by Phyllis Sisenwine
You really can have a successful business and a great life. Often we get so caught up in growing our business or climbing the corporate ladder that we put our personal lives on hold. Rather than filling up your calendar with work, organizations, commitments, and activities that don’t bring you joy, think about putting on your calendar the activities that you really want to do first. Make having a great life your top priority.
Simplify Your Life
Think about your vision for what you want your life to look like and focus on creating your ideal life. Focus on today, not the past or the future. If you are doing too much at once, you need to un-clutter your life.
Eliminate Tolerations
Tolerations are the petty annoyances you put up with in your life. They drain you of energy. They may make you feel tired and stifle your creativity. The car that needs an oil change; the dentist appointment you’ve been meaning to make. Make a list of everything you’re tolerating. By writing them down and planning to eliminate them, you are taking the first step to having the life you really want. Select five tolerations you have been putting up with and take action on the first one as soon as possible – it will make a difference!
Raise Your Standards
Do you have an “ideal client?” List that client’s seven qualities then focus on working with clients who reach those standards. Clients who are not ideal are taking up your time and energy that otherwise could be spent with people who bring you joy. Raise your standards and work with people who appreciate you and the services you provide.
Set Boundaries
Boundaries are like a moat around your castle. The imaginary lines you establish around yourself protect your soul, heart, and mind from the unhealthy or damaging behavior of others. A boundary simply defines what people can and can’t do to you. Once you know what your boundaries are, then focus on what to do when someone crosses them. Use this simple four-step communication model: inform, request, demand, and, if still no result, then leave. When you protect yourself with healthy boundaries, you gain respect, grow emotionally, and attract people who have a similar respect for themselves.
Design Your Ideal Week
You can design your ideal week, but it’s important to have a plan. Plan three different types of days: productive (work), practical (family), and play (yourself). Remember, you’ll need to be flexible. A productive day involves concentrating on moneymaking activities. If you’re in sales, it’s when you’re face to face with customers or making presentations to a prospect. Plan on practical days in the office to catch up on phone calls, write proposals, organize your office, and do maintenance for your business. Then plan a play day. Block out at least 24 hours and don’t do any work – no voicemail, computer, or paperwork. Just time for you!
Say No!
In order to have a great life, you have to learn to say “no” – even when you really want to say “yes.” Ask yourself throughout the day, “Is this the best use of my time, right now?”
Under-Promise, Over-Deliver
Often in our desire to please people, we tend to over-promise. An example: You’re asked to provide a report or proposal and you promise to deliver it in five days. You put yourself under pressure and it turns out that some information you need is not available. You complete the project in six days and no one is happy. If you know you can do it in seven days, promise it in ten. Leave buffer time for obstacles. When you deliver the project a day or two early, you look like a hero and the pressure has been minimal.
Practice Extreme Self-Care
You must take care of yourself in order to be successful and to have a great life. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be effective in business or in your personal life. Block out time on your calendar and plan on ways to nurture yourself.
Dream In a Drawer
Do you have a dream? Is there something you would really like to do, but there’s never enough time? Most of us have a dream in our drawer. Take it out and take the first step to making it a reality. Hire a coach or have a friend help you with a plan. Set up steps of accountability and make that dream come true!
About the Author
Phyllis Sisenwine is a Master Certified Coach and Motivational Speaker. The founder of Powerful Solutions, Inc a professional coaching firm based in Langhorne, PA., Sisenwine shares her success strategies with clients, coaching them to achieve exceptional growth in business and in their personal lives. She uses her 20 years of experience in corporate or outside sales to help her clients create effective plans and develop strategies that result in a focus for success.
