Entrepreneurs Ask: As a Novice Entrepreneur, How Can I Feel Less Overwhelmed?
Great question! Overwhelm is very common even among the most
veteran entrepreneurs, so take solace in the fact that you are not alone.
With the ever-increasing numbers of new entrepreneurial endeavors,
and therefore new entrepreneurs, there are many who are experiencing
the very same feelings as you.
So, Tool 1 is to Join or start a business-focused support
group. Napoleon Hill's MasterMind Principle* has profoundly and
positively impacted business life. Success breeds success and
surrounding yourself with colleagues who are also on the
entrepreneurial path will propel you to heights you cannot even
imagine.
Each participant makes a commitment to himself as well as to the group,
meeting on a regular and frequent basis. The group dynamic is powerful
and will surely increase your confidence and diminish, or completely
eliminate, your feelings of being overwhelmed by the daunting volume
of details that require your attention. You will learn practical techniques
from fellow professionals that can be implemented immediately! You will
also come to understand that you're not as bad off as your runaway
mind would have you believe.
That brings me to Tool 2 ? YOU ARE NOT your feelings. If you
realize that your entire experience doesn't have to be dictated by what
you feel in this moment, you release your hold of being in, and
remaining in, the state of overwhelm. Allow yourself to fully embrace that
"this too shall pass" and that your feelings aren't in control of you, but
rather, although you "feel" overwhelmed, you are in control of your
feelings. This is true no matter how incompetent or inadequate you feel!
FEELING (or believing) SOMETHING DOESN'T MAKE IT TRUE! Think
about it. If your client FEELS (or believes) that you are a lousy business
person because their order arrived late, does this make it true? Maybe
the courier made a mistake. Maybe you were caught in an unexpected
rush that didn't allow you to call your client as soon as you might have
otherwise. Maybe your CLIENT was having a bad day and nothing
would appease him/her even if the order arrived as promised.
The point is this - You get to decide what these feelings of being
overwhelmed mean to you, e.g. "I am completely overwhelmed and that
must mean that I am a total loser who doesn't belong in business
because I am too inept to ever succeed" or "Even though I feel
overwhelmed, I am confident in my abilities and will learn the skills
necessary to feel less overwhelmed in the future."
Tool 3 ? Consult with a Coach, Business Consultant, or Advisor.
You will be amazed at the peace of mind you feel after making this
investment in yourself and the life of your business. After all, what is it
worth to regain your confidence and stability and get back to producing?
You may ask "How can I take the time to meet with an advisor if I am
already short time and long on tasks?" The answer is this: Because
taking the time to learn a new way of approaching business can SAVE
YOU TIME in the long-run. Working smarter is smart work, so go ahead
and schedule a one hour consultation with an expert!
There are times I prefer to consult in person and you may as well. If this
is the case, it will take more time than the actual session due to getting
ready, travel time, parking, etc. However, if your meeting is conducted
over the telephone, it is truly a one hour investment well worth every
minute and every dollar.
As your business grows to depend on more sophisticated systems, this
evolutionary process will require a fresh perspective. However, the more
involved you are in the day-to-day operations, you will notice that it is
difficult to bring an objective attitude and viewpoint. This is the perfect
time, yet again, to consult with a professional for their expertise.
Tool 4 ? Establish simple, yet effective, systems that work for YOU. This is important. If you need help establishing a new system or
refining an existing process, hire a professional Virtual Assistant (VA),
professional organizer, or enlist the help of a willing and trusted friend or
family member. Then see how practical these systems/processes are for
you and the way you work. Modify them as necessary to ensure that you
are working as efficiently as possible. Something that works for your
colleague may not work for you in the same way it works for them, but
that doesn't mean it doesn't work. Some ideas take only a minor
adjustment to make them an excellent fit for your working style.
Tool 5 ? Allow creative resolve to find you. Always keep your
ears and eyes open for solutions to your yet-unresolved business
situations. (I don't call them "problems" because assigning that label
sets up a scenario that requires me to find a solution based solely on my
own experience and this always drains me of precious energy. I prefer
to set my intent on allowing resolve to find me!) This has happened to
me more times than I can remember. Picture a business discussion
about something completely unrelated and all-of-a-sudden, your
thoughts go to how the information could be modified and applied to fix
your current situation!
Tool 6 ? Prioritize daily tasks. A daily to-do list may seem like a
haunting reminder of everything that needs to get done, but if you make
this a part of your everyday routine, it makes prioritizing effortless. And
you don't have to depend on your memory! Once a task has been
added to your list, you have just freed your mind-space for something
else.
The first 15 minutes of each day is spent creating a to-do list and
prioritizing each item based on the estimated time to complete,
importance, and the best investment of time and energy based on other
demands on time for that particular day (meetings, travel, long-term
projects, etc.). It feels great to cross off items as each is completed and
visually you will be reassured that you are indeed moving forward and
accomplishing!
Tool 7 ? Delegate, delegate, delegate! Delegating tasks frees
you to focus your energy where it needs to be-on generating revenue
and growing your business!
As soon as you begin to feel overwhelmed, make a list of the jobs from
your daily task list that can be delegated to competent hands and
transfer ownership so you can focus on the aspects of business that truly
require your personal attention.
Getting to the place where you are deeply overwhelmed can cause
paralysis. Integrating these seven tools into your regular business
routine will prevent overwhelm, but if you find yourself in the midst of it
as many of us do on occasion, ASSESS IT and ADDRESS IT before
overwhelm gets the best of you and becomes a bigger issue!
* A MasterMind group is a unique group of people utilizing the
MasterMind principles for achieving business and personal goals.
MasterMind groups are held in-person and by telephone.
MasterMind Power
Power is essential for success and achievement of one's goals. Plans
are of no value without sufficient power to translate them into action.
Power refers to the organized effort sufficient to manifest one's desires;
Organized effort is created through the MasterMind.
MasterMind power is defined as follows: "No two minds ever come
together without, thereby, creating a third invisible, intangible force
which may be likened to a third mind." The human mind is a form of
energy, a part of it being spiritual in nature. When the minds of two
people are coordinated in a spirit of harmony, the spiritual units of
energy of each mind form an affinity, which constitutes the power of the
MasterMind.
MasterMind Process
The process of MasterMinding may be likened to the act of one who
connects many batteries to a single transmission wire, thereby 'stepping
up' the power flowing over that line. Each mind, through the principle of
mind chemistry, stimulates all the other minds in the group, until the
mind energy becomes so great that it penetrates to, and connects with,
the universal energy, which in turn, touches every atom of the entire
universe. A MasterMind may be created through the bringing together in
a spirit of perfect harmony, two or more minds. Out of this harmonious
blending of the chemistry of the minds creates a third mind, which may
be appropriated and used by one or all of the individual minds. This
MasterMind will remain available as long as the friendly, harmonious
alliance between the individual minds exists.
MasterMind Principles
We live in an awesome, wondrous, orderly universe; the laws of which
are carried out with exquisite precision. The MasterMind is the Power
Source that created and directs this incredible universe.
Every person is a personalized expression of the MasterMind, and
therefore has the innate ability to tap into its power, genius and wisdom.
The MasterMind steps are a scientific method of focusing the power of
thought for the specific purpose of establishing a direct connection with
the MasterMind. As a result, thousands of people have demonstrated
dramatic, positive changes in their lives, and have experienced happy,
successful lives.
Through the MasterMind process, you combine your own strength with
that of at least one other person, as well as that of the MasterMind. This
principle is based on the premise that the combined energies of two or
more like-minded individuals are many more times greater than the sum
of the individual energies involved. Happiness is found in lending,
doing, helping other members in your group achieve their goals, not
merely possessing the information about goal achieving. The "WIN-WIN"
attitude is key to a successful Master Mind group: If I help you win, I win,
too. The MasterMind principles also teach that other like-minded
individuals can believe for you, and accept as true for you, things you
may find difficult to conceive or believe for yourself.
Adapted from Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon
Muse works? © 2005 All rights reserved.
Charlon Bobo is a
Professional Virtual Assistant and the Founder and Creative Director of
Muse works?, a dynamic trend-setting Virtual Assistant enterprise in
Southern California that caters to the niche needs of entrepreneurs in
the handmade beauty industry.
To learn more about Muse works?,
please visit Muse works? and
Muse works? Blog.
You may contact Charlon at 805.405.4944 and via e-mail at
charlon@museworks.org.
You have permission to freely distribute this article provided all the text
contained herein remains intact.
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