It’s 3:30 in the morning and you’re wide awake staring at the ceiling.
You look over and your spouse is sound asleep without a care in the world.
You toss and turn and all you can think about is work, work, work.
- Payroll is on Wednesday, are those checks going to come in?
- Do we have enough work for the crew this week?
- Is your main guy going to be late again or what happens if he doesn’t show up like last week?
- The paint store bill was due last week, are they going to shut off your credit?
- etc…
You glance at the clock and it’s now 4:10am.
You’re still wide awake tossing and turning with your mind racing.
You even resort to trying all of those breathing techniques you heard about on youtube to try and help you fall asleep.
Not working.
It’s now 4:40 am and you finally doze off…
“BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!” The alarm rings at 5:15 am!
You and your spouse wake up and she asks, “How did you sleep?”
You answer, “Great.”
Can you relate to this?
This was me a few years back.
You have to ask yourself, “How is this going to change if I don’t do something different than I’m doing right now?”
A couple more questions to ask yourself:
- Is it you that needs to change?
- Is it the business that needs to change?
- Is it everyone else that needs to change?
I wanted to choose number 3 for the longest time.
In reality, it was number 1 and number 2. Mainly, yes, it was me.
Albert Einstein defined insanity as, “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
By Mr. Einstein’s definition, I was insane and I knew it.
I was no longer working for the weekend as we did in our younger years or working on the business, but worse yet, the business was running me.
The Miracle Pill: does not exist.
Implement the DYB System (9 Steps for Doubling Your Business), along with these life-changing tips:
- Get up early in the morning when everyone else is still sleeping and work on the business from your desk when there are no other distractions. (This may mean going to bed earlier than you ever imagined).
- Make a list, but keep it short to three items that you want to complete during your morning time alone that will make the most difference in your business with the greatest results.
- Start a goals journal with 10 goals written and re-written every day. Use this formula: they must be
- In the Present
- Positive
- Personal
- Date on the end
- ex: I am 180 pounds by May 31, 2017. I have $100,000 in my savings by November 30, 2017.
- Look deeply at the culture of your business. Are all your Team Members (employees) on board with the business? This means:
- Do they represent your company the way you want them to?
- When they are present on a job, are you proud they are there or are you waiting for a potential explosion of some sort?
- Are they late to work again or maybe habitually calling in sick? How many flat tires can one person have in the same year? (I had guys who had more flat tires in one year than I did my entire life!)
- Exercise: Go for a walk or go to the gym. Physical exercise helps to improve your mood because it increases the production of serotonin, a critical neurotransmitter found in the brain that is associated with good health and mental well-being. By increasing serotonin levels in the brain, exercise works as a natural antidepressant.
- Self-awareness: The three points of self-awareness are:
- Understanding your life’s story and were you came from and accept your past journey.
- Create a daily habit of self-reflection: journal, pray, take a long walk or meditating are all aspects reflecting on yourself.
- Seek honest feedback from others – as many of us can not see ourselves as others see us so, finding someone who can provide honest feedback is crucial. (Psychology Today)
- Change Your Habits. A great reference book for this would be “The Power of Habit: Why we do What We do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg“.
- Shut your Television off and read a book.
Turning Points
My three major turning points for myself and my business were:
- Find a mentor and or coach. This would be an accountability partner who can be brutally honest with you and one you respect and will take action, even when it is uncomfortable to do so.
- Admit you need change and embrace it. What you are currently doing is obviously in need of a tweak or complete change.
- Be Uncomfortable: Step outside your safe zone. Being safe is boring and we do not want to be boring.
Evaluation Time:
Nothing happens until the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of change (Arthur Burt).
How is YOUR Pain?
In other words, how did you sleep last night?