When I was in university my degree was a Co-Op program - which meant that I had several work-terms through my degree that allowed me to experience different businesses and industries. It was fantastic. I loved my degree and experiences at that time.

In one particular experience, I had the privilege of working in two businesses that shared admin resources (me) which was a partnership between two individuals - one an interior designer and the other a marketing consultant. It was a fascinating look inside these two diverse industries.

At the time, I noticed two hard-working Business Owners with a passion for their work. It was only years after that experience that I really understood the significance of how they ran their business. 

What I learned:

Do you enjoy reading?

I love to read. I’m slowly making my way through stacks of books that I have around the house.

An ideal vacation for me would be to sit somewhere peaceful and read. (Preferably somewhere in or near nature.)

But reading for me is a way to learn, escape, grow, expand, or deepen my understanding of the world around me and of myself.

While I love a great fiction novel I do read many non-fiction and professional development books. Some have really made an impact on my own growth and the growth of my career and business.

I’d love to share some with you today…

Ah the zen vacation, the year long sabbatical, the parental leave, the short mini-break where you immersed yourself in 4 days at the beach or hiking in the back woods somewhere.

And, now it’s time to head back to work.

Heading back to work can sometimes feel like a mixed bag of emotions no matter if you run your own business or are an employee.

There have been years where I’ve reluctantly gone back (almost in tears), some years when I’ve been indifferent and years where I genuinely looked forward to starting back on Monday morning. Luckily, the latter has been much more often.

Where ever you are…the feelings you have when you’re ’heading back in’ can be telling. We often want to push them aside and get on with it, but did you know that those emotions and feelings hold incredible amounts of information for you?

If you’re feeling reluctant, anxious, dread, uncertainty, sadness, joy, or excitement, there’s information in here not to be shoved aside, but to be experienced and listened to. And then, what to do about that information?

Being able to recover from setbacks, challenges, and major difficulties not only applies to your personal life but also applies to your work and career as well.

A number of people leave jobs where they’ve experienced high stress, overwhelm, and even workplace trauma. 47% of working Canadians agree that their work is the most stressful part of their day. (Source: Workplace Strategies for Mental Health: Morneau Shepell. (2017). Media Room)

Finding your own ways to recover from setbacks and tough situations can help you move forward and cultivate resilience for future challenges.

And, as a leader, resilience can help you lead and expand into new opportunities. Having personal experience in cultivating your own resiliency can also help you support the people and teams you lead.

Here are some strategies to consider if you’re interested in continuing to build your own resilience:

When I started my business, and I started writing my newsletters and blogs, I found myself signing off with the words “NOW is YOUR time.”

It just happened the first or second time I started to write. Those words came out on paper naturally (I often write on paper first and then transfer to my computer; my writing seems to flow better that way :)).

I was thinking about these words recently and thought about what I meant by them.

And, what I was reminded of came easily to the page (again). NOW is YOUR time, for me means that it’s time to cultivate the courage to take your next step now.

Your next step could be…

My mission is to support businesses to grow, scale, thrive and experience the possibilities of what a healthy business can create: an impact on the lives that use/experience the product/service, often going beyond only the user, creating a career and stability for employees to learn, grow and provide for their families, freedom and flexibility for the owner, and a financial nest egg.

The unique element that I bring to my work is my calm approach, simplifying complexity, and support in reducing confusion and overwhelm, which can crop up from time to time during growth stages.

I find one of the most effective ways to reduce confusion is by having a plan. Making a decision and creating a plan to make it happen. However, indecision and overwhelm can crop often up when we’re faced with a decision of some kind that we resist making…

Here is something to consider:

Does your business currently align with YOU and your goals? Does it provide you with what you need to live your life in the way you wish?

Here are two important considerations:

1. Does it align with your desired lifestyle while working?

2. Is it structured in a way to set you up for your lifestyle after you want to move on from your business? (whether that’s passing it down to children or management, selling it, or moving into an oversight position, etc.)

Do you think of your business in these ways?

If thinking of your business in these ways is new for you or you simply haven’t given it much thought then I invite you to spend a few minutes to entertain them.

Being ‘Out of sight and out of mind’ is a killer when you’re trying to build and serve in your business.

Typically only a small percentage of your target market is ready to buy at any one time. So, staying in touch and developing relationships helps you stay ‘top of mind’ when your customers are ready for your product or service.

Because, when they are ready to buy….you’d like them to immediately think of you!

So, consider this….how can you stay in relationship with your potential buyers/clients in a way that adds value?

There’s a power and practice we all have access to that I would say is one of the most underutilized tools in our everyday toolbox….and I would venture to say, also in life.

First, here are some questions to consider:

Do you ever feel like your business or work is happening to you - a force unto itself and you’re not really in the driver’s seat?

Have you often wondered about the next step to take or how to navigate tough decisions?

Do you feel regular swirling thoughts of uncertainty and lack of direction or lack of focus when you think about your work or business?

Do you find yourself off course often - realizing that what you were doing all day or all week isn’t getting you closer to your goals or aligned with your vision?

Here’s the thing: I know how it feels to be uncertain about the next steps, to feel like it’s ‘hard’ to figure out what’s next or to wade through the noise and chaos of what comes at us daily.

I have found a simple tool and practice helpful and I wanted to share it with you today.

Growing a business and leading your organization can be fraught with ‘what-if’s’ and ‘maybe’s’ and general unknowns.

Deciding which way to go can feel like you’re at the fork of multiple paths.

So, how can you create certainty, when you don’t feel at all certain?

First, what creates certainty?

Is it more information?

Knowing you couldn’t fail?

Knowing if someone will buy?

So consider this, does having more information really create more certainty? Perhaps in some cases….but we can never really have ALL the information. Can we?

If you’re looking to make big changes in your life, career or business and wondering where to begin, you may be thinking too big.

Stay with me here…

I’d like to suggest that it’s the small things or small steps that can make…sometimes….the biggest change of all. It would get you into action.

What would be an example of a small step that you can take that could make a difference to you right now?

Here are some examples to consider, depending on what you’d like to accomplish in your career or business:

This isn’t a post about time-blocking or using your out-of-office responder strategically. While these can be effective strategies to put boundaries around your work, what I’m talking about here is a step before all of that.

First off - Is the work you’re doing…. the RIGHT work?

I can hear you saying – yes absolutely!

Before you exit out of this page, I want to challenge you to really think about that.

Are you doing the work that will move you towards your goal?

What makes someone successful in their career or business?

If you were to ask several people about their key to success, you'll get a lot of different answers (many of them about strategies and tactics), but what I've noticed is that a few consistent responses tend to surface.

The messages to return are piling up, the billing needs to be done, the meetings have to be booked, the conversations have to happen, let alone the kids need driving somewhere at the end of the day…wait…when will they have time for homework…or practicing their instrument? …and then there’s meal planing….

And then there’s Joy.

When do I have time for that?

Everyone has their own way of navigating career twists and turns.

However, there are some common themes (and mistakes) I’ve noticed that, if avoided, could actually improve your opportunities or make career changes more successful (and easier) for you.

Connecting to your work is easy for some and can be difficult for others. There are many factors that can impact how much you connect with the work you do, such as your career stage, proper job fit, etc. etc., but regardless of where you are, there are things that you can do to enhance your enjoyment of your work.

It’s something you may…or may not have heard before.

It's knowing what needs to be done in your business or in your career, but you just can't make yourself do it….

Living with intention is a way of tuning into your own desires, needs and goals and not letting yourself be swept away by the goals and desires of others. 

In my years of working as a sales professional and teaching sales at a Fortune 500 company, I've seen people held back by their own self-diagnosed assessments that they 'can't sell' or don't know 'how to sell'. 

I now coach people who are promoting their small businesses or in career transition and I've seen trends that can make a big impact to your personal sales process (whether selling your skills, product or service).

This chance encounter was not so 'by chance'. And, it reinforced a concept that I learned early on in my sales career...