At the end of February, when I returned from 5 quiet, simple glorious days on the Baja coast, petting and getting to know whales, the news about the Corona Virus was getting very, very loud. And then about 2 weeks later, the city of Los Angeles was put on lockdown.
This was definitely new and an adjustment, but coming from where I came from to where that was – I was okay with the shift. It gave me an opportunity to realign and get clear on how I wanted to continue to work my business and move forward.
I am fortunate that over the past 10-ish years I have built up a nice little consulting business. I was already working for myself when the shit hit the fan, so shifting from in person to a Zoom call was not a difficult transition. What I learned over the past 4 months is that getting stuck and staying stuck is an easy place to get to. For me, it was actually the opposite and I am grateful for that. But for many that I talk to – this has been a difficult transition.
Just the other day, I was on one of my 20 minute discovery calls with a woman who was seeking some advice after losing her job after 35 years. 35 years to be at one place doing that same thing and then having it taken away from you can be a gut punching experience. And for this lady – it was just that. But in our short 20 minutesl – I was able to offer her some perspective. And I did this by asking her a few very simple questions. By the end of the call, she was shedding a few less tears and she was open to doing and being accountable for three simple things I had asked her to accomplish.
If you are freaking out because the $600 stimulus package is ending or you are worried that your boss is going to lock the doors and never open them up again – here are 5 tips you can do NOW to move yourself from feeling hopeless to hopeful.
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Identify your skills: Re-assess your job, your role, your responsibilities and what your day to day incapsulates. Make a list of all the tasks that you do on a daily basis. But not just for your current job – for all of those in the past. And if you were a stay at home mom – make that list as well. There are assets and tools in being the CEO of your family that have incredible value. I bet you that list will be a mile long and because of that – your skills are vast and wide.
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Build your roadmap: My guess is that up until now – you may have not been much of a planner. If that’s the case – no judgement – I wasn’t either – until I was. It’s important to write it down. One of my favorite quotes is “If you write it down – you can make it happen” and when you do this, psychologically – you are making a commitment to yourself. When you commit- you tend to show up.
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List your “wills” and your “wonts”: What are you willing to do and not do in order to get to you where you ultimately want to go. When March 13th happened – the first thing I did was clean up my calendar. Or rather – blow it up! I cannot tell you how amazing that felt. It felt like freedom! I was able to start fresh. I re-established my long term and my yearly goals and in doing so – I mapped out what milestones I was going to need to achieve in order to reach those goals. When we say YES to every coffee date and happy hour – what we are doing in return is saying NO to getting closer to those big picture goals. Listen to your gut and start to be so okay with saying NO to others so you can truthfully say YES to YOU(see a list of my daily rituals here)!
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Put YOU in your calendar: block out time for you. If you have a lofty goal and that goal is to make 100k by the end of the year – you have work to do. If you want to lose 20lbs in 3 months – block out that time to exercise and craft your food journey so you can achieve that milestone. Because when you achieve the small tasks that get your closer to the big kahuna – that creates momentum. And there is nothing more motivating than chipping away at that big, overwhelming, daunting task list!
- Give yourself a fucking break: Yeah – you heard that right! I don’t know about you, but I have spent way too much time in the past beating myself up for not getting everything done that was on my “to-do” list. That was a lot of pressure. But it was pressure because I didn’t plan correctly. I was all over the place and when that happens – we are just like the dog who runs around in circles, chasing his own tail. We have all been there. When I truly learned how to break down my to-do’s into bite sized pieces – everything changed!! And after I did that for myself – I was better able to help others do the same
Be Smart • Specific • Strategic
It’s a sprint – not a race. You’ll get there.
If you are not quite sure where to start, join the FREE Facebook group – 3D Brand Discovery Think Tank. Every Saturday I answer your questions and hopefully close the gap on where you are to where you ultimately want to be.
