More focus with your message and time

Getting focused for a more gentle (read also: aligned, bold, strong) business isn't easy.

We might want it in theory but tonnes gets in the way of us achieving it.

Not least our minds, behaviours, and...life.

So I decided to look at the main obstacles I hear and often experience myself in being more focused - either with messaging, offers and projects or in our minds, time and resources. Here's 4 of the main ones dissected a little more from my latest IG post.

Before we start I'll define focus in reference to a gentle business. It means:

• Focus within your message, expertise, who you work with and services offered
• Focus in your time, energy, headspace, resources

1. What we think:

If I focus more, I'll lose out on other things - people to work with, projects I might love.

What we can remind ourselves of

Maybe you will - and maybe it's exactly what you need. But, and..we can also explore acceptance; acceptance that missing out might be exactly what we need, in order to gain so much more.

I think this is missed in the meme-culture of brevity. We turn things into a positive without looking at the grey areas.

Since it doesn't have to be black or white: 'I'll miss out, or I won't', it's helpful to remember this when we turn to the alternatives.

Acceptance, by the way, doesn't mean we give up striving for the things want. It means if we do strive, we do it with a different energy - we do it with more ease, and less stress. 

Another thing about 'focus = missing out' is that, by being more focused - particularly in our message and type of person/business we work with - our audience REALLY get to know who we're talking to and what we talk about (once you're brave enough to actually share it with clarity, that is).

They quickly and easily see who we're talking to, they notice when we reference types of people whether they're that person or not. We get better referrals from people who know our ideal client easily too. We find it easier to run Facebook ads because we can pinpoint more easily who we want to target.

Indeed, we turn clients down because they're not the right client - the ones we're focused on helping because we got so much clearer in who they are and where our expertise shines for them exactly. Because we focused.

2. What we think:

We're not used to having more space to think, than do. 

What we can remind ourselves of

When we're busy, we're happy and validated, so why would you take that away?

Because you've noticed this isn't a sustainable way to work, despite not fully knowing how it would feel great to work.

Or, even, you KNOW how it would feel great to work, but something's making you avoid changing - perhaps mistrust that it will work out better, or lack of clarity on how to exactly go about it?

For me on this point, I think about when I was cancer coaching. I loved it so much. But I could also see it wasn't sustainable for my mind, and even if it had been, I believe I would have needed to make the adjustment to move away from it eventually anyway, in order to feel a sense of moving forwards for myself. But I was fearful about what I would become if I changed that part of my identity. If I was no longer known as that person.

As it happens, I built up my different 'brand' (for want of a better word) and it has flown, possibly also because I allowed myself to move and adjust when I really needed to too.

Related to this is the idea that stopping projects and giving ourselves space to think feels like failure - but the more I reported in the past that I too stopped something, the more messages I got from people saying they'd like to do that too, or they've done it and couldn't feel better. Stopping, in this context, was freedom, which allows us to think and act with more focus.  

3. What we think:

Being busy means I'm successful

What we can remind ourselves of

This is where I used to stumble most. I correlated these two far too much. I reckon this image sums it up nicely...

I think the direct correlation will always be present for many of us - owing to cultural and societal norms and much else about expectations.

But, in observing how much we correlate the two for ourselves directly, this can be life (+business) changing.

Because, if we think of it instead as a looser relationship, or even inverse and non-linear.

Busy is variable - depending on what's on, how much help we have, what control we're holding onto etc.

But success can increase dramatically even as we become less busy.

Or, more aptly, we could say success increases because we become less busy.

Maybe a bit like this:

Of course success means many different things, made up of many factors and - for me - they've changed over time.

In my cancer coaching days I think ego drove my need to feel successful in terms of validation. These days, success is equally self-fulfilment and wellbeing, impact and monetary gains (the latter of which took me a while to articulate without apologising).

And I can assuredly tell you that focusing more and more over the years has enabled that latter image to be more true than ever.

And, finally:

4. What we think:

I don't know what I DO want to focus on

What we can remind ourselves of

Focusing on too many things is really common at the start of our business journey. And it might be how you carry on IF you can cope, love it, and you're thriving.

But without focus, internally we tend to be overwhelmed, stressed and confused. Then, externally, we confuse our clients and audience and don't have the time to do things well, and with space to breathe.

I'll clarify something here though: from the two definitions of focus within a gentle business:

• Focus within your message, expertise, who you work with and services offered
• Focus in your time, energy, headspace, resources

Focus is important in both these areas. But specifically on the messaging/ expertise / who you work with and services front, focus is vital whether you decide to have ONE main type of client, offer, message OR, even if you offer, for example, 10 things to 12 different types of people with 7 different messages.

I personally couldn't cope with the latter (10 things, 12 types of people, 7 messages) but IF you can, go right ahead - it's just that it doesn't mean focus isn't important for you too.  In fact, focus in this context is even more vital, since you'll want to be VERY clear exactly what those 10 things are, who those 12 types of people are and the very clear 7 messages you're sharing.

Focus, in this instance, isn't referring to 'doing just one thing' (although I advocate for trying to minimise how you're spreading yourself because...well...busy), it refers to being focused in what you're saying, rather than doing.

I personally (and professionally) advocate for focus in both what you're saying and doing, but every business owner/founder will have different levels for what suits them, their lifestyle, personality etc to know what's right for them. I find this out pretty quick when I work with people to help them get their level right, too.

Despite all this, I know getting more focused still isn't easy...we logically want it, but it remains hard to implement.

We're funny things, humans, aren't we. 

If you want to explore focus with me - for your business and you to thrive - hit reply to this email and I'll share more about my private coaching programme for coaches and business owners to run their business with more ease and profit this year and way beyond, for sustainable impact.

Here's client praise (which I love calling it) so you can see what others say about working with me too.

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