1. Stop REACTING, and Start Intending.
It is easy to get into a place in business where you are simply reacting to the circumstances being flung at you every day, and we can tend to kind of fall into an auto-pilot mode in our businesses, that feels more like survival instead of thriving. When we’re busy just fielding the tasks being flung in front of us, and are not actively setting our clear intentions about what we want to create, things can quickly start to feel stale, stuck, and overwhelming.
The best and quickest way to break out of this is to interrupt that pattern by setting aside some quality time (even if it’s 10 or 20 minutes to begin with!) to really get clear on your intentions and goals for your business. Make time for this and do a ‘check-in’ periodically, at least once per month. Mark it on your calendar so that you can check back in with yourself and adjust if your goals or intentions have shifted or changed.
You can tell you’re in reactive mode if you feel overwhelmed, burnt-out, disconnected, pulled in different directions, and uninspired about your work. If you’re feeling any of those things, it’s time for a change. New goals & intentions are the first step in helping you carve out a new path.
2. Find Your True North
Once you’ve stopped the reactive cycle and begun to set new goals for yourself, it is vital that you clearly define what really matters to you, what your core values are, and in what ways you want to bring those things into your business.
In my Brand Discovery process with my clients, I have a lot of questions around values and I am often asked why that matters to branding and design, and why that’s important. And my answer to that is simple, those values are and will be your guiding light in business, your true north when the path gets a bit muddled or unclear.
It is not only important but VITAL that you’ve clearly defined what you stand for in life and business because it will be the compass by which you can measure a whole host of important decisions, and will keep you from falling back into that reactive pattern.”
Your core values, those things that light up your heart with purpose and direction, are what all your branding, marketing materials, marketing messaging, workflow, planning, and in-house operations will all be built upon and checked against.
Without that, you’ll just take on any misguided marketing or business advice that comes your way, because you’ll have nothing to measure it against.
It is at THAT point that you start to feel overwhelmed, confused and drained of all your joy for any of it. So uncover those gems that are most true to you, and let them be your guide!
3. Remodel & Realign {in leu of wrecking ball}
It is as at this point in the process that a lot of people take a wrecking ball to their business and think they need to totally reinvent the wheel. And while you COULD do that, I’m going to recommend something a little gentler. That wrecking ball seems like it has the good intention of starting something really fresh and new, and it feels really exciting! But sometimes it can be a bit of a self-sabotage pattern underneath because it’s guaranteed to knock the ground out from under you.
So, having done this a lot myself, what I’d advise is to take a look at this freshly discovered true north and these new goals and intentions you’ve set for the business, and identify what in your CURRENT BUSINESS MODEL is working really well right NOW.
What is working well and running smoothly? What is most effortless and/or inspiring and/or fun? Instead of leveling everything and building from the ground up, take what you already feel confident in, and what is working well, and just tweak it in the direction of your dreams.
By just tweaking it, you will avoid the pitfall that often comes next which is throwing yourself into something really new and exciting at first, that can then quickly turn into a downward spiral of self-doubt which starts to yield wonky results.
Anytime we take on something NEW it’s an “unknown” and unknowns feel scary and a lot less stable, so take any existing stability with you and just modify it, that way you have some solid ground to stand on while you’re remodeling and re-aligning your business to more of what you want it to be.
It will make that transition so much smoother and less traumatic and give you more confidence to take with you on the road ahead.
4. Chart a New Path
Once you have figured out a way that you can remodel and re-align what IS currently working, begin to chart a course to where you want to be. This might look like getting rid of what is NOT working anymore, and what is NOT in alignment with those values while continuing to reform what IS working and tweak it to be even more in alignment with those things that matter most.
It will usually look like the creation of one or multiple new services, offerings, price points or ways of working, that you can grow alongside what’s currently working until you can either let go of that thing or revolutionize it entirely.
This way you can stay in the flow of what feels good, known, and comfortable, while still charting the waters outside your comfort zone to what is new and visionary, and more in your zone of genius.
By holding that balance the ride will be a lot less bumpy, and it will provide solid ground to stand on while you attempt to do new and amazing possibility-expanding things.
5. Stay The Course
Whenever you venture into the territory of change and growth, it is going to bring stuff up. It starts with an upswing of inspiration that is often followed by a downswing of desperation, and the reason for that is simply that when our limits of possibility are expanded, at first it’s super exciting, but then we begin to notice and be shown all that seems to be in the way of getting from here, to there. The tension between those two places will start to bring up and show us the internal blocks and patterns that have kept us where we are until now, and that can start to feel like a really uncomfortable place to be.
What I want you to know about that uncomfortable transition though is to just STAY THE COURSE. When things get hard, when you feel like quitting, when everything seems to be going in the toilet, when it feels like life is throwing up signs that you should turn back around and stick to your comfortable knowns, when you begin to doubt everything about yourself, your business and what you’re doing… just stay the course.
And what I mean by that is STAY WITH YOURSELF. Stay with your vision, as long as it still feels true and calls to you.
Like a ship on stormy seas just keep heading for that horizon, and the storms will pass. They will pass one by one and each time you’ll be more brave upon those waters.
6. Get Help.
Stop trying to do it all yourself. Stop trying to figure it all out on your own. When you feel like you’re drowning, or stuck, get help.
Join a group of other seaworthy wayfarers and surround yourself with those who are also on the path. This will help you in POWERFUL ways just simply to know you’re not alone. Seek out tools for self-discovery and healing, because the more you love, value and honor yourself, the stronger your business and vision will be.
Getting perspectives from others on the path (outside your own head and friend group) will also help you recognize and more easily identify and clear old patterns so you can start to feel more confident and capable to create the business and life you want on YOUR OWN terms.
It is vital to trust yourself and hear your own voice in the noise, but it is also vital to connect and get guidance when you need it.
Once you’ve defined your true north, your goals and intentions, you’ll have something to measure all advice, feedback and input against, so you’re not just blindly following the latest trend, but genuinely asking yourself what fits for YOU and your vision, and what doesn’t. This way you can get the help you need and still stay true to yourself in the process.
xo
Sunni
P.S. And if you’re ready to start earning far more money with far less effort by clearing what’s in the way of your most natural gifts & flow… you can watch my FREE Feast or Famine No More Masterclass here »