Navigating Your Business Journey: The Power of Self-Reflection
Be Intentional with Your Time
"Am I being intentional with my time or am I busy being busy?"
Time is arguably the most valuable asset we have. However, many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of being constantly busy without making meaningful progress. Intentional focus on high-impact activities is the cornerstone of productivity. Evaluate how you spend your time by conducting a time audit, like Amy suggests in Episode 346 of the “Unplugged Challenge.” This exercise will help pinpoint areas where you're wasting time and allow you to make the necessary adjustments to increase productivity and effectiveness.
Embrace Discipline Over Excuses
"Am I disciplined, or am I making excuses?"
Working from home offers flexibility but also numerous distractions. Whether it's house chores or the allure of a sunny day outside, staying disciplined is crucial. Amy emphasizes the importance of having a list of daily non-negotiables—tasks you commit to completing regardless of external circumstances. Treat your business like a 9-to-5 job; show up every day and get the work done.
Delegate and Automate
"Am I delegating, or am I doing it all?"
One of the significant pitfalls for entrepreneurs is trying to juggle everything themselves. This mode of operation is unsustainable and leads to burnout. Identify tasks that can be eliminated, automated, or delegated. Tools and AI can help manage time-consuming activities, freeing you to focus on core business functions. Delegation isn't limited to large teams; even solopreneurs can benefit from strategic outsourcing and automation.
Show Up Boldly and Confidently
"Am I showing up boldly and confidently, or am I blending in?"
In a saturated market, standing out is crucial for success. Amy challenges us to be bold and authentic rather than conforming to the "sea of sameness" prevalent on social media. Your unique voice and opinions attract your ideal audience. Speaking your truth requires courage but will ultimately result in more engagement and a stronger brand presence.
Ask for What You Need
"Am I asking, or am I assuming?"
Entrepreneurs often hesitate to ask for what they need due to a fear of rejection or being a burden. Whether it's asking for a sale, collaboration, or feedback, remember that not asking guarantees a "no". As Amy shares, her bold asks opened doors she never imagined. Reaching out to potential mentors, clients, or partners can lead to significant opportunities and growth.
Be Decisive
"Am I being decisive, or am I overthinking?"
Overthinking can paralyze progress. Quick, informed decision-making can be a game changer for your business. Amy advocates for making decisions and then gathering data to assess and pivot as needed. This agile approach allows you to adapt and grow more efficiently.
Trust Yourself
"Am I trusting myself, or am I relying on external validation?"
In a world obsessed with likes, comments, and shares, it's easy to seek external validation. However, true success comes from trusting your instincts and decisions. Relying on external feedback can distort your vision and hold you back. Remember, your business journey is uniquely yours.
Create, Don’t Just Consume
"Am I creating, or am I consuming?"
Consuming content feels productive, but it's often a form of procrastination. Prioritize creation over consumption. By creating valuable content, you position yourself as a leader and a trailblazer in your field. Use social media and digital platforms to showcase your expertise rather than just absorbing information.
Conclusion
Regular self-reflection using these eight questions can radically improve your business journey. By deliberately assessing where you are and where you're headed, you can make informed decisions that align with your goals. Take the time to practice these steps regularly; it will not only change the trajectory of your business but also your life. Cheers to stepping on the gas pedal towards your most successful self!
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Transcript for Episode 351. How to Reach Your Goals Faster
Amy [00:00:02]:
In order to get to where you want to be, your gps needs two things it needs to know. First of all, what is your destination? Where exactly are you going? But it also needs to know exactly where you are. What the heck does this have to do with your business? My friend, the same thing applies in your business. In order to get to exactly where you want to be in terms of income, in terms of team, in terms of your life, you need to have the clarity as to where you are and where you want to be. So today I'm actually going to walk you through my personal exercise that I use over and over and over, at least on a monthly basis, to check in and see where am I right now. All too often, we get focused on the future thinking, okay, I need this. I need to be doing this. I need to be, you know, going these places, doing all of the things all of the time.
Amy [00:01:19]:
But we really need to pause and assess exactly where we are. So I want you to grab a notebook because this episode is going to be full, completely full of strategies for you to really unpack exactly where it is that you are right now. Because it's the awareness that creates the clarity, the clarity that you need, that awareness of exactly what you're doing and why you're doing it. As you're going through this exercise, just as I've cautioned you before, the key is to be non judgmental. We're improving awareness. We're not judging ourselves. We're not beating ourselves up. If we're falling short in some of these areas, because it's okay.
Amy [00:02:11]:
I am here to tell you, guess what? All the time I find myself doing the things that I'm like, oh, wait, that's not exactly supporting my goals. But now, because I'm aware I can start to shift, I can regain that control and change my actions to align with my goals, therefore getting me towards my goals faster. So the very 1st 01:00 a.m. i being intentional with my time or am I busy being busy? Am I scattered in my actions? Intentional focus amplifies your results. When your focus is everywhere, that's when we tend to get overwhelmed as entrepreneurs, when we're losing our focus, trying to do all of the things, all of the time, we get into these cycles of procrastination. One of my favorite phrases is procrastinating. How often do you spend, spend planning versus actually taking action, doing the things that would move you forward? And if you're not sure how to answer this question, I encourage you to go back and listen to episode 346. It was part of our unplugged challenge.
Amy [00:03:37]:
And in that very first episode, I talk all about a time audit and how that is really, truly key to unpacking how we're spending, spending our time. And that is an exercise I encourage you to go back and do over and over and over. And if you join the free challenge, there's even a workbook page that's dedicated to helping you track your time. Because, again, it's the awareness that creates the change that allows us to take action towards changing any behavior. So number 01:00 a.m. i being intentional with my time. Number 02:00 a.m. i disciplined, or am I making excuses? Again, this is one that's very easy to get wrapped up in, especially when life is happening.
Amy [00:04:34]:
Working from home. Most of us are solopreneurs or have a very small team. Am I being disciplined? Am I actually showing up for my business? Am I treating my business like a business? Do you have that list of daily, non negotiable items that when life is life and you're still moving forward because the temptation is real? When you're working at home, it's so easy to be like, well, it's a really nice day. I'm gonna go for a walk. Yes, having the flexibility to do that is such a blessing. But are you actually having the discipline to show up on the days where you just don't feel like it? Think about when you were in your nine to five job. There were days where you didn't want to go into work, but you had to show up in order to get paid. It is the same way within our businesses.
Amy [00:05:28]:
We need to treat our business like a business and know and have that self awareness of when we start to veer off track. I actually have my daily non negotiables written down to stay disciplined so that I'm not even having to think about, okay, what is next? What do I need to do next in order to keep the needle moving forward? So number 02:00 a.m. i disciplined, or am I making excuses? Number 03:00 a.m. i delegating, or am I doing it all? And this is one that really trips a lot of us up because we get into the martyr mode we think we need to be doing, again, all of the things and listen, I get it. You may be thinking, you know what? But it's only me. I don't have a budget to outsource. I don't want a whole team, and that's okay. But what you need to do is zoom out, look at your standard operating procedures, and identify what can I eliminate off of my schedule? What can I automate in my schedule? That's the really cool part about AI.
Amy [00:06:49]:
New technology is constantly developing emerging tools to help you so that the things that you don't need to be doing all of the time, you can set those automations and systems up to support you, to save you time, to save you energy, and to move the needle forward. So, again, am I delegating or am I trying to do it all? Number 04:00 a.m. i showing up boldly and confidently, or am I blending in? And this one, if you have any sort of a social media presence, is important, because right now, doesn't it feel like the sea of sameness out there? Like everybody's doing the same trends, everybody's saying, okay, in order to grow a successful account, you need to do XYZ. Well, if we're all doing XYZ, guess what? We further contribute to this sea of sameness. When we're all blending in and doing the same thing, nobody sees us because it's noisy. So in order to stand out, we have to be different. We have to be polarizing. We have to speak our truth.
Amy [00:08:13]:
And full disclosure, I am one of those people. I don't like to ruffle feathers, but I've really been intentionally speaking my truth, starting to question some of the things that I'm seeing in the online space. And you know what? Every time I do that, even though it's hard for me because I am the peacemaker, I get more engagement on those posts, hosts, I get more engagement because now what I'm doing is I'm attracting those that are like, yeah, that's me, too. And repelling those that I'm not for, because I'm not going to be for everyone. So it takes that courage to be bold. But when you're bold, you step into your power. When you step into your power, you become a trailblazer and begin to stand out. So am I being bold and showing up confidently, or am I blending it? Number 05:00 a.m.
Amy [00:09:15]:
i asking, or am I assuming now this one is a game changer? Because I am always the person that's like, oh, I don't want to be a father. Right? No, no, no, no. If you don't ask, the answer will always be no. It goes back to being bold. You have to ask for what you need. You know, it's crazy. I just did this a few months ago when I released my book, the CEO method and entrepreneurs guide to business success. Make sure you grab your free copy.
Amy [00:09:51]:
There is a link in the show notes. So what I did was I made some pretty bold asks. I included a list of books that have inspired me on my journey. If you're watching me on YouTube, they're all right behind me. And I reached out to many of the authors that I included in that book, and I was like, hey, your books inspired me. Your books helped me. Can I send you a copy? And so I heard back from a lot of them. They're like, yeah, sure.
Amy [00:10:19]:
I would love that. Thank you so much for reaching out. Others I didn't hear back from. Again, it means nothing about me and my worthen. If they didn't answer or said no, no big deal, it's absolutely fine. But because I asked, that has opened opportunities. I just got shouted out the other day on social media by Judy Haller. Judy Haller, like, she's big time.
Amy [00:10:45]:
She wrote, fear is my homeboy and literally inspired so much inside of me to begin to make fear my Yden friend so that I could embrace it. But again, it's because I had the confidence and the courage to ask. So make sure you're asking for what you need. I know it can be scary, but the more you practice, the easier it gets. Even something like having the courage to ask for the sale when you're on a sales call, asking. Asking is hard. And a lot of times we don't like to ask because of our fear of rejection. But just because someone says no to you, no is just another term for next opportunity.
Amy [00:11:35]:
So the next time that you're afraid, be scared and do it anyways. Just go for it. Because the worst case scenario, they don't answer back or they say no, and you move on. No big deal. All right, what number are we on? I don't even know number. 06:00 a.m. i. Being decisive, or am I overthinking? And we talked about this in a previous episode before the power of fast decision making.
Amy [00:12:10]:
Holy cow. I am the world's biggest overthinker. Do you ever do that? I just. I would overanalyze everything. But because I have the awareness, I knew that something had to change. So now what do I do? I get into action. I make that decision, and I will tell you what that has been. A game changer.
Amy [00:12:32]:
A game changer. Because when I get into action, I gather. I gather information so that I can analyze the data. And when I analyze the data, I really get a clear assessment. Assessment. And then I can take further aligned action. So number 06:00 a.m. i being decisive, or am I overthinking? Number 07:00 a.m.
Amy [00:12:58]:
i trusting myself or am I relying on external validation? This one is hard. It's hard, especially for my fellow people pleasers out there. This one follows. It falls into kind of the last one we talked about being decisive, but am I trusting myself? Really learning to trust your gut, to trust yourself. Gosh, it's powerful. Again, we go back to social media and we look at the constant need for external validation. We're feeding this dopamine cycle over and over because we're looking for the likes, the comments, the shares, and we're basing our worth off of a stranger on the Internet. Or if somebody has something negative to say about something we posted that can cut through us, right? That can hurt.
Amy [00:13:54]:
But as you learn to trust yourself, you realize at the end of the day, it's just you versus you. So number 07:00 a.m. i trusting myself or am I relying on external validation? And finally, number 08:00 a.m. i creating or am I consuming? This one is very easy to get stuck in the consumptivitis mode because what happens is consuming our brain thinks we're doing. So when we're overwhelmed, when we're frustrated, we tend to pick up our phones, we start scrolling, we go down the rabbit hole. And then what happens? A lot of times we start comparing ourselves to others. But when you intentionally create prior to consuming and use social media as a tool versus a weapon to compare yourself to everyone else, you start to again stand out. You start to step into your power.
Amy [00:15:06]:
You become the authority. You become the leader, the trailblazer. Because now you're doing what others aren't doing. You're creating. You're leveraging these powerful platforms as a tool to help you grow, to help you stand out, to help you attract your people. So there you have it. That is my eight step monthly self reflection practice. And this doesn't have to take you a lot of time.
Amy [00:15:43]:
Just brain dump it. Brain dump it out. This requires practice, but the more you practice, just like everything else in life, it will get easier. But this self awareness is truly key in order to assess exactly where you are so that you can skyrocket your success, so that you can step on the gas pedal and know that you're headed on the most efficient path to that destination. Take the time to do this and it will change the trajectory of your business. I am here cheering for you. And until next time, cheers. To making the money you want so you can create a the impact you desire.
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