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