I've been thinking about being intentional alot lately, especially since becoming an entrepreneur. Starting your own business can be so very rewarding, but it can also become overwhelming. You tend to say yes too often. You begin to make things far too random. I reeled myself in and realized I have two businesses running simultaneously – my health and wellness business and my leadership business. Both bring me equal joy. I'm extremely passionate about each, and both afford me the opportunity to help others in their journeys, but working in a random format caused confusion and efficiency issues. These businesses both warranted dedication from a time perspective. Yet, I was running out of time...literally. By the way, things were not productive – far from it. I was BUSY, but not very productive. Therein lie my lesson and the basis for my first blog. Being incredibly busy does not necessarily mean you will be productive – or profitable. It may feel good for a period of time to run hard and feel like your business is about to take off, I mean how could it not? You're killing yourself 15 hours a day, right? NOT. Being intentional means structuring your day with purpose. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, everything you do must have a reason. It must be purposeful. I now ask myself this question before I schedule the task: Is this bringing me toward my goal or is it slowing me down? The power of intention is pretty remarkable. I now find myself really focusing more on outcomes versus activity. I now think through busy work versus income-producing work and started to pull back on things that would never drive revenue or happiness. (Yes, at this stage of life, joy deserves some sort of currency-like value). I had to be very INTENTIONAL here, and I must say it was tough. Once I was able to weed out the things that weren't serving me and I organized my day, things began to run smoother. Realizing that you can't and shouldn't do it all is empowering. Intuitively you may think the opposite, but it truly is fulfilling to know that NO is a complete sentence. Say no to what is no longer serving you personally or professionally. That leads to my personal life and the same holds true there. Intention matters. We needed to become intentional about what we wanted to do with the limited time we do have. This was actually more challenging. Time needed to be blocked for necessary chores, but then we needed to INTENTIONALLY schedule what we wanted to do socially to keep us connected to friends, family, and each other. Saturday night dinners out - check. They're now scheduled. Once a month trips to NYC to see a play – check. They've been scheduled. Extended family time - check. I do not believe we have all have balance in our lives, but I do know we have choices. Choices to make our lives whatever we want it to be. Choose the things that will bring you the most joy, gratitude, and will pull you closer to your dream.
Stay intentional and stay in your power. You were made to do great things.
My Very Best Always,
