I recently did a business exercise where we wrote out all the frustrations and things in our business that we genuinely dislike yet find ourselves doing often.
There is nothing more frustrating than doing daunting tasks all day long, getting the life sucked out of you by a frustration vampire that is latched on you like a leech until you are pale and passed out.
Okay, that was a bit extreme, but you know what I’m saying! We all have strengths and things we enjoy doing in our business yet somehow, we get bogged down doing the things we dislike day in and day out, and we wonder why we feel like depleted flat tires by the end of the week.
When we are able to do the things that really light us up, we feel energized and excited. Even though it is work, it doesn’t feel like work. You know what I mean?
So, how do we get rid of those things that drive us crazy and make us want to break something, eat a gallon of ice cream, or drink an entire bottle of wine by ourselves? Hey, no judging!
The business exercise I did had us go through the frustration list to determine what we could delegate, what we could automate, and what we could eliminate.
As I looked at my personal list, I realized that several of my frustrations could be eliminated if I simply did things differently. Essentially, a lot of my frustrations were a result of my habits and mindset, and I had to take ownership over that.
It’s easy to fall into a victim mentality when it comes to life’s circumstances, but the truth is that we have control over how we respond to situations. I can look at my business and recognize that I may be frustrated over doing things that just aren’t my cup of tea and that’s normal. I am running two businesses after all.
It’s easy to fall into a victim mentality when it comes to life’s circumstances, but the truth is that we have control over how we respond to situations.
But what if what I’m frustrated about is a result of how I operate on a daily basis? What if the frustration I’m experiencing is something that I have the ability to change, I just haven’t been willing to change? What if I choose to take back control so that I no longer deal with this frustration?
Let me give you an example, one of the things that I wrote on my list of frustrations was the pressure and urgency of every request/email. Why do I feel that it is urgent? Why do I respond as if it is an emergency and put pressure on myself to respond within a certain time frame? Why do I allow other people’s requests to take priority over what is most important for me to do that day?
This is my own response and I can choose to change that response and thus eliminate that frustration.
How? I have to put parameters in place that work for me and then implement and communicate those parameters. If I don’t, then I will continue to allow this frustration to remain and that is my fault. Make sense?
Another frustration I wrote down was that there simply was too much to keep track of and that frustrates me because I don’t want to drop the ball and that results in me being stressed and carrying all these balls all day long attempting to juggle them without dropping anything… EVER. That’s unrealistic!
Instead of taking on that frustration, I can eliminate it by taking control over what I say “yes” to and restructure my business in a way that works for me.
I encourage you to write out all of the things in your business that frustrate you and then go through the list to see what you can delegate, what you can automate, and what you can eliminate.
For those things you can eliminate, take ownership over some of those frustrations and recognize where you can make changes.
Frustration is the breeding ground for change.
Pastor Gary Keesee
This perspective toward our frustrations allows us to open our eyes and recognize what we may have the authority and ability to change. It’s like taking our power back!
I understand that it’s not easy to change how we think or change how we do things, but it was eye opening for me to see that I have control over some of these irritations and it is up to me to put in the work and make the changes necessary so that I can continue to serve my clients in a way that is fulfilling for me and best for them.
Now, instead of vampires sucking the life out of me, I’m kicking the vampire’s butts like Buffy the Vampire Slayer!
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