I attended a phenomenal business retreat given by Lisa Crilley-Mallis, and I had a single, concrete objective: develop my proactive lead generation plan for 2023.
But for a day and a half, I was completely frustrated. The numbers wouldn’t gel. And when I finally did figure them out, they didn’t really align with my goals, as I shared in the kickoff blog in this series… and the crying commenced.
But then something unexpected happened.
I suddenly noticed all the garbage I’d been saying to myself:
- Business is slow because you’ve been coasting.
- You haven’t been mentoring your team closely enough: delegation through abdication doesn’t work and you know it!
- You’re such a slacker.
- Why aren’t you exercising?
- You should be doing more.
All these things had been running undetected, like a low hum in the background. So quiet that I didn’t notice, but they were impacting me every single day.
I had to let it all go, and for me, it happened in a flash: it’s like the volume was suddenly turned up to 11 and then went silent as the truth rushed in.
The truth is, I’ve been recovering from being sick for the past year.
The truth is, to fully recover, I needed to cut my hours to 6 hours or less per day.
The truth is, I had to reserve my energy for healing, even though it meant not exercising.
The truth is, my team has been amazing and kept the business moving as I recovered.
The truth is that I HAVE been coasting.
And the BIG truth is, I’ve built a business that is so solid that it COULD coast for a year without major repercussions.
There were more tears… but much happier ones.
Tears of relief and of joy and release and forgiveness.
To truly elevate my business, I first have to fully accept and embrace my starting point, without judgement.
So whether or not you have a “good enough” reason for not accomplishing everything you think you should have, you have got to let it go and forgive yourself. You’re dragging around that baggage and all it does is drain your energy. There is zero return on investment.
Take a minute to identify all the judgement, look it square in the eye, and then let it go.
Amazing Mary! Wow
I needed to hear this, Mary. I’ve been ashamed about not following my marketing and self care plans and heaping loads of shame/blame on myself. It really is like taking a needle and deflating myself like a burst balloon. It’s important to let that go and give oneself grace, compassion and support.
Mary you are the best! I love this article. Thank you for your transparency and making being a successful business woman so authentic.