It’s so funny… Many people compliment me for doing so well with my business, running international retreats and being out there in social media, when really inside I am feeling overwhelmed, messy and blocked, specifically around certain new things. I have done so much work to release the emotional & physical blockages I carry in my body through yoga, dance & healing but have evidently not found the time to move past some of the business blocks…. Like having a website and newsletter for example.
After 2 years of rocking (and loving) the social media space, posting my videos and communicating to the masses I realised that I needed to become a little more professional. As an ex-Marketing Director I know the ingredients to make a brand work, but holy crap I find it hard to practice what I preach! For example, rather than spend 6 months finessing my website before I birthed it to the world it went live missing 3/4 of it’s content (thanks web dev dudes – lucky I’m no perfectionist), and as a result I noticed myself not wanting to deal with it. I was happy in my comfort zone of facebook posts and instagram videos, so I took the approach of avoidance, hoping that a website fairy would come and long and sort it all out whilst I was sleeping.
I wasn’t 100% sold on the first round of branding either because this process was also particularly tricky for me – I mean, it forced me to look at myself and say “Who are you and what are you bringing to the world?”… and in all honesty, in that moment I had no freaking idea. So I briefed my designer on who I thought I should be (which was more or less a hybrid of everyone in the biz who I admire). The green smoothie sipping health coach, posing with a coconut on a nice sofa, maybe with a floral wreath in my hair. But on seeing the finished product, once again it felt wrong. Is this who I am? The images felt too clean, to perfect, lacking the soul, the earthy-ness, the power goddess that I truly am. I wasn’t myself, my powerful authentic self (the self I could effortlessly be when writing from the heart on social media). So once again… I took the easy road… and avoided it all!
And to this day this vibes of not really engaging with my brand has continued… I’ve given out business cards with a caveat line of … ‘Oh my website is being overhauled to please don’t look to carefully – check out my facebook instead’.
But today is the day that this avoidance ends!
This journey of not wanting to deal with or grow into my authenticity has reached boiling point… I’m through with the excuses and am ready to take control! And here are some tips I’m calling on to break through the barriers I’ve created with my mind… enjoy!
5 steps to overcome the blocks to building you dream business:
1. Just start – although sometimes the thought of starting can be terrifying, particularly when you ARE your brand, and the feelings of not being good enough, comparison to others start screaming in your mind… Just START! Open your computer as I have done this Monday morning and wrote your first blog post, create your newsletter, pick up the phone and call a designer to help you with whatever you need. Bake a cake and post a photo and recipe on social media, make a business facebook page. I promise you that nothing feels as big in real life as you make it in your head. The more energy you invest in avoiding, the bigger it will be (just like my website, newsletter and lack of list) has been for me. Put one foot in front of the other and move forward… small steps, small bite sized, easily digestible chunks… and you will have lift off!
2. Get help and outsource – As an ex-Marketing professional I am so used to having a team to do all the ‘stuff’ for me so being a solo entrepreneur has come with its challenges, particularly when I’ve tried to do it all myself. I always ask myself how long it will take for me to do a task versus someone who actually knows what they are doing. For example, if I know it will take me 4 hours to work out editing in iMovie then I feel it’s money well spent to send the job to an expert who will be able to get it done in no time at all. Money well spent. If you want to find any balance in your life whilst running your own business then delegate the things that you know you are not great at, and the things you don’t like doing (like admin) and free yourself up for what the world needs – sharing your special gifts (and these may not be web design)!
3. Drop the perfectionism - our world moves too fast for waiting for everything to be perfect… and besides, perfect isn’t real! If I waited for myself to feel perfect and ready I would never achieve anything at all. Perfection is not a helpful word so LET IT GO! Yes, take care with what you do but don’t be afraid to bare yourself as you are in that moment… Authenticity is beautiful and you are beautiful just as you are. Now that we are so entrenched in the digital age content is flowing more freely than ever… add your energy to this flow and don’t freak out if it isn’t 100% where you want it to be before you birth your idea, your writing, your course, your ebook… however it arrives in the moment is exactly as it should be. Imperfectly perfect.. .!
4. Make your mouthfuls bite sized - To beat overwhelm syndrome, start small and set yourself some achievable goals. If you are anything like me you want to shoot for the stars and you create a to do list that could only be achieved if life is lived jacked up on raw cacao and not sleeping – EVER! So let’s not do that… Place one foot in front of the other, be easy on yourself and be realistic about what you have time to do… and call in the help (see point 2).
5. Reflect on the good stuff - In the land of extreme overwhelm I always find myself honing in on the mountain of stuff I have to get through and, in focussing on what I am not doing well enough, I am giving more energy to the vibes of not being good enough. As my antedote, I ensure that I spend 5 minutes every day reflecting on all the cool stuff I have created since the beginning of my journey. I always find myself bowled over in disbelief at all the amazing work I have done and how far I have come (as you can see I’m still working on the believing in my brilliance biz) and this always kicks the overwhelm in the ass. Try it and see!
To those who signed up to my newsletter all those months ago and did not hear a peep from me – I AM SORRY. I am now unstuck and in the follow and nothing will stop me… so stay tuned for many more love notes very very soon!
BIG LOVE…
PS – I have lots of exciting retreats coming up in the next year in locations like Goa, Bali, Sri Lanka, Ibiza and Panama… Check out all the details here ! I would LOVE you to join me for a week of transformational in paradise.
PPS – I would also LOVE to talk to you. Sign up for a FREE heart to heart session as part of my transformational coaching program.
How about you?