Mary Cravets

This morning I woke up feeling tired and grumbly with my internal dialogue turned up to 11 on the negativity scale (“Why do I bother? Where are my results? I’m going back to bed…”), I came across this post on Facebook from a friend who had a back injury decades ago, and still suffers daily:

“I remember how I could stand, sit, walk, bend, twist, jump, flip, do handstands, dance, skydive, throw a ball, take a shower, swim, run, shoot pool, wrestle, play guitar, perform, write, concentrate, think, sleep, wash my car, build things, etc. But I can’t remember what it feels like to live without pain… Don’t take it for granted.”

Thank you, my friend, for reminding me to get over the petty stuff, and get seriously grateful.

A few weeks ago I noticed my clothes were a bit tight, and it occurred to me that I never really got back into the swing of healthy eating after Christmas.

So I started the battle to reestablish my healthy habits. Eating right, exercising, and then falling off the wagon for my birthday. I got back into the swing of things, and finally about a week ago, I got into the routine where exercising and eating right finally feels normal, rather than a struggle.

This morning, one short week after the commitment really took hold, I hopped on the scale. Prepared to be dazzled by my progress, I quickly discovered I’d dropped only .6 pounds. My mind started racing, “Should I cut back more? Exercise more? No fruit? Eat more at lunch and less at breakfast? What should I change to reach my goal? I’ve been doing everything right, what’s the point?”

All of a suddenly I felt like I was talking to clients who, just because they had a bad week in business, want to start changing everything. The parallels are striking, and whether you are looking to fit into your skinny jeans or working towards a big business goal, here are 3 simple steps that will help:

1. Get clear. Set a goal and make a decision to work towards it.
2. Get a plan. Define the steps necessary to reach your goal.
3. Get into action. Execute your plan consistently, track your results, and adjust as needed.

You’ll know you’ve missed one of these steps if you’re constantly overworking, reinventing, and everything feels difficult. And if you have these steps in place, but you’re constantly looking for new opportunities and feeling hopeless and impatient, you’re not giving enough time for the steps to produce results.

Whatever your goal, when these steps are in place, your progress is consistent, and you experience a profound sense of ease and accomplishment.

So even though it’s challenging in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, take the time to step back and evaluate. Get your plan together. Then go out there and do it. Stop driving yourself crazy trying every new fad out there. Business, and life, is so much easier if you just take a little time and let it.

And if you need help, get in touch. Achievement through simplicity is my specialty.

Usually this is my favorite month. Spring is in the air, it’s my birth month – tons of good things. But this year, March has kept me reeling with illnesses and back issues. As a result, my attitude has gone in the toilet.

In an attempt to get myself out of my funk, I turned to my go-to solution: create a success. Putting something in my “wins” column is always motivating and helps me return to my normally sunny attitude.

Brainstorming how I to create a success, here’s how my thought process went:

“I know, I’ll offer coaching sessions at the price I offered when I first got started. Yeah, I’ll send it out to my list and take 3 people – that will definitely give me wins!

But wait… didn’t I commit to not doing single sessions because they didn’t actually help people long-term? And if I get 3 people signed up, I’ll work for hours to make less than I make in my entry-level group program, and work with people who may or may not be serious and who are less likely toimplement. This isn’t going to create an actual win, is it?”

Upon reflection, my initial solution went against two important things: my value of impact – having to make a positive change in others’ lives – and my income goals. If I had gone through with this plan, I would have been totally out of alignment with who I am, and with what I want. This would have been a losing proposition, and completely unmotivating!

Have you ever gone through a similar thought process? Come up with an idea that you got momentarily excited about, but ultimately lead you in the wrong direction?

This is really common in the life of a business owner. I hear it again and again from my clients who want to stir up their business. So how do stop getting caught up in just doing anything to get a win and instead work on the things that give you wins that really count in the long run?

1. Think it through. Is your action aligned with your values, goals, and proven marketing plan?
2. Pause. Give some space for additional information to arise, even if it’s just for 24 hours.
3. Get an outside perspective from an expert. Too often I see business owners getting advice from someone who is an employee or who has never successfully run their own business. Speak to a business coach, your mentor, or peer who has “been there, done that”.
   

Stay excited about your business. Try new things. And give yourself the gift of taking action that will give you what you really want!

I visited my husband at his Real Estate office in Sedona recently, when I saw a woman walking across the parking lot, lugging a box of stuff toward the nearby coffee shop. She was in her 50s or 60s and had a tired air about her, yet a fluidity to her walk- almost a carelessness. Something itched at the back of my mind- what was this quality I was witnessing?

Then it hit me- she’s an entrepreneur.

I saw a beautiful stubbornness that I related to without her having to utter a word: the absolute commitment to do ANYTHING in order to avoid being tied down to working for someone else.

Soul sister!

I have a special place in my heart for entrepreneurs, especially those who are taking their first wobbly steps towards working for themselves. I sigh with almost motherly pride when I see an entrepreneur set up an information table at a coffee shop, or in front of the health food store. My heart aches with joy when I see a man at a restaurant present his “30 second commercial” to his waiter. It makes me laugh- the inexperience, the tenacity, the enthusiasm- it’s all just such a strange and wonderful combination. We put our pride, our hearts and our hopes on the line in pursuit of freedom.  

And yes, I realize I am romanticizing. Along with my sighing and the aching, I know the shadow side. Sleepless nights from both success highs and failure lows. The ups and downs of income. The skepticism of family and friends who think we are completely nuts. On the down days, we suspect they might be right.  

It’s no wonder we entrepreneurs often feel like we have one foot on the gas and one on the brake.

Your best bet? Keep a laser focus on the things you 100% control over that lead directly to your goals.

Look at those faces – could you just eat them up? Meet Zoe and Owen, my sister’s children who I adore. Having the freedom to travel to California and pick them up from school to feed them cupcakes is one of the best paychecks I get! And my bonus? They think Auntie Mary rocks!

As I was pondering what to write today, it occurred to me that this adorable moment was made possible because of something I did 7 years ago. I defined my values, and then made sure every business decision I made thereafter was in alignment with those values.

I’m a highly pragmatic person, so the idea of defining my values seemed like an exercise navel-gazing at the time. I was so wrong. It was by far one of the most important things I have ever done. Today my values operate like a combination of an internal compass, my DNA and oxygen. In other words, essential to a fulfilling life.

What is your experience with understanding and living in alignment with your values? Inquiring minds want to know!