Do you remember the film Madagascar?
The Penguins have a great line in it where they turn around to the other animals and say “wave and smile boys!” while they are staring at the plane wreck that they haven’t a clue how to fix.
I suspect that there are a lot of us out there who find ourselves ‘waving and smiling’ a lot in our business lives.
The success of your business is entirely reliant on the energy and enthusiasm you can put it into it. But, how many of us put ourselves right at the bottom of the priority list when it comes to taking care of ourselves?
When that inevitable business ownership roller coaster is chugging on the uphill track and it’s all feeling like a lot of hard work, and even a bit scary, we can sometimes retreat into ourselves, work harder and feel more miserable.
And the knock on effect? Our business is impacted and the experience we give our customers isn’t great either. And then it starts to effect our health and the joy is gone.
It’s Ok to Ask For Help!
Being at the helm in a business means that we feel that we can’t show weakness or tell people how bad things are, in case we lose credibility. The lows can be really low and the highs can be gloriously high. Like that amazing feeling as the roller coaster rushes down the track after it’s slow climb to the top. But, this is why we need to build a positive team of other business owners around us who understand that being in business is a white knuckle ride!
So, when you’ve hit a wall and you need advice, knowledge, guidance and sometimes just a shoulder, they are there to support and talk about the times they’ve had that experience too (we all have!) And they are also there to celebrate with you when the going is good again.
Not only that, but because you’ve been around these people for a while, you know exactly who you need to turn to or work with to rectify the issues without having to take the risk on appointing someone you don’t know.
Find Your Tribe
Business ownership can often be a lonely and frustrating place. Don’t wait until everything feels rubbish to find your tribe. Do it now.
Find people who are focused on growth, but who genuinely want to help you be successful too. Not because they are ‘forced’ to, but because they want to. That is what a true community is all about.
The Growth Community is a place where these kinds of people hang out! And the great part is that you can engage with growth minded, positive people at local level AND at our wider community level too. So you get the best of both worlds.
Guests are always welcome at our meetings and you’ll be pleased to know that all of our networking time is spent doing just that – not annoying you with membership sales pitches – and you can visit us up to 6 times a year.
Those that love what we do… just simply ask us about joining.
So…make sure your plans include time for recovering and support.
Recharge your batteries properly (and if you can’t take time out of your business ask yourself what you need to do about that before the New Year – We know some great people who can help!)
…and don’t be afraid to ask for help if your joy and energy isn’t what it should be. It’s not a weakness it is a strength… so be honest.
