How To Go Inward But Keep Your Eyes Open In Business
Summary: There are so many relationships that make for a successful business, but as women in small business we can get think that the relationships with our clients, colleagues and employees are the only ones that matter. Today, we'll talk about maintaining the most important relationship in your small business is so important.
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You may know we’re a baseball family. If you’re looking closely, the game sheds wisdom on the rest of your life. The parallels between life and sports to success, perseverance, progress and integrity are just so clearly drawn. Many inspirational business lessons also originate in sports, as today’s article does.
My husband, who is coaching our son’s baseball team this season, got some coaching insight from his uncle the other day. I noticed Ed was lingering in his car after arriving home, so I went out to sit with him while he finished his phone call. I got in on a gem of a baseball story which has direct implications for entrepreneurs. I’ll try to do it justice.
Uncle Craig told a story to us about his son, who had a killer swing, but could never seem to hit the ball. A stellar shortstop, nothing ever got past him. He could snag a ball and throw it exactly to his intended target, but when it came time to bat, it was another story completely. His son couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, and he was frustrated by the inconsistency from one side of the plate to the other.
Uncle Craig finally saw the crux of the problem as a result of a photo he took while his son was at bat. The picture captured it all. There was the boy, perfect stance, great stats, great concentration. At the moment the shutter opened, however, the ball was nowhere even close to the bat. Can you imagine why?
Although he swung with all his might, his eyes were closed.Great story, right? You might be able to draw a conclusion already how you can apply that to your business. But I want to share something else.
Now, my husband doesn’t keep close tabs on what I do, but he occasionally watches some of these Coaching in the Carpool videos. His intuition was spot on that evening.
“Dear, that's what you do. What you do is you see the fact that somebody is trying to hit the ball and their eyes are closed when they're doing all the right things. You just fix what's off.”
I looked at him and I was like, “yeah, that's pretty much what I do.”
By the way, this came from our conversation about talking with spouses. If you can’t seem to connect with your spouse about what you do, take heart and keep pushing the conversation forward. If you missed it, you can watch it here.
Now, as sublime as that sounds 一 a husband who GETS IT — there is another person you really need to connect with before anyone else. Nurturing this business relationship is as important as connecting with the ball if you’re up at bat, and while it’s not as do-or-die, in-the-moment connectivity you are after, trust me, this connection drives the entire game forward.
The connection I’m talking about it the one between you… the player, the business woman, the entrepreneur, the boss babe, or however you think of yourself... and your inner self.
The most important relationship you need in business
The most important relationship you need to have in business is a relationship with yourself.
That connection is the one relationship you cannot afford to disregard. Ever.
I understand how easy it is to get sidetracked, though.
The other day, in fact, I had one of those over the top, stressful days. I was worn out by that day and I knew I needed to do something this morning to counterbalance all that stress piling up.
I took time for a little meditation.
The most important relationship in business is a relationship with yourself. #womeninbusiness
It's so important to have a relationship with yourself.
It’s so important to have a relationship with myself, talk with God, pray a little bit, and intuit a bit. Really think back with what my sole purpose in what I'm trying to do in my business and in my life and as a human being on earth.
The result was that I was able to circle round to the very thing that we’ll be focusing on in the next mastermind, and I saw it clearly through my meditation.
The themes that kept coming up for me were ideas around foresight, wisdom, courage and strength, so for me it related right back to what my husband was saying to me.
Sometimes you need to step away from the plate and examine the photograph for clues to what’s really going on.
The world is telling you do more. You must do more if you want to grow.
The truth is that what really works is counterintuitive to that message. Achievable success in business means you have something leftover ar the end of the day for yourself, your family, and whatever it is that nurtures your soul.
It’s not about doing more and adding more. That’s a trap from which you’ll never emerge. Time management experts will give you every trick in the book for organizing your life to squeeze more “quality time” into your schedule. Buyer beware!
Busy-ness does not make a good business.
If you really hear me when I tell you you’re crazy to be in business, then you’re definitely in this tribe. I get that brand of crazy and I totally understand that crazy. My business is coaching that type of “crazy” woman. I love the go-getters who see all the problems that need solving in this world.
And yet, the magic happens when you go inward, and heal from the crazy. Growth happens when you are present in those in-between moments of space.
With space comes grace, too.
I don’t think I’ve met a woman who doesn’t take failure personally. So often, something about your business is failing, or you’re carrying around a hurt in your business or personal life that is casting a shadow on your bliss. If you’re going to be this courageous, if you’re going to be exceptional, if you’re going to be successful and produce a legacy for yourself and your family, then you have to spend a little time with yourself.
When growing your business, be prepared to go deep into the mental game.
I mentioned the meditation that allowed me to get closer to the source of inspiration in my business life. Taking time to go inward might not look like meditation for you, though. Some gals feed their brain through prayer, working out, journaling, or another, more kinetic kind of “leveling up” for your mind.
Giving your business mind a rest is the best way to enjoy growth that matters. Working on the inner YOU fuels your passion fire over the long term. Frequent pitstops into your inner mind keeps you supple, flexible, creative and healthy.
Your life will evolve and change over the years. My wish for you is that you are able to enjoy the real YOU as she emerges. She will also inform your business, so this is important work!
Three takeaways from the open-eyed business concept today:
- 1
Mastermind with people who can share lots of practical, tactical, brass nuts tools you can work on and implement. No superwoman can do this alone. Maybe you have a supportive and perceptive spouse. That’s a gift. Maybe you can call on a friend who always helps you break down a hairy problem. Thank your lucky stars. But a lot of business women gain valuable insights through sharing with other objective women in a supportive business setting. Masterminds are great for receiving gritty, helpful feedback. Chances are it’s not everyone’s first time tackling a situation you’re dealing with.
- 2Make sure you have someone “take a picture” of what you’re doing so you can see for yourself where you can improve. If you asked the boy in the photograph if he thought he was watching the ball, he’d probably say “of course.” But show him the picture of him closing his eyes at the intended moment of contact and he’ll get the valuable proof of his error. What you can’t see from the inside, is perfectly clear to an astute observer.
- 3Be prepared to turn inward to really see what is important to you. Close your eyes to the world through meditation or some other form of reflection, and open your soul’s eyes to your mission. In the midst of all this work on your business, it would be a shame to miss the bigger picture of your best self emerging among all the details. Enjoy that relationship now; don’t wait.
All of those things will help you get outside your business persona and more in touch with the real you, your most important business relationship;
both the you others see and the you that is quietly developing and steering the ship from the inside. That will be the space in between where you come up with your great ideas, where you solve the great problems of the world, where you understand how to communicate something that maybe you didn't communicate as well the previous day.
So that's today's Coaching From the Carpool synopsis. Tell me what you think.
What are your practices like? How do you spend time with yourself? What are your practices that allow you to have processing time to have downtime, to have regeneration time? Healing time, what are those processes that you do? Let me know because I think it's interesting when we share this information.
Comment below, and if you found inspiration or motivation, heard something here that was just a comment that you think other women need to hear and their business, please share that. I hope you have a profitable rest of your week.
Leslie Hassler
Leslie Hassler is a popular author and speaker who spends much of her time coaching business owners on how to run their growing businesses by their rules. Delivering high-touch, personalized service, Leslie works with her clients as a partner, not just a consultant (who would pop in, tell you what to do, then leave).
Leslie teaches her clients a structured way to decide what to do first, second, next -- and never – in their businesses, so that they can learn to do it for themselves.
Leslie lives in Dallas with her husband and two kids, so she knows it’s not just about growing the business – it’s about getting the business ship shape so it grows and you can be home in time for dinner.
Leslie speaks on topics such as business leadership, prioritizing the business owner’s To Do list, and how to create and implement a strategic plan for growth.
If you’d like to have Leslie come speak to your group or organization, or present at your event, inquire here.