4 STEPS TO GET UNSTUCK & MAXIMISE YOUR MOTIVATION
Today’s talking point:
My biggest struggle is trying to do it all, or unconsciously imitate what others do; like launching big programs and classes while also doing one-on-one services, putting too much on my plate and trying to go for it all... then feeling so stuck and unsure of myself.
First, let's talk about what might be keeping you stuck. Maybe you've been running a business for a few years, but you want to get more professional and consistent. Or maybe you’re just starting out and you're overwhelmed by everything there is to do and so you're not taking action.
If you're feeling stuck in any area of your business, this episode is for you.
With an excuse, there is always a way to get past it.
So let me walk you through how to start moving forward in the direction that you want to go. We are going to explore four areas that are likely keeping you stuck. There's always something we can do to get unstuck or to get motivated again.
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GETTING UNSTUCK AND MOTIVATED
We are talking about getting you unstuck no matter where you are in your business journey.
Maybe you're starting from scratch, maybe you’re just in your first few years or maybe you've been at this for a while, but you feel stuck or unfulfilled or as though something is missing or not going as planned.
If that's you, then this my friend is the episode for you. We're going to dive into why you feel stuck and the strategies that you can approach in order to move past that feeling of “stuckness”. We'll just go with that - feeling stuck or just feeling unfulfilled and moving into a place where you're inspired and excited and you can't wait to dive into the projects that are before you.
#1| Dropping the Security Blanket
First ask yourself: what is keeping you safe? It's like when you're little and you have a baby blanket, a security blanket or a toy that you carry with you everywhere, it calms you, it keeps you safe. So my question to you is: when we look at your business, what is it that keeps you safe?
Sometimes it's your 9-5 job that is your security blanket; sometimes it’s a client that you hate working with but pays you well. A lot of times in our business, that one thing that can act as our security blanket is actually keeping us stuck. Because if you don't get uncomfortable, you will not move to the next level. You have got to get comfortable feeling uncomfortable.
Look at what you are wanting to go all in on in your business or life and what’s needed to start. Show up every day because you know you’re ready to take this business to the next level.
Let go of the security blanket
What is holding you back might actually be what is making you feel safe. Having a consistent income in a 9-5, or keeping the demanding but paying client could be holding you back from moving full force to your goals. You have to ask yourself:
Do you really want to take your business to the next level? Do you really want to move out of what you're doing now, no matter what it is and move into that next place? Then you have to get uncomfortable.
Make tangible time goals
You have to have a date on your calendar and have a process to get there. Mark the date that burn the boats, storm the island and don’t look back. You can make small steps, like: week 1 work on getting new clients, to week 10 quitting your 9-5.
If you're feeling stuck, unmotivated or feeling like you're not where you want to be, you likely have a security blanket. Recognise that, say out loud what it is and have a plan to let it go eventually.
#2| Check Your Expectations
Something that is likely keeping you stuck are your own expectations. If you look at the money you're making and you say, that's not enough... I say, who says it's not enough? Who are you comparing yourself to? Setting expectations for yourself that are not rooted in real concrete goals are not serving you.
If you’re saying “I’m not making enough money,” or “I’m not as far along as I should be,” look at how you set the expectation. Is it through comparing yourself to others, or is there a process to get you where you think you should be?
If it's not concrete, those expectations are not grounded. You have to have expectations that are grounded in a set of goals and a set of processes to get you there. It's not fair to yourself to have really loose expectations based on your comparison to where everybody else is.
#3| Blogging Data
Systems. This is a big deal. Start thinking about the system that you can put in place to get to your goals.
One of my favourite lessons is from Atomic Habits by James Clear:
Think about a goal you’ve reached before, getting a good grade, working out, landing a job. It isn’t the goal itself that gets you there, but the systems you put in place to move forward.
“Now for the interesting question, if you completely ignored your goals and focused only on your system, would you still succeed?” Clear argues you would - the only way to win is to keep getting better. “Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are better for making progress. A handful of problems arise when you spend too much time thinking about your goals and not enough time designing your systems”.
Please tell me you thought that was as good as I did. So every day I don't say “I'm gonna make 10K in my business”. Instead, I focus on what is literally right in front of me.
I thought it would be valuable for you if I talk to you about what my system looks like to kind of just give you a snapshot because I always get questions asking me to dig into things in more detail. Let's use an example. I have a revenue goal for 2019. The system, what it would look like, would be:
Determine what I'm selling and promoting in 2019. Before I even hit 2019 I got really clear on what I was selling.
Plan all of my promotions throughout the year. Planning out promotions and having them on your calendar changes everything. Put the dates of your big promotions on your calendar in advance.
Focus on wowing my current clients. They get Voxer access to me 24/7 and I'm always coaching them and answering questions. I share my story, give value, because without them, I don't have anything.
Engage with my community: posting on social media, going live on Facebook, doing Instagram stories. Social media is part of my process, so I do it consistently.
Have consistent original content. Not necessarily just what I'm posting on social, but my blog and my podcast, If I don't have weekly original content, then I'm not offering value to you. You're not paying attention to the lessons and strategies I teach because I'm not showing up consistently.
Show up live on video more. Not just once a week on Facebook live, but I find other ways to get on video and get in front of my audience.
Have speaking engagements and go on other podcasts. I want to get in front of a large audience and expand my audience, so I need to keep attracting new people into my world and take care of the ones that are already there.
Engage with my peers. It is so important to be around people that are also doing big things with you. You don't have to get in proximity with big names, but get in proximity with people that are doing big things because it inspires you.
All of those things make me stronger mentally and physically. We all know that as a business owners, being strong physically and feeling good affects everything you do. So that's part of my process. Now ask yourself: what's your system? What is your system every day to do big things in this world?
I want you to get clear on that and write it down because once you have a system, you are not stuck.
#4| Do Something Different
The final way to get unstuck is to fuel your brain. I've also talked about this one, but I want to put it in a little bit of a different context in the sense of: try something new.
You've got to do something different. If you always listened to business podcasts, not that I want you to stop listening to this one, but if you always listen to business podcasts, then listen to one that's entertaining or a mystery podcast. When you get out of the thing that you always do, you start looking at things differently and it will inspire your business.
You can do things that inspire you, different things that will get you in a creative space in a different way. Don't get in the role of always doing the same stuff because if you are stuck, what you are doing is not working.
Get inspired. Maybe even take a social media detox day or I challenge you to do a detox week. Step away from Instagram and Facebook and get inspired in different ways. You've got to fuel your mind in a “do something different” kind of way.
RECAP
Identify your security blanket and have a plan as to when you're going to let it go.
Look at your expectations and ask yourself if these expectations are from everyone you're comparing yourself to, or are these expectations set based on goals and systems that you have in place?
Get your system together. Put it together. What does your system look like? Forget about your goal right now and work on your system.
Finally, fuel your mind by doing something different.
Make sure to pay attention to those four different areas because you do not need to feel stuck, unfulfilled, unmotivated or frustrated with where you are in your business. You have everything in front of you to keep moving forward.
Resources Mentioned In This Episode:
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