How to Embrace a Life-Centered Mindset to Find Your Business Success

Before we dive into the details, let me share a tale that beautifully sets the stage for our discussion.

In the heart of a dense forest, where the morning mist kissed the treetops, lived two lumberjacks, Thomas and William. Both were known for their dedication but approached their work differently.

Thomas, a man of steadfast diligence, believed in the power of hard work. Every day, from dawn until dusk, he swung his axe, determined to cut down as many trees as possible. His brow glistened with sweat, and his hands were as rough as the bark he sliced through. To him, every falling tree was a triumph, a testament to his unyielding will.

William, on the other hand, took a different approach. He worked steadily, but unlike Thomas, he took frequent breaks. Some in the village saw this as laziness, but William knew better. During these breaks, he would sit under the shade of an old oak tree, pull out a whetstone, and carefully sharpen his axe. He also took time to stretch his muscles, drink water, and sometimes simply enjoy the beauty of the forest.

As time went by, something curious happened. Despite Thomas's relentless effort, William consistently felled more trees. The villagers, baffled by this, finally asked William about his secret. With a gentle smile, he explained, “Every break I take, I’m sharpening my axe. A sharp axe cuts faster and easier than a dull one. And those moments of rest? They rejuvenate my body and soul, allowing me to work efficiently and joyfully.”

In this tranquil setting, Thomas and William aren’t simply skilled lumberjacks. They embody the heart and soul of every hardworking entrepreneur, each with their dreams and struggles.

The Tipping Point of Overworking

This relentless cycle often leads to a critical issue: burnout. Burnout affects your health and relationships and can ironically hinder your business's growth. You've likely experienced the relentless cycle of striving to achieve more, often at the expense of your personal life. This addresses a critical issue: the blurring line between diligent work and overworking, a line that, once crossed, can lead to a life where business overshadows everything else.

At the heart of this dilemma lies a common misconception: the belief that failing to complete every task equates to personal or professional failure. This mindset is particularly prevalent among high achievers adept at accomplishing tasks. The more that needs doing, the more you do, feeding into a vicious cycle. It's a cycle where the sheer volume of work obscures the tipping point. The point where it becomes impossible to do it all.

This situation might sound all too familiar. But here's a question that often needs to be answered: What if the problem isn't your capability but your expectations? Have you considered that you might be expecting too much from your working hours? We aren't questioning your competence or drive. We are reassessing how much you can reasonably achieve without sacrificing your well-being.

We find that the reactions vary when we pose this question to others. Some find it offensive if their capacity to work hard is being doubted. Others experience a moment of clarity, a realization that their relentless pursuit of professional success is unbalanced.

This brings us to an essential point: recognizing the difference between being a high achiever and simply overworking. As business owners, there's always more to be done, more goals to pursue, and higher peaks to climb. But at what cost??

Let's delve deeper into the consequences of this imbalance and explore strategies to realign your expectations with reality without compromising your drive for success.

Achieving more doesn't have to mean sacrificing your personal life. In other words, work smarter, not harder, and know when to say, "Enough is enough for today."

Recognizing when your strength becomes your weakness

Workaholism is an addiction.? A habit fostered by conscious and subconscious beliefs at work.? It starts innocently, but truly outside of your family expressing their frustration with your absence from daily family life. No system or person is telling you to put things to bed at a reasonable time.? Everything in your entrepreneurial ecosystem clamors for you to work more.

Therefore, if you are looking for extrinsic signs and signals to give you cause to reign things in, you’ll forever be locked into the cycle until you physically or mentally can not continue.? This moment is the supreme crash-and-burn moment.? Whether a health or mental crisis, your body will eventually go on strike.? Let’s avoid that.

Yet, this crash-and-burn moment sheds light on the solution.? The only person in control is you. We are prone to pointing fingers at a multitude of causes or reasons that force us to keep at it well past quitting time.? The truth is that you overwork yourself because you do not choose not to overwork yourself.

Why is this tough-love moment necessary?? Your desire to stop overworking has to be stronger than the urge to overwork.? Until this happens, no matter the tools I give you, you’ll be stuck in a Groundhog Day of your own making.

Once you choose a different and better way, we can start working on the priorities that need to shift to help you achieve a healthy work-life balance without sacrificing business success.

A Shift in Focus: From Business-Led to Life-Centered

Up to this point, you likely have focused on business first, family second, and yourself last.? We recommend flipping that on its head.? You come first, which means maintaining your physical and mental health.? This goes on your schedule first.? If you aren’t in tip-top shape, you won’t be who you must be for your family and business.

Next is your family.? While things certainly will pop up, time with family can be put on the schedule.? When my kids were in elementary and middle school, pick-up time was on my calendar, including a 45-minute buffer before I needed to be in the pick-up line.? Why such a big buffer?? I am the queen of getting one more thing done.? I know this, so I allow time for it instead of ignoring the fact that I will do it.? On the back end of pick-up time, any tasks I had for myself were lightweight tasks that could be interrupted. In essence, I reorganized my work to suit the balance I needed.

Then, it is time to put rest on the calendar.? For me, my recharge comes through travel.? With both boys in college in the fall, I wanted to ensure that we had travel time scheduled and didn’t leave things to chance.? Here’s what 2024 is looking like right now:?

Looking ahead, I can already see that March has 3 trips: a work trip for my husband to Chicago that I’m going to, a Spring Break trip with the family, and then a work trip for me to Denver.? My other full month is fall move-in for the boys.? (Our younger son is deciding between two schools, so both move-ins are on the schedule for now.)

In each case, when it comes to the business, it will need to fit around the schedule.? There are two ways that we make this happen in Your Biz Rules.?

1. We have a few boundaries in place.? One of which is that, for the most part, I do not accept appointments on Fridays.? This gives me space to close loops on the week, work on special projects, and play a little hooky.
2. We have a role of gentle accountability among the team.? That is, we plan for vacations, and we encourage each other to unplug. If you send a message or email while on vacation, you’ll likely get a quick message, “Thank you.? You are on vacation. Stop working!”? Then, we plan to re-enter work from vacations by allowing a day or two to orient before picking up steam.? Leaving for vacation and coming back shouldn’t feel like a punishment.? If it does, it diminishes the effect of time off.

Do our clients miss out during this time? I can tell you that the answer is no. We employ a team mentality where our clients have a team to call on to meet all of their needs. If one person is unavailable when needed, someone else is usually available. The week I am gone will be a week where a different team member who has a specialty that our client can use will step in and make an impact. Or we adjust other meeting times that cover the difference. Besides that, we help our clients adjust their schedules so they can also take time off.

The last key to making this work is the hardest.? Practicing the ability to say “No.”? I’ll be the first to tell you that it is challenging to say no, but it’s essential to maintaining a work-life balance with practice.? No matter how challenging, every “no” is a “yes” to something else.? It is a “yes” to your joy, sanity, and personal life.

Reclaiming Your Life Beyond Business

The transformation from a relentless workaholic to a balanced business owner brings profound personal and professional benefits. Prioritizing your physical and mental well-being enhances your overall health, making you more effective and resilient professionally. With renewed energy and clarity, your decision-making improves, and your ability to lead strengthens.

Secondly, you cultivate deeper relationships by placing family and personal life in a prominent position. These connections provide emotional support and joy, which are crucial for a fulfilling life. The positive energy from a balanced home life spills over into your business, nurturing a more positive work environment.

Finally, structured rest and leisure, like planned travel, rejuvenate your spirit. This downtime is not a luxury but necessary for creative thinking and long-term planning. You return to your business with fresh perspectives and innovative ideas, driving growth and success.

Embracing a Balanced Future

Stepping back from the brink of overwork and rebalancing your life is an empowering choice. You are saying "Yes" to a life where success isn't measured by hours worked but by the quality of those hours in business, with family, and for yourself.

At Your Biz Rules, we are committed to guiding you through this transformative journey. Remember, setting boundaries, practicing the art of saying "No," and being accountable for your well-being are not signs of weakness. They are the hallmarks of a wise leader who understands the value of balance.

As we move forward, let's redefine success together. A successful business owner does not excel in business but one who thrives in all aspects of life. Start your journey towards this holistic success with us. Connect by finding time for a meeting, and let's chart a path to a more balanced, fulfilling, and prosperous life.