We all have times in our career or in our business if we are self employed – where we feel like the hamster on the wheel – running faster and faster. It is energy draining and debilitating and yet it is also infectious and contagious. So what happens to change things? It is easy to blame time, blame lack of support or resources, excuse it as short term while we work for our next career progression or work to achieve short term business growth…..or whatever other reason we use.
Using my experience with clients and our own business growth experiences I see 5 critical areas to bring about the change you need to get you off the wheel and stop feeling like that hamster. The five areas are:
1. Feedback: ask a trusted colleague, friend or loved one to give you really honest (and maybe confronting) feedback. Others can see more clearly and objectively what is happening to us and for us; and what we are choosing to tolerate and most importantly what we don’t need to continue tolerating
2. Fear: recognize that it is usually fear that keeps us on the wheel – fear we won’t make it, fear we aren’t good enough, fear of what might happen if we hop off. The root cause of the fear that is driving you to continue running on the wheel and makes it too fearful to get off is what you need to unveil. You may need your trusted colleague, friend, or loved one again so they can engage in a conversation to assist you in this discovery. Or you may prefer to use a journal and commit your thoughts and feelings to words on paper. This may bring clarity to what is happening for and to you
3. Focus: take a big step back and create clarity on what you want to focus on. If you had a magic wand and could take the fear away then what would you determine is important to you and what is not; what would you decide to say “no” to and what would you really want to say yes to. Use this thinking to create your burning platform for change.
4. Freedom: breathe and free yourself from the chains that are holding you to the wheel – invite others to join you on this journey of creating whole of life accountability. You are certainly going to need the support of others to break this kind of habit. Explore the worst case scenario driving the fear; construct contingencies that could possibly ease the tension and conflict. Search for ways to use an abundance mindset rather than a scarcity mindset which is so often at the root of our fears
5. Faith: build the belief that you CAN achieve success – review timelines, realistic budgets and realistic activities; and ultimately employ an abundant and courageous mindset. Create positive energy, momentum and activity.
Make the changes with the support of others and with the belief it is going to happen. Many of us also need a “burning platform for change” – identify the pain. For many it can be health, fitness or family relationships are slipping away. Also acknowledge how you are rewarding yourself for your current behaviour – because you are!
