Business Success

Business success.

It is the cherry that sits on top of a perfectly formed cupcake foundation of time, effort, and various ingredients to create a delicious masterpiece to be proud of.

All too often, the success of a business is marked as the one thing to strive for, the one thing that should be focused on solely. But if we’re only focused on the cherry, where and how will we create our cupcake foundation that holds it all together?

Business owners are a busy, striving, determined set of people. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the success and big picture of it all and forget what really matters, what builds the foundation: the little work, the mundane tasks of every day, the little joys that are created from these tasks, and the love for it that led to the inception of the business to begin with.

When we re-focus our energy into daily tasks, our minds are free to become lighter with the little goals, the mile markers, instead of the destination.

To give a comparison, let’s say you would like to lose 50 pounds in the next year. Would you expect this weight to come off in a week of exercise and eating well? No, it is not sustainable or healthy. Would you be upset with yourself for not losing 50 pounds in a week? Hopefully not, knowing that it takes time and consistent effort to achieve this in a healthy matter. The same is applicable to the success of any business. Showing up every day, becoming consistent in your work and most of all, enjoying it is the key to a sustainable future.

So how does one achieve this outlook when they have BIG goals, or their savings is on the line, a demanding workload, or a family to take care of?

Take a breath! The work will always be there, waiting for you. It is important to remember that you are human, you have needs outside of your business that must be met as well to function at optimum level. In order to show up consistently and keep that adoration for the work you are doing, you must show up as your whole self. Here are a few tips to maintain this healthy outlook:

1. Make time to spend with family and friends without the distraction of your work. This allows your mind to take a break from the constant stream of “need to do’s” and “have to accomplish” thoughts. Approaching the work after these break periods provides a fresh outlook.

2. Delegate tasks if able to. Delegating and letting go of the more tedious tasks, allows you to pour focus into other areas.

3. Set intentions when you wake up in the morning; what do you want to focus on today and what will it take to get there?

4. Take care of your body; exercise, eat well. It creates a healthy environment for your mind to get along with high stress decisions and work, not just exacerbate it.

5. Remember why you started. When things start to get stressful, take a moment to remember why you are doing what you’re doing and allow the simplest form of your aspirations to give you pause and reason

The cherry on top will always be waiting for us, along with more ingredients, more sophisticated ways of baking, sweeter frosting, and maybe a few burnt takes. In the end, the small efforts of day to day will always outweigh the greatest achievements; the greatest achievements only exist due to the efforts of our consistency.