business growth

Why I said goodbye to BALANCE

Human moment: I haven’t felt consistent balance for weeks, and that isn’t going to change for at least a month.  (Could be two.)  Does that make me a hypocrite?  Does that make me a bad mom?  Does that make me a bad wife? Does that mean I am off track in life?  The negative voices in my head are telling me every one of those things.  And guess what I say back to them?  SHUT UP!

I am in a season of massive growth.  I am hustling to launch a new book, 2 new programs, a new website, and a new division of my company.  All of this has taken place between January and September of this year, with the majority of it happening right now!  At this point balance is an unrealistic expectation that will just make me feel like I am failing. So I’ve said goodbye to balance.  For now…

Would I work my business this way all the time?  Heck NO!  But I am doing it now and I would like to share with you WHY I made this decision, HOW I am managing, WHEN you might want to consider this as an option, and WHAT you need to do to make it successful.

WHY?

I realized towards the end of 2014, that my company had grown to it’s max capacity as we were currently structured.  We were doing as much as we could do.  I was working a little harder than I wanted to work.  At that point, I had a choice.  I could either shrink the company so that it would be comfortable for me, or I could restructure and move up to our next level.  I chose growth.  I also chose to do a lot in a short period of time.  Massive growth is actually easier to do in a short period of time than it is over a long period of time.  That is because of the nature of atrophy.  Not everything you work to create will stick.  There will always be clients or team members leaving your business.  There will always be an idea, program or product that is no longer relevant and is on it’s way out.  If you want growth, you have to generate more into the business than is going out of the business.  If you want rapid growth, you need to generate a lot more into the business than is going out.  I opted for rapid growth.

HOW?

How am I managing this?  I have days where I great, and days where I feel like I am hanging on by my fingernails!  Just to be even more real and raw, today is a fingernails kind of a day!  And that is okay.  The bottom line is I am being very patient with myself and very forgiving of the imperfect nature of my execution.  I am however holding myself and my team to being highly committed to our daily activities.  We are working with focus. I am working when I don’t feel like it.  I am working when I do feel like it.  I’m working with discipline.

On the personal front, I am taking 20-60 minutes depending on the day, to get myself spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically grounded each morning.  I am creating quality time with my children and husband each day.  This morning we spent an hour outside before I started working.  I was fully present in the moment.  We weeded our garden, picked some berries, and I caught a frog for the boys.  (Side note, never catch a frog for my boys unless you are prepared for it to end up on your back when you aren’t looking.)  The biggest danger to my family right now is not how busy I am in reality, it’s how busy my mind can get if I am not careful.  Make sure you unplug from work to fully plug into family.

WHEN?

I would not suggest that I or you should work our businesses this way all the time.  Before you consider saying goodbye to balance for a season of massive growth, make sure you enroll your family.  Get your team on board.  Make sure that you have the income producing activities lined up and the people in place so that you are not just spinning your wheels.  Make sure it is really a short term commitment.  Make sure that the benefit outweighs the cost.  And make sure that your emotional and mental bank account are full enough that you can pay the price right now.

What?

If you feel you are ready for massive growth and that the time is right to say goodbye to balance, the first thing to ask yourself is, “What do I need to learn?”  The growth and education will go hand in hand.  Remember that education is an investment that pays you for the rest of your life.  Be a good student and be thorough in learning any new skills required for your next level.  Do not fight to do things the way you have always done them.  This is a time to innovate.  Innovation requires a willingness to change.

Then get ready to run!  Have fun!  Don’t expect to love every minute, but don’t allow yourself to hate every minute either.  Celebrate the little wins and enjoy the journey!  For More Details:  http://amywalkerconsulting.com/