Do we need to be with what is (rather than chasing something more)?

This blog started life as an episode of my podcast, Unfrazzle. You can listen here if you prefer (6 minutes).

There’s so much to love about being your own boss and making money on your own terms, isn’t there? But it’s not easy.

I’ve been doing this for ten years now, and lately have been noticing how relentless it can feel.

Running workshops and free challenges, inviting people into Make It Happen Club, thinking of new ways to bring value to the people who’ve chosen to hang out in my calm corner of the internet, looking for opportunities to bring more of those people into my world.

In the back of my mind I’m very aware that I haven’t signed any new 1:1 clients in a long time (which could be because I don’t talk about it enough).

I love what I do. I’m so fortunate that there’s nothing I do in my business that I hate – I built it that way on purpose – but there’s always something coming up that needs effort, time and attention. Sometimes it feels like it never ends.

And I see that with my clients too. We haven’t even finished the thing we’re working on, and we’re already thinking about the next thing.

We all do it, and it’s totally understandable.

We’re not where we want to be, so we’re always doing more. Moving onto the next thing. And the next thing. And the next.

It makes sense. But it can start to feel relentless and exhausting too, can’t it?

What would happen if you took your foot off the gas?

I sometimes wonder what might happen if we allowed ourselves moments to just be with what is.

To serve our clients.

Deliver the things.

Do the minimum that keeps you present in people’s minds, without pushing for something more.

How long would you feel comfortable staying in that mode? A week? Two weeks? A whole month?

I know times have been tricky for many small business owners lately, and if you’re genuinely struggling to pay the bills, that might feel like a luxury you can’t afford. I totally understand and respect that, so please know I’m not minimising the very real challenge of bringing enough money into your business.

But speaking personally, my life is simple. We don’t have kids. Our overheads are relatively low. We’ve designed our life this way on purpose. Things never feel unsafe for me, from a financial point of view.

If you’re fortunate enough to be in that position too – if you know you have enough (which looks very different for everyone) – would you benefit from taking some time to just be with what is?

To notice how far you’ve come.  

Would You of 5 or 10 years ago recognise the You of today? How have you changed? What have you achieved?

What would happen if you let yourself be with that awhile. If you let go of the striving. Not forever, just for a brief moment.

What that might look like in practice

I’m not going to pretend that it’s easy. It feels uncomfortable for me too.

But I’m pondering giving it a try this summer.

For me, that means showing up for my clients in Make It Happen Club, supporting my 1:1 clients, writing an email to my list every week and posting in LinkedIn when I feel like it.

Every summer I take a break from recording new episodes of the podcast, but I’ll make sure there’s something new for your ears every Tuesday as usual, by going back through old episodes and re-publishing some of my favourites.

Everything else can wait. I don’t need to always be working on the next thing. It’s ok to take my foot off the gas for a moment. Nothing terrible will happen.

If ever you’ve heard me share the story that led to me starting my business, you’ll have heard me talk about feeling like I was on a hamster wheel in my old job. It wasn’t a good feeling, and it ultimately made me ill.

So if I start to feel that way again – always chasing the next thing, because I’m not where I want to be – I’m realising I need to consciously step off that hamster wheel so I can have a rest, get some perspective and recharge my batteries.

I trust myself to pick up the pace and dive right back in when the time’s right.

How about you? Have things been feeling a little relentless for you too? Would you benefit from being with what is for a while? What would that look like for you?

Are you brave enough to give it a go?

As always, I hope that this helps and look forward to seeing you again soon.