Avoiding Entrepreneurial Burnout

Why Your Personal Mission Statement is Critical

More often than not, you feel frazzled.  It’s hard to get through each day.  You are so busy with family and work and church and community and …  all sorts of good things.  Yet something doesn’t feel right. You wonder why you feel ineffective.   

Is a fulfilling life an unlikely fantasy to write off as impossible?

According to Brendan Burchard, your focus likely changed.

When you find yourself frazzled and going through the motions, you are just surviving.  You're just doing what’s gotta be done.  Yet what if you can do better?

I was going to talk about the value of your business mission statement today.  As I kept studying, I realized your personal mission statement needs to come first or your business might not survive.

When you drive yourself with a lot of “shoulds” in your business, you risk burn out.  You’ll go through the motions until you can’t keep fighting anymore.

Personal Statement Acts as a Compass

How does a personal statement avoid burn-out? 

1.  It forces you to define your core values.  Why are you here on this earth? Who or what is your center? It demands you look at the future.  You need to know who you want to be in five or ten years. 

2.  It clarifies your actions.  If you know what you are here to do, it makes it easier to say no to good things that aren’t related to your purpose.   Even if you aren’t aware of your purpose yet, chances are you have some goals.  But the next benefit is realizing this key point.

Saying Yes Can Hurt Everyone

Saying yes to things not meant for you robs three parties:  

·         It robs you of time to get involved in the project you were meant to do. 

·         It robs the person who was uniquely suited for the project. 

·         It also robs the person (who asked you) of the other person’s unique ideas/contributions to the project.

Why does it matter to your business?

Your business must be in alignment with your core values or you run the risk of burning out.  It’s easier to show you.

Imagine you have this great idea to put together some tours.  It makes some money AND you get to travel for free.  What’s not to love? 

 

But one of your core values is family.  This requires you to leave your family for a week at a time.  How long until the tours are frazzling due to your absence at home?  How long until it bugs you that your family can’t join you because of school or work obligations?

Either you do shorter tours more often (still loss of family time) or you realize that it’s a great idea - just not for you.  Loving something isn’t enough if it clashes with your core values.

Creating Your Statement

It’s easy to feel lost when starting.  What exactly is a “core value” and how do I know which ones are mine?  An easy way is to search for a list of core values. 

1.       Write down all values you like.

2.       Prioritize the values.  The ones on top are your core values.  They compel you.  You get stressed when you go against them in favor of a lesser value.     

  Write a sentence or paragraph stating the person you intend to be.

Finding Freedom

For some people, this exercise feels restrictive.  Yet it actually gives you freedom to operate as you are designed to function.  It helps you make wise choices with your time.  You move with purpose, rather than obligation.  This will go a long way toward avoiding entrepreneurial burnout.

The Mayo Clinic talks about various factors in job burnout.₁ “If your values differ from the way your employer does business or handles grievances, the mismatch can eventually take a toll.”  It makes sense this is also true for your partners and employees within your business as well as suppliers and clients.

Using Your Statement in a Meaningful Way

Knowing your core values gives you a framework for making goals and decisions.  How you spend your time and energy affects how you feel about your life.  We’ve all heard stories about people who are living fulfilling lives, in spite of extremely challenging circumstances.  We have also known people who are very able-bodied and can’t seem to get out of their own way.  I’ve been there.

Ultimately it boils down to mindset and purpose. You may know bits and pieces of it and struggle with putting it into words.  Maybe you never thought about a statement before.

Start by observing what you value.  See if you recognize the values that really mean something to you.  Then be deliberate about showing up the way you want to be.  Use the questions to see if you have room for improvement.  (Hint: if you are alive, you have room for improvement.)  You should see results from your effective focus.

Reviewing these frequently keeps you focused on living out your core values.

Expect to Tweak Your Statement

I have no doubt there are people who nail it the first time and never have to change it.  The rest of us mortals will need to adjust ours.   

Maybe family requirements shift as your kids move away and there’s more room for community. Maybe loyalty gives way to financial stability when you realize appreciating the people you work with isn’t enough and you must let an overly time-intensive client or employee go.

We will grow and values will change.  This isn’t a bad thing.  The thing is knowing who you are and living as authentically as possible.

Next week we’ll talk about developing your business mission statement.

Weekly Business Challenge

Looking back at what I planned to do this past week, I spent time chasing down issues with my internet provider (turns out it’s my machine) and researching solutions on my email provider.  I have developed a list of things to maintain my electronics.

As for marketing, I handed out my business card to several people and offered to do a web presence audit for someone else.

This week feels full.  However, I will continue working on my personal mission statement and my business mission statement to share with you next week.  I’ll defrag my computer.  I will spend some time getting more comfortable with Linked In and add at least one more contact.

What about you?  Do you have a mission statement that reflects your current values and who you are moving toward being?  What sort of business challenges are you going to tackle this week?  Post below.  Your idea will probably give someone else ideas!

₁ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642?pg=2

The Stress of Technological Ignorance

When the Computer Steals Your Day

If you are tech savvy, this isn’t the post for you … unless you would enjoy laughing at my mishaps.  In which case … enjoy.  Ha!  Maybe you can even tell me what happened!

Yesterday, I had things I needed to get done.  Playing with my computer wasn’t on the list.  Has this ever happened to you?  Your day stolen by a wayward computer?  

It's like my computer has a cold: 

·         Slowly doing tasks

·         Sometimes won’t stream

·         Sometimes didn't do things

Yesterday, it had a coughing fit.  It restarted itself every 10 minutes.  There was little time to do anything else.  My day was stolen because I chose to be ignorant.  But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

If you've been with me for a while, you know this about me.  I know how to do things that get the job done and haven’t cared much about the rest.  I’ve tolerated it’s poor behavior for quite a while.

 “It’s too complicated to figure out right now,” I would tell myself.  If I didn’t need it, it wasn’t going to get my attention.  Well, it got my FULL attention yesterday.  I couldn’t do anything with it until I fixed it.

I had lots of choices:

·         Get overwhelmed and stressed out.  (Easy default position.) 

·         Take the credit card to the store and get the laptop I looked at a few months ago.

·         Try to figure this thing out.  (“Yeah right!” and “Save money” vied for the upper hand.)

I tried to figure it out, but felt lost.  I started to get overwhelmed and stressed, but took a step back. It was easy to see this wasn’t going to matter a year from now, much less on my deathbed.   

I relaxed and let it go.  I didn’t need to generate unnecessary stress with the wrong mindset. This helped tremendously.  Otherwise I might have rendered myself  nearly incapable in frustration and I still needed my wits about me for the meeting yesterday evening.

Counting it as lost, I developed a back-up plan.  Any effort to salvage this machine would be a bonus. I'd be able to limp along a few more weeks, if successful.  

I tried to use my phone to search for answers, but I was shooting in the dark.  Then I got the bright idea to try a scan for malware.  That produced results and I quarantined them.  The problem continued more frequently.  Now I got barely 3-5 minutes.  I wasn't amused by it's apparent love affair with boots.

The thing I was trying to research, ntkrpamp, was adequately answered.  My eyes glazed over at the very long page of links to read about it.  Which one to pick?  How to understand this semi-foreign language? 

And then it rebooted – yet again.  Saved by the reboot.  Never managed to find my way back there. 

My browser did an update, and after a couple more restart cycles, it magically stopped.

The bottom line?  I still don’t know what the problem was or why it’s not still mal-functioning.  However, I’m not going to poke a lion to see why it’s not biting!

Here’s what I got out of yesterday:

Back-up planning is crucial. 

·         Having a second computer available is a wise idea.  Tai Lopez talks about building forgiveness into the system.  That means having another option when the first one breaks down.

·         Having data backed up is smart too.  Last week, I missed on an opportunity to have some writing critiqued.  I even missed on my morning stuff because I was late, just so I wouldn’t be late on the submission deadline.  I typed the email address incorrectly (by one letter.)  I was away when I found out.  If I’d had a cloud account and backed up to it, I could have resubmitted.

A good maintenance routine may save some time.

·         I will develop a list of things to make sure happen weekly.  I don’t like to set things to happen automatically because I might be working strange hours and can be disruptive.  I need to deal with it myself so junk files don’t build up and slow my computer.

·         Defragmenting once a month might not be a bad idea either.

Plan is in place for my new computer.

·         If it’s an emergency, I’ll get a Lenovo.  I can run right out and get it. 

·         If it’s not an emergency, I’ll get an Apple MacBook.  I don’t know that I’ll make my second computer an Apple, just because of the higher expense.  I still need to decide how I’ll go about the back-up computer.  But using a cloud-based back up will give some assurance that I can jump right back into things.

Last week, I promised I’d do something to put myself out there more.  So I shared one of these posts on Facebook.  It increased the views 350%. Since this is new, that’s not hard.    But I did it.

My challenge this week will be to do something toward marketing myself AND develop my maintenance plan.  I’ll need to research what is needed for my machine and for my phone.  I’m sure maintenance is good for both.

What is your maintenance plan?  Did you buy software and have everything automated?  Please share.   And if you have a clue what might have happened, please do tell!

When You Gotta Just Go For Progress

When It Just Feels Wrong

Starting a business involves a variety of emotions. The excitement of a bold idea gives way to uncertainty.  What if they don’t like my work?  Maybe I’m not ready yet.  Perhaps I should take another class.

Interestingly, I was warned about the “take another class” line before.  Yet here I am, sitting with uncertainty.  Wondering if I should take another class (a great excuse to delay, if I may say so!)  Wondering if I’m crazy to think I could make this work.

So today I’m delivering myself a kick in the pants.  My mentor will approve.  You get a front row seat.  You ready?

Why shouldn’t I succeed?

If God has given me an ability to write, why shouldn’t I use it to earn a living?

Am I afraid to fail?  Everyone says I will.  No, not THAT everyone!  The ones who have succeeded.  The ones who experienced failures along the way to success.  Maybe I need to get over that fear.  God doesn’t call me to fear anyway.

Am I afraid to succeed?  Will I measure up with the lifestyle of people who are successful?  Do I want to live a comparison game?  Do I have to compare to define myself as successful?  I don’t think so.  I don’t think God calls me to the comparison thing either.  It doesn’t matter what others think, as long as my work is good.

So what’s up with this hesitation?

I find it interesting that it’s easier to work pro-bono than ask for pay in exchange for my work.  Maybe I’m afraid people won’t find me worth my rate.  I’ll never know my true value in the marketplace without going for it.  Without the feedback, it’s much harder to sort my need for improvement.

What happens if I stop holding back?

·        Struggle with bills eases

·        Someone’s product might take off, with the right words to give it wings

·        I establish a good marketing funnel for my work, reducing stress

·        I help someone else get started in writing

·        I’m better positioned to help someone struggling financially

·        I pick some fun projects to work on

Eventually, it means … “So many choices – so little time!”

 

Funny.  As I sit here thinking about opening up to possibilities, the sun came out from behind the clouds. 

It’s daunting, but possible.

Every so often, it seems I need to really look at what’s behind my thoughts.  When I challenge the mindset, things get clear.  With clarity, I can move forward again.

This week is pretty full, but this commitment, I make to you:  I will make one step toward making that happen by Friday evening.  Not sure what that step will be.  Bookmark this and check back next Tuesday.

So is this you?  Has this ever been you?  Uncertain, having a hard time moving forward?  Reaching for that dream you’ve been working on so intently?  How did you overcome?  Please share below and let’s learn from each other. 

What You Need To Know To Balance This Schedule Thing Effectively

Prioritizing Time For Less Stress

You feel tension rising as you realize your schedule is blown yet again.  There's an emergency load of laundry to run and everyone is running late.  You’re frustrated, your husband is frustrated, and you wonder how it will ever work.

How DO successful business women manage to do it all?  The dirty secret is: they DON’T!  

Growing into a schedule that works for you and your unique situation is messy.  So is building a business and keeping up with the most important relationship you have.  The man you chose to marry deserves even more careful consideration than you give your business.

I think something I learned this past week will reduce some of that messiness.

I’m assuming you already have your husband’s buy-in on your new adventure.   Your stress level will be different.  You may be distracted with various tasks of starting a business.  Details effortlessly covered slip off your radar – but not his.

A neglected marriage in favor of your business may develop an emptier nest than planned.  Your husband might not admit he feels neglected, until it's too late.  If you do your best to understand and take his needs into account when planning your day, you may save your marriage – and your business, too.

After reading Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas, I asked my husband what one thing he would have me change.  It wasn’t about cleaning.  It was about my excessive use of social media.  I’m working to re-prioritize to spend less time there and avoid it past a certain time of day.

Over and over, I hear the message that we all have the same 24 hours in a day.  I want to throw my hands up in the air.   I get that I can’t do it all, yet it’s still waiting to get done.  I always feel ... behind. That wears on me.  I bet it wears on you, too. 

 

That's why I got excited listening to Brendan Burchard talk about dealing with priorities.  If you have trouble figuring out AND balancing your priorities, there's hope. 

Up until now, my priorities have to do with urgent tasks/chores and things that make me feel self-respectable.  So grocery shopping has a higher priority than mopping the floor.  However, ignoring a dirty floor drives me nuts.  It doesn’t feel self-respectable at all, and I’d be embarrassed if anyone came over.

I don’t have the funds to pay someone else to do that – yet.  I’m not willing to demand that my husband give up on his priorities and nag him about something he doesn’t care much about, either.  So what do I do in the meantime?  Get my priorities straight.

Brendon Burchard has four things to say about prioritizing.

      1.   Get rid of the unimportant.  

*Does this thing or activity have a benefit?   If it brings me joy, it serves an outcome.  If it is useful and I use it, it has value. 

*If not, it requires maintenance, tying up space or time.

2.  Know the value.

*When evaluating the cost - money or time, is there a short-term or long-term benefit? 

*Is it a big enough value to be worth the cost/effort now? 

*Can the same benefit be achieved without buying or doing this?

3.  Evaluate and Prioritize.  Score each activity plus those under consideration.  How does it score in:

*character/values/personal growth 

*relationships

*health 

*spirituality 

*wealth (making or giving money)

4.   Schedule accordingly.

We understand that we can’t do every good thing.  We can’t read every good book, make every appealing recipe, or pass the white glove test at all times. 

 

When you know the score of your activities, rank each item based on how they fit with the first two qualifiers.  Some things aren’t worth doing when stacked up against others.  

Know what you value.   Knowing where something ranks makes it much easier to say no to good things. You are crystal clear on what you have time to accomplish.  You know that over-filling your schedule won’t produce the results you are looking for.

Your valuable time and energy is available for what you value most.  Your life will be more enjoyable without the unnecessary stress of misplaced priorities.  Your husband will enjoy his unfrazzled wife, too.

What things do you need to let go to make room for your highest value activities?  What one thing would your husband ask you to change?