It’s not that the work itself you’re doing is so hard. I mean, it is – but in a challenging way. And you wanted that challenge.
No, it’s the constant, stress-filled, pressure-y way of showing up day to day that’s doing this.
Draining the energy out of you. Draining the “oh my gosh isn’t it so fun to work on my business” vitality out of you.
It’s not the angry client. It was never “the podcast downloads dipped.” It isn’t even your potential legal troubles shutting down that copycat – ‘cause you know the exact right solution for that. (You just have to get your mind calmed down and re-regulated, and then you’re off on board to do that.)
It’s the daily grind of business and entrepreneurship – the way there’s always something else needing to be done – the way you can never quite finish your to-do list – the way you always feel pulled away by your family, yet always feel like you’re not giving them enough.
That’s what’s hard.
Not the growth strategy, not the scaling, not the funnel fix – you’ve built a lifetime of experience that there’s going to be a fix for that. And you can find it.
But it’s the rest of it. ‘Cause the easiest workload ever isn’t going to feel easy to get through when you’re always showing up to do it from a “feel pressured” mode.
Not enough time. I’ll make it only if I rush. If I hurry I can fit something else in. Oops, I didn’t make it. going to have to skip my workout again. No time for lunch. have to cram something in on the way to my next event (for the kids).
That’s what’s draining your joy every day as an entrepreneur – not the fact that you’re running a business at this high a level to begin with.
And you know what I’m going to be telling you is the cure, right?
You have to stop running yourself so dry. You have to stop running yourself on empty. You have to!
How much longer do you think your business dream is going to survive if you don’t?
How long till you just grind it out ‘cause you’re already a success and there’s nothing but good money left? ‘Cause all the “love doing this/can’t believe I get to wake up and do this” vibes are gone?
Is that really what you want? ‘Cause you’re sure heading for it – but it’s never too late to switch.
Never. Truly.
You can always say “hey. I messed up here. I way over-pressurized myself. I want to bring this down a notch (okay, maybe 2 notches) and finally get my own workday right-sized to this.”
That can always happen. What can’t happen is you having that lightbulb moment for yourself. I can’t make you get it.
(Boy, I wish I could – save you all this hassle – but we all have to come to it in our own moment.)
So when you’ve realized it. When you’ve finally gotten yourself there – I want you to stop a moment and just admit you have.
Not sweep it under the rug, not tell yourself it’s got to to wait till you get out of busy season, not say “oh, I’ll manage somehow; that’s for another day” – no.
Deal with this right now.
You have to – or it’s going to slip away. Like those seeds from the sower in that parable.
You’re going to forget that you were ever convicted about this, get sucked right back into busy-busy land, fill up your “success hustle metrics” chart and start checking it off all over again – and miss the thing you were about to give yourself. The course correction that would’ve kept you in business 20 years longer.
I’m serious – it’s that serious. It has that much power to affect your future.
‘Cause human beings weren’t meant to run on empty – and sooner or later, your tank will give out.
And that’s when your body will break, your emotions will break (it won’t be worth it to you anymore), or maybe your family will break (and you’ll lose that closeness with them. The relationships will rupture.). Or maybe all three.
And that was never what God wanted for you. When He gave you this business, this company, this vision to steward. Never what He wanted.
But you made that His plan – that He was going to have to teach you a lesson – and if you’d known what was coming, you’d’ve never run down that path.
That’s what I want to save you from.
Don’t go the path of least resistance – it’s not really that – it requires the most forcing and pushing and shoving of all the ones I’ve ever seen – and let yourself relax into right-sizing your own daily workload of life. To conserve energy for the long run.
‘Cause this business is your marathon – and you’ve been treating it like a sprint.
Don’t. Please, don’t.
Or I’ll be there looking for you 5 years down the line, and your online presence won’t be there anymore. You’ll have quit.
Honor your vision – honor the reason you were put in business for today – and slow yourself down enough that you can keep going. That’s my prayer for you today.
God, let this be true for her. Show her what she needs to change, or pull back from, or refine to focus on, today. ‘Cause You gave her this business to follow You. That’s the plan. That’s always the plan. We follow You. In Jesus’ Name we pray, amen.
