Hustle hustle hustle. Business is many things, but it is all about the hustle. Don’t like that word? Focus. How’s that one? Commitment. Discipline. The grind.

We live in world that is always looking for magic pills and “ah-ha” moments. But the reality is – those are far and few between. And the work that we put in on a daily basis is actually what leads us to having those moments. One day of winning plus one plus one and all of a sudden we are sitting on a pile of success thinking it all just fell in our lap. Nope. You put in the hard work, you made the right decisions, and you hired the right people at the right time.

The Daily Grind 

The daily grind is a warfield really. There are so many battles that need to be won, and after, more to come. That’s business. It’s not for the faint hearted. And some days – I feel like the faint hearted. Let’s be honest – we are all human, and no one can go for massively long periods of high intensity work, stress, challenge and strategic thinking without losing it every now and again.

Stress and tiredness are not a supportive state for building and operating a successful business. It’s important when you are feeling flat to have a good sleep, get up the next day, ponder, write and pick yourself up with a new focus and a new energy. Whatever you need to do to get back on track.

A different enemy

But beware of the distractions. These are a very different enemy, and a massive threat to the success of your business. They come dressed in sheep’s clothing… looking all fuzzy and warm and innocent, casually walking into your thinking and your life pretending to be insignificant. Distractions manifested and not dealt with will be the bullet that kills your business.

Distractions can come in all forms. They can appear as new business ideas that don’t align with your vision. They can be new relationships that are not beneficial to your thinking or your life, they can be social events that become regular occurrences (lots of alcohol etc – you get the picture). They can be hobbies that start as ‘down-time’ activities that become an obsession, and yes, it can be as simple as notifications turned on for your social media accounts.

Where does it begin?

Distractions are let in through the door of boredom, self-sabotage and an escapism mentality caused by high levels of stress over a long period of time.

A distraction will start as a small seed, but if left untended it will eventually consume your thinking. You start thinking about the object of your distraction more than you think about your business. This leads to procrastination of work, slacking off from processes and procedures, productivity levels drop significantly and in the end leads to massive anxiety and an overwhelming feeling of being out of control. Not good.

So how do you get back on track?

1. Take stock of where you are at currently. Being honest with yourself is the first step. Truth is hard to face but will free you from the tangled web you have created. Ask yourself – Where are your anxiety levels at, and what is causing the anxiety? What habits have your developed recently that are not supportive to good thinking and healthy living? What relationships do you have that are dragging you down rather then inspiring you to be better?
2. Revisit the vision and goals for your business. Why did you start? What do you want to achieve? How did you plan to achieve that? What other ideas or new ventures have you allowed to creep in that do not align? Set in motion a plan to sever these.
3. Take a break from the daily grind. One of the best things to reset your thinking and your habits is to have a few days away. It breaks the rhythm of the life you are living, allows you some headspace to refocus, and when you return you can establish new habits. This is usually the hardest things for hustlers like us to do – we think we cannot afford to have a few days off. The whole business will crumble into a mess. Remind yourself here that if you do not do something to pull yourself together and get back on track, the business is going to crumble anyway.
4. Think about what you did during your most productive periods. What was the recipe for success then, and what are you no longer doing that was working for you?
5. Remember that:

“Energy follows where attention goes”

Get back on Track

It can be very daunting to realise that your life has spun out of control. When I haven’t done any exercise for a while, and have been eating rubbish (for example), the thought of having to get back to the gym and no longer devouring those delicious cinnamon scrolls anymore can be incredibly hard to handle. J

Think about the end game. What is it you really really want? What do you WANT? Now get back to the steps that you have previously outlined that were in place to help you get there. Return to passion, focus and good habits. When you fall off the wagon, it’s ok. Just get back on and keep going.

 

Need some help getting back on track? Feel like you have lost your way in your business? Book a business consult with us today.