hire me to help them deal with the issue of time management. Some have read the latest time management books. Most use the perfect day-planner or latest hand-held computer. Yet, they still struggle with the ever-shrinking twenty-four hour day.
“Learn to pause … or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.” Doug King
I was having coffee with three coach colleagues at Starbucks the other day. It’s a ritual I look forward to. We get together twice a month to share our wins and our challenges, support each other and have a good time deepening our connection.
“The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth really will set you free.” Oprah Winfrey
Here’s another installment in the ongoing story of me facing the challenges of parenthood. My daughter, a recently graduate from high school, set out with a group of girlfriends on a 3-month cross country expedition. A post high school dream: to travel across country with no agenda and no expectations other than to experience life as it unfolds.
“I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom goes on as fruit.” – Dawna Markova
Re-read the above quote, then close your eyes for a moment and imagine this is you. Imagine it’s the kind of life YOU chose.
Along with time and money, energy is one of your most valuable resources. And if you’re a professional woman, it’s a resource that’s most likely in short supply. With the myriad number of professional and personal tasks you need to accomplish, while taking care of your family, you have very little – if any – energy left over for you. It’s easy to understand your dilemma.
Last month Along The Purpose Path was about how to identify and stop the energy drains that leave you feeling exhausted and out of balance. I outlined how energy is one of your most valuable resources and invited you to start thinking about how to reserve more energy for yourself.
I hear it all the time. “What should I do about . . .?” As a business owner you’re faced with the daunting task of making all the decisions that affect your business. Should I remain a sole proprietor, become an LLC or is an S Corp better? Should I start using an electronic PDA or stick with my trusty, but out-dated, Day Runner? In what direction should I take my marketing? Is the color right on this logo? PC or Mac? Paper or plastic? Aargh! Big decisions. Little decisions. It can be overwhelming, especially when you consider how each decision has a bearing on the success of your business.
As a home-based, self-employed woman, mundane tasks can be as compelling to me as chocolate. Laundry. Dishes. Email. Try as I might to stay focused on running my business, at times, these uninspiring tasks beckon to me as a moth to a flame.
Thomas Edison once said, “The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” The two cents worth of wisdom I’d add to his advice would be; avoid the mistakes others have made.
For most of the small business owners I work with, marketing has become the equivalent of a four-letter word. Inevitably, when I ask the question, “Do you have a marketing plan?” or “What marketing activities do you engage in?” I get the full gamut of responses from the proverbial deer in the headlights stare, to a vociferous, “I hate marketing, it’s the least favorite part of my business!”
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