What Happened to Those New Year’s Resolutions?
There are two great things about Spring – the weather and the weather.
But if you are anything like my clients – there’s also something that has disappeared a bit – it’s that excitement and energy and zeal that you had in January. It’s that feeling that you could do anything you wanted. That feeling that comes with a fresh start.
It’s about this time of year that disappointment can set in. Old habits start to come back. And you just feel slightly less happy about running your own business. It’s also when the need for chocolate and sugar and binge TV starts to increase!
Welcome to March Sadness, which may be a close friend to March Madness – but is definitely not the same!
I’ve been coaching people now for 11 years. And I’ve come to recognize that this is the month that people put their heads up and start to recognize that those New Year’s resolutions are harder than they thought. That things are just not quite happening like they planned. That it’s already March – and well it seems like they are on the same road they were on last year.
Can you relate?
Perhaps you’ve experienced a bit of March Sadness?
Look, it’s quite normal to be re-evaluating this month. But if you let March Sadness pull you into March paralysis, then there will be cash flow issues coming up fast and furious! So the key is to know what to do when you get into a sad space. Whether it’s in March or frankly anytime of the year.
Because sadness leads to inaction and inaction leads to empty bank accounts and full time jobs.
If you’re in this space, there are three things that you really need right now.
1. Stop the comparison. Often at this time we create a mythical superwoman. This woman is everything. She’s doing amazing in her business. She’s got a hot partner. Even her kids are cute. And she’s got total life balance. This is the woman that lives on FB. The one that we all post about – every day. The perfect version of ourselves.
Know that this woman doesn’t exist. She is a made-up fantasy that we carry around to make ourselves feel bad and hopeful at the same time.
You are amazing just the way you are. You chose your gifts and challenges at some point and every single one of them is helping you step into the kind of person you want to be in the world. Embrace them.
Be patient with yourself and your learnings and know we are all in the same boat! Some days it seems like it is floating and other days we are dumping the water out.
2. Get out of isolation. Go out with friends. Go to a networking event. Go to a business event. What you need is connection and inspiration. There’s something remarkable that happens when you have an amazing conversation. Everything changes. You realize you aren’t alone. And then the ideas start to flow like water from a faucet.
3. Get into action. You can’t be in action and in fear at the same time. Make a list of 10 people and organizations to call or reach out to. Go down the list and reach out with no emotional attachment to whether they pick up or not. Do this every day. You’ll see yourself start to move forward.
Remember the most important aspect of your business is getting sales. So make sure you are prioritizing making connections and having sales conversations at the top of your list!
Now go enjoy the weather! And leave me a comment as to how it’s going for you!
