2020 Mid-Year Check-In!
It's the first day of the second half of 2020. Anyone else feel like the first 6 months have dragged on for 3 years?
If you're feeling like the bright and shiny and hopelessly optimistic intentions you set for yourself and your business at the New Year have gone down the crapper at this point, you're not alone. With a rapidly-evolving global pandemic, calls for deep-rooted system reform, and just the pressures of everyday life, it's completely understandable if your goals have gotten slightly (okay, completely) derailed.
But all is not lost. We can rebuild and realign.
Here are a few action items to get you started:
Take a big, deep, soul-filling breath. And then another.
Yes, that's Step 1. Taking care of yourself is always easier said than done. Reconnecting to your breath, the thing that literally gives you life, is so crucial. How many times have you gone through the day and realized that you've been holding your breath or taking short sips of air? I know I'm guilty of that.
So try these tactics to bring intention back to your breath:
Slow it down. Close your eyes (if that feels safe for you) or hold a soft gaze in front of you. Inhale through your nose for 3 counts, exhale through your mouth for 3 counts. Repeat 4 times.
Picture it working. Envision your lungs expanding, your busy brain calming, and your organs getting more of that good life energy. With deeper & slower breaths, we can learn to ease anxiety and make more room for creative inspiration and simple joy. Picture the breath having that power.
Keep it going. Set an alarm on your phone or watch for every 1-2 hours to take 5 deep breaths. Or leave sticky love notes on your bathroom mirror or light switch as gentle reminders.
Find an accountability buddy.
If left to our own devices, we sometimes let ourselves off the hook too easily. When you are accountable to someone else, you are more likely to follow through. And providing that opportunity to reciprocate keeps the ball rolling.
Reach out to a colleague or friend who is also in a similar position, such as building a side hustle to become a full time career, or being a single parent while homeschooling during SIP orders. You'll be able to relate to each other easily while still holding each other to the tasks and goals you set for yourselves.
What tasks and goals, you ask? And how does the partnership work?
Well, don't overthink it. Together you'll choose how often you want to check in (Text exchange every morning? 10 minute video chat every Sunday? You decide what works best). You each set 1-2 actionable goals you want to implement (ie. Revise sales copy for new coaching program. Book photographer for updated headshots. Reconcile summer inventory.) and then you each GO DO THE THINGS. Make sure the goal you are setting is appropriate for the frequency of time you have agreed to check-in, so that you each make great progress.
Celebrate each other's wins! Pick each other up when you hit road blocks. You have each other to lean on.
Start tracking metrics for the part of your business you want to build.
Want to increase your Instagram followers? Itching to grow your e-commerce conversions? Need to move more of last season's collection?
Write it all down. What you track grows.
Just like if you were starting a journey to improve your health, you would do things like a food journal and weekly weigh-ins to track your progress towards your goal.
A simple spreadsheet or even pen & paper will do just fine. The key is to stick with it. If you want to grow your email subscribers, for instance, create a weekly log to include the following: Date, Number of subscribers, Actions Taken (since the last date logged). This way you can start to see trends of what is working and what isn't working as well -- And you can course-correct accordingly.
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The point is, you're doing a great job. Keep breathing, work with a friend, and write shit down. You've got this, babe.
What will you work on for the rest of 2020?
Reach out in the comments or at hello@goforthandhustle.com to find out how we can work closely together to implement those intentions with confidence!