How I’m becoming more intentional with my business
One thing I’m very good at is goal setting. I’m a planner, a day dreamer, a scroller in the middle of the night type of person. I’ve got 20+ lists going in my phone that include my to-do list, grocery list, design concepts for future homes and goals I want to hit in 1, 5 and 10 years. Ever looked up a 10-year calendar and imagined yourself at your future ages? How many kids you might have? What skills and hobbies you’ll have developed? What your daily routine will be like? I do. All. The. Time.
It might seem intense, but it fuels me and has helped me navigate BIG decisions - like swan diving away from my corporate job into entrepreneurship, or booking a month in Australia and New Zealand with my husband and then 11-month-old.
I’ve realized that, for better or for worse, the more I envision and obsess over my plans, the more I’m able to manifest them into reality. My current life is proof that putting a goal out in the universe helps rearrange your day-to-day so that you progress toward it [I promise you I envisioned where I am today 3+ years ago].
Where I often fall short is in the execution. I am HARD on myself. I set crazy expectations and feel like I’m not reaching them. Or I’m heads down determined to knock off each task as everything else piles up around me, amplified by my screaming toddlers.
But with my big goals in mind, I can breathe and get back on track. I’m realizing that being an entrepreneur and attempting to ‘have it all’ is a huge exercise in trial and error. It’s the scientific method amplified. You try something out, you assess, revise and do it again. You do more of what works, less of what doesn’t, and in the process you discover what you can and cannot tolerate.
Yes, it’s February. But January 2021 seemed like another month in 2020, so I’m starting fresh, again. I’m setting a new type of goal for myself. I want to make the process easier and more enjoyable. I want to intentionally build my company so that I’m not crazy stressed with clients and I have more time to invest in content creation. I’m in the midst of the growing pains right now - time and energy are my currency and it’s a battle managing both - but I’m taking the steps to get where I want to go.
Here’s what I’m doing:
asking for advice from two female entrepreneur mentors [no more, 2 is enough] who are more experienced than me
outsourcing help with bookkeeping, editorial work and strategy
rearranging my week so I only meet with clients on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
saying no to clients that aren’t also 100% invested in their digital strategy
Knowing the end goals is great, but operating with intention and purpose in the minutiae of daily life is the real trick. I’m holding myself to the destination but not beating myself up on the journey.
And with that, we are back in action.
xo, Melissa