Articles

HOW TO STRETCH YOUR BUSINESS WITHOUT WORKING HARDER
by Dr. Jeannie Campanelli

Being self-employed, you know from experience that much time and energy can be demanded of you. At times, having your own business can seem like a lot of hard work and no fun. Just reviewing all the tasks that may be waiting for you can, in itself, leave you feeling overwhelmed. The creativity and passion that had you start this business in the first place may be on the back burner, at least some of the time, as you become enmeshed in the day-to-day responsibilities of running it.

So how do you stretch yourself and your business in a different way other than just working harder? What’s an alternative that will actually revitalize you instead of drain your energy?

The following are three ideas which can make a significant difference for you.

Firstly, do you have a vision that fuels your commitment to do what you do? Instead of a vision statement which is common for many businesses, make it a vision story. Write one that depicts your life and your business five years from now, then ten years from now and watch how it inspires you whenever you read it. It can include such information as your idea of an ideal day, the impact that you are making on others, the money that you want to make and how your life will be different if you’re actually living your vision. The key is that the vision needs to be big enough so that you feel compelled to stretch yourself into your dream.

Another way to create ease is to closely examine what brings fulfillment to you. What are your work values, those that bring you much satisfaction when you honour them? Flexibility, creativity and independence are just some of the values that may or may not be important to you. When you discover YOUR values and are committed to living those values, decision-making can become so much easier as you now have a guideline.

Thirdly, start to observe what happens when you act from an inspired place rather than an “I should” or “I have to” place. The consequences of inspired actions are usually right on the money and have an ‘in the flow’ feel to them that make work a lot easier. Inspiration often occurs in the moment or at night when we’re not trying hard to come up with a solution. We feel excited, even uplifted by the idea that comes to us and have a deep sense that it feels right for us to do this. For you to really get what inspired means, think back to the opposite feeling. Remember a time when you ignored your intuition, that feeling in your gut, and just paid attention to your logic or emotions. What were the consequences then?

Experiment with the above ideas and simply observe. And notice the ways that you stretch yourself and your business…with ease.

Reprints

You are welcome to reprint any articles written by Dr. Jeannie as we offer our articles on a non-exclusive basis. However, the following information must be printed at the end of each article. If used on your website, the URLs must be linked to our three sites.

Copyright Jeannie Campanelli. Used with permission.
Dr. Jeannie Campanelli, Ed.D., CPCC is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach. She has a doctorate in Applied Psychology from the University of Toronto with a focus on human development and change. A significant focus in her partnering with clients is relationships, particularly relationship with self. She is currently authoring a book on inner power and self-confidence. Visit her websites:

www.innerconfidencecoaching.com
www.coachingcircles.ca
www.menfullyrelating.com