Not sure who out there is a Gemini or Taurus May baby but this is our month to celebrate life! Normally, we’d be reveling in the tradition of barbecues and birthday gatherings, maybe even treating ourselves to a spa service or a Memorial Day getaway!
Birthdays are always a time to reflect on where you were last year, what we were able to accomplish over the past year and make some deliberate choices and goals for the next.
But let’s be honest; this year is tougher than most. In all likelihood, the pandemic and the environment we’re all getting used to has blown up our best laid plans… or at the very least delayed or altered them in a significant way.
Like me, you may have you found it’s hard to concentrate on making progress each day, your sleep has probably suffered, your routines have changed and your motivation and creativity have been severely challenged.
We are in the “new abnormal” where merely wishing for something to happen won’t make it so; we need to take this downtime to reboot and reinvent, look at the positive we can bring from a worldwide crisis we find ourselves all fighting.
Question for you: What do you do if you’re feeling overwhelmed, lazy, or just stuck?
Here are a few words to the wise you may want to consider, even when you don’t feel like it:
Dream big but remember it’s the small things that count
I love dreaming big and thinking about what’s possible, but when it comes to accomplishments, it’s the small actions, done consistently, that matter most. True progress isn’t derived from hitting the lottery; it’s made one step at a time.
I believe one of the most important steps for our business right now is to remind your sphere of influence that you care -- just because the doors are closed it doesn’t mean you’re not in business. Sending emails are good, but there are some really good tools out there to take advantage of to help you.
- What median or tools are you using right now to do this?
Would you be willing to share? We are all desperate to know what works!
Change your definition of success
Have you found that despite your best efforts, you’re just not able to get things done like you used to? Living and working in this new abnormal and coronavirus world means finding new ways of defining and measuring success. Make it one small step at a time. You need to be more adaptable and realize that being forced to do things differently could be an amazing opportunity!
Realizing opportunity means setting small goals like:
- I am going to connect with 20 people a day, five days a week, to let them know I am here.
- I am going to take the time to send 5 handwritten cards a day to give that old fashion human touch… wow is that impactful.
- I am going to create a Zoom cocktail hour, how fun!
Track your progress
Remember the old thermometer type charts where you filled them in as you steadily reached your goal? That kind of visual aid worked because it served as a reminder of meeting your goals!
If you haven’t researched and aren’t taking advantage of some really simple backend tracking tools to manage the success of your actions, I really encourage you to take some time to do that.
Who is clicking on what articles or blogs you send, who is reaching out at the moment of intent and who is capturing them – responsiveness and tracking responses that convert to results is more important now than ever!
Do you have a team and are you having regularly scheduled check-ins to report on your progress? If you’re on your own, how are you checking in on yourself?
No matter what though, at the end of the day celebrate your small wins!
You deserve it… grab a glass of champagne, bake yourself a cake, make a special dinner… celebrate you rising to the challenge and making things happen!
Just make one decision
You may be familiar with the phrase, “You’re always one decision away from a new path in life.”
Well, in some ways we are already living a different life… and if you think about it, the door of our other life has closed and now another one has opened.
Use your awareness and this downtime to focus on making one decision right now that will move you closer to your goal.
Be patient and make your own path to success
In our social media-fueled world where everyone seems to find immediate success, it’s easy to get discouraged and feel like you’re lagging behind.
Yet as many entrepreneurs will tell you, their “overnight” success took years.
I have tried to be successful in just about everything the last 30 years… including real estate, mortgages, insurance, investments and development, technology and mobile applications. I’ve almost never enjoyed immediate success with any venture, but with each opportunity I’ve learned from the journey and honed my skills as a serial entrepreneur.
Blogging is so cool. I want to share what I’ve learned, I want to talk about my experiences and I absolutely love engaging with other entrepreneurs and business owners on what works best, challenges we’re all facing and what doesn’t work.
Please reach out, I would love to share my experiences with you and help out a colleague. I have ideas that work and failures I can help you avoid -- technology, responsiveness, online communication and connections is key to our new norm!
Together we can take it slow and steady and come out on the other side in better shape than when we entered.
Stephanie
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