During summer, those of us who are self-employed tend to pull back from our businesses somewhat. The heat of summer, vacations, kids out of school, and so on, logically bring about a slower pace. We benefit, mentally and physically, from such time to recharge and rejuvenate. Sometimes though, it's a challenge to gear back up or to get your team in action again when summer's over. The biggest obstacle to getting back into business full-time is resistance. Resistance shows up every time you start to change because the mind likes the status quo, it likes what is comfortable and fears discomfort (change).
Maybe this happened to you or someone on your team: You had very strong results in your business leading into summer - enough momentum to the point you relaxed for several months. It was great to take the break and enjoy a less hectic schedule. You know that you “should” be picking up the pace now that September is here but something is holding you back. That something is resistance.
So what can you do? Three things –
1st - Realize what's going on; no guilt or judgment, it's the natural order of change.
2nd - Take small actions or steps so comfortable that resistance never pops up. (There's a proven method to changing your life one small step at a time called Kaizen). You do this by asking small questions such as:
- Whom can I call for inspiration?
- What's one promotion that my company is offering this month that I can take advantage of?
- What can I do for 5 minutes to promote my business (send emails to customers or call one customer)?
- If my business was my first priority today, what would I do differently?
- What's one new approach that others have used with success that I can try?
- What 5-10 minute organizational activity can I do?
3rd - Repeat this process of asking small questions and taking small steps everyday.
Choose a small question and ask it repeatedly over the next several days. Your brain loves questions and will soon supply you with answers. Why should you do this? Think about how many times you've jumped into something with gusto and failed after a short time. Maybe it was an attempt to lose weight, stick with an exercise regiment, reduce debt, overcome a bad habit or reach a business goal. Failure happened because the steps were too large and resistance appeared to stop you. It's the repetition of small steps that block resistance. Take small steps everyday and before you know it all these small actions will add up to tremendous results!
What one small step can you do right now for your business?
