For you Mamas out there feeling overwhelmed, today I want to give you a gift that puts you back in the driving seat. A gift that can help you to reset a bad mood, change the trajectory of your day, and, indeed if you really embrace it, change how you approach your home life and business.
Sounds pretty magical doesn’t it – well that’s because it is.
So what is this gift? It is this - the gift of choice.
Quite simply it means that whatever we are confronted with in a given moment we always have a choice with what happens next.
Now of course on some level you already know you have the power to choose – after all you choose what to wear, what to eat, when to go to bed.
But what I’m talking about runs deeper than this – because in fact most of the decisions we make are actually done unconsciously. Choices around how we see things, what we make a situation mean, what we do or don’t do, or how we respond emotionally.
What’s more, it’s these unconscious decisions that are most likely to affect our results in life and business.
Let me help make this clearer for you:
As a mum in business you are likely juggling A LOT and are most probably quite time poor. Now which do you find yourself doing most often?
A. Blaming your circumstances for not being as effective as you might like? (workload, kids, lack of support)
B. Procrastinating
C. Going into overwhelm
D. Focusing on finding a way to be more efficient and make the juggle work
What I want you to understand is that every single one of these is a choice, but for most people A-C as a choice happens unconsciously; it is only D that happens from a place of conscious awareness.
Here’s another example for you:
You are running around the house juggling your kids whilst your husband sits on the sofa not helping. Do you:
A. Lash out at him in frustration
B. Carry on regardless and just feel resentful
C. Take out your frustration on the kids
D. Assess the situation and ask yourself what do I need to change here to get the help I need?
Again choices A-C are often made unconsciously – whilst D comes from a place of conscious awareness.
I’m sure with these two examples that you are starting to see the benefits of conscious decision-making – and how it is more likely to lead to a better end result for you. So if you really want to nail it in life and business and manage your way through the chaos, then you need to start exercising your choices more consciously, and grow in your awareness around your power to influence your results.
This is a concept that successful entrepreneurs and leaders embrace daily and it puts them squarely in the driving seat of their life. It puts them in a position to execute change and start creating the outcomes they want.
So how do you start to do this for yourself?
Well below I’ve laid out 5 steps that you can start to implement right now to begin to embrace this concept...
1) Recognise that you are making choices all the time
As hard as it is to slow down with all you’ve got going on – it really is worth trying to stop for a moment and take stock of where you’re at currently and how you got here.
E.g.: – Perhaps your business is not where you’d like it to be right now – and you’re feeling stuck or you are you experiencing some self-doubt? – Like it or not I want you to start to recognise that each of these behaviours is actually a choice you’re making.
What’s more, here’s a tip for you - recognise that what you focus on expands. The longer you focus on the negative the more negative you’ll see and the longer you’ll stay stuck.
Instead, choose to focus on backing yourself, taking a step forward and finding a way to make it work. Choose to be solution seeking rather than problem focused. By changing your focus you’re instructing your mind to help you get there!
2) Own the choices you are making - whether they are good or bad.
It’s one thing to recognise you are making choices – and another to a actually own them. Trust me when you start to own the bad decisions, you are far less likely to stay with them, or keep making them.
E.g.: Have you been avoiding doing something in your business, like perhaps a proper financial plan? Own the fact you are avoiding it and what’s more. own the fact that in doing so you are actively choosing not to be functioning properly in your business. It’s far more painful to keep doing something when you know you’re only sabotaging yourself.
3) Appreciate that each choice you make has implications – and a knock on effect
Now let’s go one step further, continuing with the example above – let’s start to think about the long term consequences of what not having a financial plan will mean for your business…
It will hamper your ability to:
1) Forecast properly – set targets and goals
2) Create a strategy and sales plan
3) Understand your marketing ROI
And more importantly it will impact your ability to grow your business long-term.
Essentially then we really could say that your behaviour means on some level you are actively choosing not to be successful…. I bet you’re opening up Excel right now!
4) Continually check in and ask yourself the following question:
IS THIS A CHOICE THAT WILL GET ME WHERE I WANT TO GO?
To help add some real weight to this question – I suggest you get very clear on your long-term vision.
Get clear on where you want your business to be in 5 years time, and more importantly what this success will mean for your family. Connecting with your vision emotionally will help drive you through the tough times and will help you refocus.
Ok so now lets consider the fact that you’ve just laid out $500 on a Facebook ad campaign, which has not generated many leads.
Your initial reaction is of disappointment of course – then perhaps you slip into feeling sorry for yourself…. Here is where you want to ask yourself – Iis this going to get me where I want to go??? Will this help me move towards that bigger picture life I have for my family?
Of course not – so choose to shake it off and focus on what will – analyze those results, and learn and grow from the experience, so that your next marketing campaign absolutely smashes it!
5) Make your success a choice
If you haven’t realised it already - success is ultimately a choice.
You won’t get there wishing and hoping for it – it is a conscious decision you make and something you have to continually honor.
So it’s pretty simple – consciously choose it and hold yourself accountable – because it really is all on you!
Everything we do is a choice, from the simplest actions right down to the life changing ones.
So ladies you have the gift, of course now it’s up to you whether you choose to use it!
Work with Tracy