Let me start by sharing our core values with you to set the stage. At LeapZone we stand for: Guts, Spark, Digging Deeper, Keeping it Simple and Freedom to Excel. Our entire business model and lifestyle are guided by these 5 commandments.
Well…so I thought. But here is the brutal truth. I woke up one morning a few weeks ago feeling tired, frustrated, stressed (actually borderline angry), overwhelmed, and feeling mentally and physically heavy. I had not felt that way in a very, very long time. Maybe some of you know the feeling…
I could go on and give you a thousand reasons why I felt that way like, “September was an extraordinarily busy month and I stretched myself thin to be accommodating”; or “I decided to play computer techie and add a few major technical elements to the mix ’cause I’m obviously sadistic”; or the kicker “I started a 5-day cleanse to reset my metabolism as well as a 30-day yoga challenge because that last hour in my day I could maybe have spared just had to be filled”…blah, blah, blah…you get the point right?
Was September difficult? Yes, it sure was. Was it also the greatest catalyst for me to realize that it is NOT AT ALL how I want to feel in my business or my life? You bet.
What happened next took a lot of guts and involved a lot of tears (Kleenex sure made a huge profit that week!). Margarita and I took the necessary time (with our coach) to completely re-assess and re-evaluate it all, and zap ourselves with a jolt of perspective. We totally hit the RESET button and realized that although September was the last drop that spilled the milk, the real “spark killer” was all the little, cumulative, non-necessary, non-profitable To Dos (admin or otherwise) that we thought were important.
So, we decided to get rid of a huge chunk of “noise”, re-connected with our ideal work schedule and totally simplified our business model to suit the lifestyle we really want. After all, if we are to choose to play the game of business, might as well play it our way right?
Here is the thing. The gem in all of this is that I was out of balance with the majority of my core values. Keeping it Simple was getting overcrowded with a whole bunch of ToDos – simple mind you – but To Dos nonetheless that were contributing to the noise. Freedom to Excel was getting buried under a heavily loaded schedule…therefore leaving me feeling like I had no time and energy left to do what I do best: Digging Deeper.
Today, I feel a lot lighter despite the work ahead that is necessary to implement all our changes…because I know that it will be much, much better on the other side.
What do you need to “stop” or “reset” in your life and in your business to increase your level of freedom and fulfillment?
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