Running a business is like making our way through the year. We have different seasons we need to navigate, and while sometimes we can power through with the motivation of, say, the newness of autumn, there are other times when we just want to retreat away from the business as if we were in the season of winter.
If you’re going through a season of not knowing where to turn next, feeling lost and without any real direction, then finding a quiet spot and journalling might just give you the clarity you’ve been craving.
Journalling (download my 100 Journal prompts workbook here) is such an effective way to declutter your mind and bring realisations to the surface for you to work through. With that said, I have pulled together 10 effective questions I ask my coaching clients when they are in the midst of a slump. And don’t underestimate the power of putting pen to paper. I suspect just by giving yourself the time to think about what you really want, and more importantly, what you don’t want, you will get the boost you so need.
Let’s start with…
What makes you happy right now in business?
I want you to think about what tasks you enjoy the most and what gets you excited to start the day. Which parts of your business do you feel thankful for, and which parts make you feel like “I can’t believe I get paid to do this”?
Which are your least favourite tasks?
In any business, there are always elements we don’t like. For me personally, it’s anything to do with filling out my tax return or trying to figure our Facebook ads and sales funnels. The key is to figure out which tasks can be dropped and which can be delegated or scheduled to save your energy depleting on a daily basis.
Who is your dream client/reader/customer?
The fun part. I want you to really think about your dream customer. Whether you have a service or product- based business, you need to understand who your ideal client is (I wrote a blog post about designing your ideal client here which might be useful). Who are they? What do they look like? What do they do for a living? Where do they live? What are their hobbies? Once you understand the kind of person you want to attract into your business, it becomes much easier for the universe to deliver them, and aligned customers mean happy sales.
What are your big dream goals for your business?
It’s time to let yourself dream for a second. If you forgot about limitations and restrictions for a moment and focused on the bigger vision, how would your business look? Spend some time writing down those dreams of yours and get excited about all the possibilities that lay ahead.
And don’t worry if you feel some kind of energetic pull to another product, service or offer that isn’t in line with your current business. I will say this time and time again, it is more than OK to pivot. Maybe you’ve been feeling so stuck because the universe wanted you to discover another path to move down? Some of the most successful people have pivoted and changed their minds throughout their career – it’s what brings joy to life.
What resistance are you facing in your business right now?
Uncovering your resistance is the first step in breaking through that barrier and clearing the way for new energy. Are you stopping yourself from launching something new because you are fearful it won’t go as planned? Do you know that being in front of the camera could help you grow but there’s something stopping you? Look at resistance that is coming up that you know is stopping you from positively developing.
A point to note is to not worry about those feelings of fear linked to things you actually don’t actually care about. For example, if you don’t have any interest in creating IGTV’s, then don’t let your energy be consumed by thinking you “should be doing it” and facing that resistance.
What negative beliefs do you have?
And while we are on the subject of resistance, I want you to write down the negative beliefs you have that run through your head about your business. For example, are you thinking:
No-one will buy my course!
Who actually reads my blog apart from my family?
My community is small and has stopped growing…
I can’t sell!
Regardless of whether you’ve been in business 20 years or 2 months, every one at some point faces negative beliefs. But the key here is to get them out of your head so you can work on reframing them.
How can you flip the switch on these beliefs and reframe them?
Which leads me on to flipping the switch. The beliefs you have written above are simply repetitive thoughts your brain has pulled forward to keep you safe in your comfort zone. It doesn’t want to be put into a new situation if it doesn’t need to be, so to protect you, the brain will present evidence of your thoughts – both negative and positive – to be true. It wants to keep you safe. But if nothing changes, nothing changes right? Which is why we need to work on reprogramming our mind with positive beliefs.
Flipping the switch is a concept based on turning our negative thoughts on their head. For example, “my community is small and has stopped growing” needs to be shifted to “my community is amazing and has the exact energy and aligned audience I need to make my business a success” – the brain will then start to look for evidence of times when your audience has been just that, through comments, engagement, purchases etc.
Once you form your brand-new positive affirmations around your business, the key is to write them down and read them back on a daily basis. Do this for a month and you will see an incremental shift in your mindset, I promise.
What daily habits do you need to change/implement to better your business?
Are there daily habits that you do, or perhaps don’t do, that are keeping you from being your most productive self in your business? I know for me, when I don’t make time for a morning routine, I have a far less creative day than when I work on my energy alignment first thing. I also know that going for a walk once a day is super helpful for my mindset, as is fuelling my body with the right food. I’m not saying don’t bunker down with chocolate and Schitts Creek every once in a while, but I would say if you’re feeling lacklustre in your business, are there external factors that could be influencing that?
How would your higher self show up every day?
Finally, let’s take a look at our higher selves. The very best versions of us, that is just waiting to be stepped into. How would they run a business? How would they communicate with people? Would they take chances? Would they step outside their comfort bubble? Would they face resistance and break through it? What would their daily habits look like? For this final question, I want you to picture the best version of yourself and journal how she or he might run a business. Because the beauty is, your higher self is right there above you just waiting for you to rise up and step into.
I hope these questions allow you the time and space to breath for a second, and to take a look at your business as a whole instead viewing only the problems with tunnel vision glasses on. I’d be super interested to hear what comes up for you during this task so if you don’t feel like you want to leave a public comment, then just drop me an email on hello@themanifestationcollective.co – I’d love to chat.
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