It is hard to believe that it has already been a few months since Scaling New Heights, where we made amazing connections and learned many new things. We made friends and felt so empowered when we left. We had all these fantastic things in store for our firms! We had all these unique ideas and thought we could conquer so much. We took experiences from the conference and were so inspired. We had so much we wanted to implement.
Well, we returned to our lives and businesses, and what happened?
Were you able to take three things away from the conference and work on implementing those things?
Did you go back to your firm and talk about all these amazing things you want to do in your firm to your team or spouse?
Did they roll their eyes at you?
Did they look at you like you were crazy? And think, “not again!”
Did these things deflate you, and you just went back to work? Or did you start implementing one thing?
Did you have so much work to do that it knocked you flat down?
How do I know this? Because this used to be me.
Then, I started making little changes. Those little changes turned into significant changes once I broke them down. I did not let my inspiration get squashed. I took one thing and worked on implementing it. I just kept working through my list to see the changes we were making along the way. I would get pushback from my team and sometimes even myself, but we kept going.
The pushback I would get from myself was my mindset. I would look at all the work I had to do and get frustrated. I would tell myself there is no way I can make any of these changes. Technology implementation is time-consuming, and they promise you all these things it will do but what they leave out is how time-consuming it is to implement and learn the system. Much less if you have a team that is a whole different article.
I have talked to several people who just returned to the way things were and lost all the inspiration they had gotten at the conference. I challenge you to get that inspiration back and go back to your notes. Go back in your brain to how you felt walking around with people that are the same as you. Go back to when you could imagine things were different. Reach out to people that you met and talk it through with them. I promise you they may be struggling too.
You can start implementing whatever you found was the #1 thing you needed to do, whether it be technology, documenting processes, or offering a new service. If you needed to learn a new skill, where are you at with that? You must start somewhere, or you will be in the same position next year. Change takes time, but it is up to us to make them happen. If you don’t start doing it, who will?
vision
Change is hard, and we have to fight our own mindset first. That was one of the best things I could have done for myself. I had to get past my brain telling me that “you will never be able to change anything!” Or worse, “this is the way it has to be!” I am telling you that it does not have to be this way. You are a business owner, and you can change anything! You just have to get past your own crap!
You have to take time to think about what you actually want. Do you want to keep working like this? Then you can leave it alone and keep doing what you are doing. Do you want to be able to unplug yourself from your business completely? Then start working towards that. I used to think that was impossible, but I am here to tell you that it is possible. It started with doing the three things that I got from a conference, and the vision of that is what I wanted.
I can’t tell you how important having a clear vision is. I am not talking about a vision statement. I am talking about what you want for your business and out of your business. We all started a company for a reason; for most people, it was financial and time freedom. I don’t know about you, but my business was more like a job and not at ALL what I expected. It SUCKED!! I hated my own business, but with perseverance, now I have a business that I really love. I get to help people that desperately need my help and, most importantly, WANT it! They listen! I help them implement things in their business and feel like I make a difference. I make a difference in my team's personal and professional lives. Isn't that what we all got in this business for?
So, what are you waiting for? Taking what you learned at Scaling New Heights is just a start. Find someone that can hold you accountable to do it. I can’t tell you how powerful that is. When you tell someone else you are going to do something, most of the time, you actually do the thing. If you struggle to figure out what you need to work on, find someone to help you. Being a business owner is a lonely place, and when we have clients looking to us for advice and we feel like an absolute mess, it messes with our mindset.
I never really had given that much thought until I built a business that I love. Now I feel I have my own house in order, and don’t get me wrong; there are some things that we are still working through. We are constantly changing and moving forward. I give my clients better advice because I take my own advice. I invested in myself and my business. I challenge you to invest in yourself and your business and implement what you invested at Scaling New Heights and any other program you invest in.
I am here to tell you that just implementing little things will turn into big things if you don’t get discouraged and lose focus. So today, pull out your notes from Scaling New Heights, and what were you going to implement when you returned home? Put it on a Post-It Note where you look at it every day and all day until you do it. Then put a new one with your next item. It does not have to be a big thing, just SOMETHING!