Day 30 - Finding Balance
Branding30
Welcome to Day #30 of the 31 Days to Better Branding series! To learn more about this series, click here to find links to the other days so you'll be able to follow along or catch up if you happen to miss anything. I am by no means an expert but after hearing a lot of the same questions, I figured others could benefit from a few lessons in branding. Hopefully it will give you a place to begin or even just a few tips to improve your business and bring you more clients. Feel free to add in your thoughts and what has worked for you in the comments!
We are coming to the end of this series and I know I've given you a lot to think about. So today we're just going to focus on finding balance and getting rid of some the stress that can come with keeping track of so many things. I've written out 5 stress busters that I try to keep in mind whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed by my business or just life in general.
#1 Life is not an emergency - I read this quote in a great book and it has stuck with me. There are times when I have this "RIGHT NOW" mentality where I feel like I HAVE to do something right away or else the world's going to fall apart. Whether it's answering emails the second I get them or even just getting to a project that needs to be done. It really pays to slooooow down and not take on too much at once. The world will not fall apart if I have to tell someone "no" or "wait."
#2 Saying "no" is saying "yes" to something better - Being a people pleaser at heart, I never want to tell people no. Or sometimes I say yes to things because I foolishly think I really can do it all. I try keep reminding myself that if I'm saying no, whether it's to custom design, social events, or no to updating something on my website "right now," I'm actually saying yes to something more important. Like yes to time with my family or time to relax or even just yes to work on projects I would rather do. This is not a weakness or selfishness - this is wisdom.
#3 Perfection is overrated - I'm a bit of a closet control freak. I think there's a way that things SHOULD be done and if it is something I have control over, I almost can't rest until it is done. When I'm stressed, I often stop and ask myself, "Is this because I want things to be perfect? Do things really have to be done this way?" (....Like do the 31 Days of Branding HAVE to be done in 31 consecutive days? Do I have to find pictures to go along with every topic? Or do I just need to get it done?) Perfection is not worth the cost to my health, my relationships and my income.
#4 Slow down and really live - In our success-driven, busy western culture it's hard to just shut off work and really live. So many other countries value rest during the day, taking time for conversations and sit down meals. We are so busy keeping up with our fast-paced lifestyles that we can get used to fast food, late nights working, and barely talking to loved ones face to face. It's good to stop and ask, "If I had more time outside of work and busy-ness, what would would I love to do?" Then make it a point to do that now.
#5 Keep it balanced - My husband says this a lot when I am asking for his advice. So many things are good when kept in balance. Work is good, exercise is good, eating is good, etc. but when one of those things happens too much or not enough it becomes a problem. Spending time with my kids is good, but if all of my energy is spent on the kids and I ignore my husband, that's a problem. Being involved in sports, activities and volunteering is good, but if it means we have no time to breathe or time for just being a family that's a problem. When I'm stressed, usually something is a little out of balance and I need to cut back.
Homework: How could you eliminate stressful areas of your life or keep things more balanced? What part of your business do you hate to do or makes you feel stressed inside? Could you hand that off to someone else or cut it back? Remember you do not have to do it all - in fact you shouldn't! You do not have to be perfect or good at everything - no one is, even your best competitor.
