“Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort.” – Deborah Day.
This quote speaks the truth. Often, we ignore spending quality time working on our business systems, strategies, and processes, arguing that we have more important things to do for our clients themselves. In reality, taking time to slow down, assess, and re-instate makes us better business owners, fitness leaders, parents, spouses, friends, humans… ok, you get the point.
I get it; finding time for personal self-care is hard. Finding time for business self-care is just as hard.
Slowing down and working on your business can feel daunting. It’s not sexy or fun. It’s detail-oriented & can be cumbersome. But it is more than worth it. Business self-care can help you make better decisions, grow your business, and find a higher level of happiness in your work.
Below are 5 Lessons For Business Success to help you slow down to speed up.
1. Learn to Stop Reacting
One of the lessons I speak about during my lectures is the power of strategy and the chaos of instant reactions. Over the past year, I am sure you jumped into a situation based on a moment of instant gratification (like an ego boost) – instead of taking time to consider the full implications of your choice. These reactions are often based on fears or irrational emotions instead of thoughts and considerations. It’s time to move away from chaos. This goes for social media, program marketing, deciding on new opportunities, and more. Instead of rushing to produce social media content, pre-plan. Instead of creating programs based on fads, take time to educate yourself & decide if this is a program that provides longevity. Stop rushing and start making dedicated decisions based on your why, target market, and business vision.
2. Learn to Schedule
If you think about doing it but don’t actually schedule a time in your calendar, it’s not going to happen. If you need to work on your social media strategy, book an appointment with your boss – you! And you don’t cancel meetings with your boss.
If you need to work on a future program, blog, email, training plan, class, etc.:
- Do not just assume you will remember or be diligent enough to do it.
- Schedule time in your calendar to get it done.
- Make it a date with yourself so you won’t skip it.
3. Learn to Ask for Help
You are not an island. You do not have to do this thing called life alone. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of self-respect. When you need time – whether that is 10 minutes to answer emails or 4 hours to take an online course- ask someone to help you achieve that time. Ask your husband to watch the kids while you educate yourself with workshops (Hello, The Fitness of Your Business webinars). Ask for subs for your classes when you know you are reaching burnout or are injured. You do not have to constantly run at top speed and should ask others to helps you when you need it.
4. Learn to Say No
You may feel many expectations are put upon you from running your business to kid’s school to extended family obligations. Are you consistently taking on new classes that don’t bring you joy? Have you taken on new clients who don’t quite fit your business? Stop trying to make square pegs fit into round holes. Perhaps you are taking on too much out of fear of saying NO. So, say no when you feel overwhelmed or when something doesn’t align with your focus.
5. Learn to Find Support
We all need a support system of other like-minded individuals where you can share ideas, brainstorm, and partner. Being surrounded by people who understand where we are in business will help you organically find solutions you may have otherwise missed. Find mentors, attend conferences in your field, follow like-minded people on social media (instead of viral celebrities), and enroll in programs designed to support you on your business journey – by people who have experience in the same field as you.
Feel stuck in a rut or can’t find the right support team yet? Join me as I guide you through 3 ways to spark your creativity. Whether you are a group fitness instructor, entrepreneur, or personal trainer, this 15-minute webinar will give you tangible tips, tricks and truths to get your creative juices flowing. Download it here.
If you are searching for more content to help make your life easier as a fitness entrepreneur, check out these additional resources: