How to Get Focused & Manage the Things You Can Control

When I quit my corporate job, my eyes were wide and full of ambition. Just the thought of having the freedom to be creative every day gave me life. The idea of being in charge of my day began to be the fuel that I needed (and still do) to get up everyday and create. When I first started working for myself I asked myself, how can I best serve and support others. What is it that they need most? How can I help them feel confident enough to keep going? Helping people has always been a priority for me. Not only in business but in my everyday life.

My word for this new year is IMPACT. How are you planning to make an impact personally or through your business this year?

Keep in mind, when I quit my job, I did it all the wrong way. Since I am a free spirit and creative mind of course being free to create daily was at the top of my list. But it didn’t take long for reality to sink in. I needed to make money. Now that may sound a little bit crazy starting off but since I quit my job and didn't have money saved and I had not planned for this leap of faith, career change. I had to start focusing on how to make money.

Let me just clarify, I am not a salesperson. So there’s that. And the bad thing about that is when you are focusing on selling products, making money and how you're going to survive you lose track of the actual purpose for offering your service or product. Making an Impact.

Think about your favorite products. Why are they at the top of your list? Service and results. It’s about making sure your clients/customers are a priority. This is important because there are people out there who are struggling and truly need your specific help. Being able to be the solution for them will speak volumes for your business. In my business, my ideal clients are suffering from the fears of entrepreneurship. Things like not being able to get organized and see the big picture of their business. Or just being unsure about how to find the time and learning how to create new habits and routines and start practicing better time management skills. Many of my clients have everything they need already. They just lack confidence.

I’ll admit it, getting organized in the beginning is challenging. It can be extremely hard to focus and find balance. This is why having a coach who can help you remove the emotional connection can be a good investment. You only know what you know. Having a coach who can provide clarity and order will help carry the weight and provide daily support. In this line of business sometimes the impact of this investment doesn't reveal itself until all the pieces of the puzzle start to fall in place.

Just last week I helped a new author prepare for her first book launch. She was all the emotions. Nervous. Excited. Worried and Grateful. These are exciting times and projects like this come with a ton of emotions. Uncertainty. Worry and fear can easily sneak in and shut the whole thing down. As a designer, this process for me means way more than just an opportunity to be creative and create a website. It's the ability to be supportive and provide guidance to people who are choosing to put their greatness out into the world. Believe it or not, it can be a terrifying intense process, so this is where I choose to make an impact. When you are taking a risk and putting your vision out into the world to be judged to be criticized to be celebrated to just be seen is a big deal. That's why it's very important for me to help each person who dreams their big dream successfully share their Vision with the world. That impact that they receive from the high fives congratulations and increased confidence are exactly what I wait for at the close of every project. It's no longer the paycheck.

Check out Diana Lowe - Author of Burning Bushes in Your Backyard

Perhaps you are thinking about starting a side hustle, or just have a favorite pastime that could turn into a small business. I want to remind you, that you only get OUT what you put IN. So it's totally up to you. At the top of the list is, “I can’t do it, I can't start my business right now”. Is the lack of time. It always makes me wonder. What are you doing with your time? I think not having enough time is one of the worst excuses that anybody can say to get out of not doing something that they know they need to be doing. It's basically called procrastination. Or it could be considered lazy. But we’ve all been there so I'll just say it's an excuse.

The truth is we have to make time to do the things that we want to do. And sometimes that means including the things that are not so much fun, that is extremely uncomfortable. And we don't really know exactly how to get it done. So the lack of time is not necessarily the proper excuse here.

It should be more like... I don't know what to do. I need help.

Or I'm uncertain what to do next. I need to prioritize my time.

Having a goal is something that we all need to work on. Sometimes the focus needs to be on how to identify the actual goal. Most of us say I want to lose weight. Or I want to save some money. Or I want to buy a house. These are all goals but there are 1500 additional steps sometimes in order to just break the ice towards achieving these goals. And that's where understanding how much time is required and being realistic about when you will achieve that goal needs to be clear.

For example, you have time every single day to work on one of the tasks on your list. Each task on this list, yes all 1500 of them, will allow you to get closer to achieving that goal. I created a simple goal setting worksheet that helps you think through how to achieve your goals without being overwhelmed. It's pretty simple because all you have to do is focus on the things that you promised to be committed to doing. And then you have to identify the things that will help you reach your goals. Followed by being honest with yourself about the action and the work that's required in order for you to see that goal come to fruition.

This week let's talk about how to get focused and manage the things that you can control. There's no reason to sit in your emotions and dwell on the things that are out of your control. For example the actions of other people you cannot control.

The things that are happening around you you cannot control. So here are four steps to help you do just that.

Step one - forget revenge and stop being petty. Kill them with kindness. it saves hours of time and energy. The more time you waste dwelling on things that you cannot control the more energy you feel in your body and the more time you take away from doing the work required to get back up and get back on track.

Step number two - learn to say no to projects or people that don't align with your purpose it's okay to say no. We have to get out of the habit of thinking that we have to take every opportunity that comes our way. Once you become better at choosing projects that don't consume you or derail you from your purpose the more time you have to do things that you love and enjoy.

Step number three - protect your energy if you feel anxious or uncomfortable don't worry because other doors and even windows will open soon. During this process, you have to learn to be patient even if that means less income even if that means time alone. And more importantly, if that means sitting still and learning and researching and growing that will make you more prepared for the next opportunity so Embrace that time.

Step number four - if you feel distracted, unproductive, and unfocused. Remember to take a break, you are the CEO of your life so it's up to you to control every aspect of your day. Sometimes it can be overwhelming especially if you are struggling financially if you don't have enough time in your balancing way too many things you can become very overwhelmed and that leads to anxiety and frustration. When you feel the need to slow down you have to slow down. The first part of being a CEO is learning that you have to take control of yourself and you're responsible for yourself and you can't provide your services, your support, or make an impact if you are out of whack. So slow down.

No matter what phase of your business you are currently celebrating. Emotional control is required at all levels. Starting with the ability to get focused and commit. To finding the balance between making the products and making the money, there will always be a bit of insanity and chaos circling to throw you off your game.

With that being said…

Something I'm really really... Did I say really? Really working on is emotional stability in chaos. I have learned that this is priceless. You can't teach this to others, it's something that you have to choose to master. So take an opportunity to really identify your triggers so that you can be ahead of the game when you start feeling like you are going to lose control.

For example, conversations that tend to go left could easily be corrected if you learn to identify outcomes that you prefer to have. And choose not to be petty, or instigate, or feed into the drama. Learn to use your words intelligently in order to receive the results that you want. Now if you are looking to start a fight you're going to get a fight. But if you are looking to avoid it then your ability to shut your mouth. And hold your peace. Then you can start walking away from negative situations and decide if it is in alignment with your future and purpose. Learning to master this will eventually bring you more satisfaction than unloading a ton of word vomit that you’ll regret. Plus negativity never results positively and you don’t want to burn bridges. There is a time to engage. Focus on the results you want and resolve the issues. Being a leader requires you to be able to control the emotional levels as well as the need to engage or not.

The last thought I want to leave you with is this. If you are just making money and you are satisfied with that, great. However, if you are looking to build a long term successful business, then it is imperative that you learn how to run your business. Otherwise, your business is just running you. As much as you might hate for your shift from working for someone else to working for yourself to look like a corporate job. I hate to tell you that you have to implement the same structure and processes that allow every other corporate company to function in your own day-to-day best practices while running your own business. There's no way around it. Unless you want your business to continue to run you. So spend the time. Do the work. Step up to the plate and knock the emotions like fear, doubt, judgment out of the park.

You were born to BE and DO great things. So wake up each morning and GO BE GREAT! Because you are!

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Join me each week for a new episode and a new perspective. Learn how to SHIFT those old thought processes and prepare for the PIVOT to create a major change for your future.

Entrepreneurship is more than a journey, it's a lifestyle. It's time to stop making excuses and BE THE CEO of YOUR LIFE! www.bridgetterooks.com/books