Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Are you having some fun on your journey?

Uchechi

Wow, it’s crazy how much the year has progressed. Periodically, I like to reflect on my goals and accomplishments and determine where adjustments are needed. What’s come up for me today is the need to enjoy my journey as I reach towards my goals.

Those that know me well know that I always have something on the go, with ideas and programs to develop. However, along with this, is the calling to take time to reflect on my accomplishments and ensure that the journey towards the attainment of my goals in an enjoyable one. Being a wife and a mother of 2 has made this even more essential in my life!

As humans, we are meant to stretch and take on challenges. Most of us don’t always stretch past our comfort zone, which is needed to grow and succeed, but that yearning to be and want more is a human desire that we all have in common. What we tend to do is focus solely on the end goal (destination) that we don’t sit and consider how much growth and accomplishments we’ve had along the way.

Enjoying the journey also includes adding ways to make accomplishing your goals fun and exciting. This is important because at some point, we will get to the part where things start to become difficult or mundane and the beginner’s excitement is gone and we need to work at it to stay inspired and motivated. As business owners, we know this part very well! This is when enjoying the journey and infusing some fun and excitement into it helps to sustain your energy.

It could a relaxing massage for dedicating a full day to business development for your business and gaining more leads. You can also reach out to someone you admire and ask them to mentor you, spending an afternoon at your favourite restaurant ‘picking their brain’. Another great thing is to attend an inspiring event (like Hay House I Can Do It) or join a mastermind group with like-minded people. There are so many ways to add some fun and excitement to the process of reaching your goals. One of the things I personally plan to do in the future is get together with some great ladies and do a wealth creation mastermind that includes a fun day of pampering, yoga, masterminding and talk on personal development.

Yes, there are some tedious and difficult tasks that we must do consistently to turn our dreams into a reality. However, it is equally important to have time to reflect and inject some fun into your life and business. After all, that’s the reason why you established your goals and do the work in the first place. You wanted to share your unique talents and create something that will improve your life and make you happy, while serving others. It’s important to make the effort to enjoy the ride and be happy during the process and not just after the goal is reached. As we all know, once one goal is reached, you will have a need to establish another. Therefore, it truly is all about the journey!

Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse is a Business & Lifestyle Strategist, Speaker and Writer, but most importantly, a proud Mother and Wife. Uchechi is Founder of My Empowered Living (http://www.myempoweredliving.com) a website aimed at helping women shift their mindset and live their passion! Whether it’s starting and building their dream business, or helping them create a lifestyle they crave, Uchechi is the modern woman’s secret to success! Visit Uchechi at www.myempoweredliving.com to get her FREE online video training series The 4 Keys to your Business Success! This free 4-day business training reveals her 4 key strategies needed to build a profitable and successful business, and how to put them to work in your business!

Are You Prepared to Pay the Price… Sacrifice vs. Success?

 

yvonne

It is usually said that success comes at a price… yes, no? It may not always be in monetary terms, it could come in form of relationships, overcoming fear and rejection, leaving your comfort zone, working hard etc. Whatever the case may be, you will find there is always an opportunity cost to one’s desired dreams and goals, and only individually can we decide whether the opportunity cost of fulfilling our dreams or achieving the success we desire is worthwhile.

I remember facilitating a session on John Maxwell’s book “Put Your Dream to the Test” where he shared 10 ‘Dream Test’ questions, with one of the questions being ‘Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?’; at the time, I was faced with the decision of taking a risk to pursue one of my dreams that would cost me a pretty large sum of money, and with no guarantee that it would pay off. Upon deliberating on how much I was ‘willing to pay for the price of my dream’, albeit remote, I took the plunge.

I would love to tell you that the risk paid off, but no, it did not turn out as expected in the long run. Did I regret the cost? Absolutely not! Because the insight and experience I gained from taking that risk pushed me closer to fulfilling my dreams. Had I not taken the risk, I would have been none the wiser, and would still be in limbo thinking ‘What if’, ‘Maybe’, ‘Perhaps’ and wasting my time.

What dreams of yours are demanding a sacrifice? Some familiar scenarios we face include;

Personal Development and Further Education – Perhaps you are considering a masters, certification or courses in order to further develop yourself, career or business. Pause and consider what the sacrifice will be i.e. the time required to attend classes or study, or the financial investment. Weigh the sacrifices vs. the rewards. One of the questions you need to answer is “what is the expected return on investment?” Consider the sacrifices, as well as the potential returns to help you make the right decision.

Leisure Time – I dare say that nobody at the top of their game got there without working some long hours, and their social life suffering somewhat. The client is oblivious to the fact you’ve been working hard all day and need a break. Neither is the competitor going to put the launch of their product on hold so you can take a well deserved vacation. Success can come at a price, which may include forfeiting time with friends, abundance of time to bond with family or having a social life, but usually only for a period of time. Unfortunately we can’t always eat our cake and have it, sometimes something has to give. But at the same time, wise choices need to be made for work-life balance.

Financial Setbacks – This I call stooping to conquer. We could be faced with the ‘opportunity’ of taking a pay cut to get into the career of our dreams or launch our businesses. When presented with this option, it takes foresight to see it for what it truly is, the opportunity it presents, and believing the pay-off will be greater in the long run.

All in all, there is seed time and harvest time. A time to make sacrifices and a time to reap the harvest. It will not always be about sacrificing (sowing), and a time will come where we reap the fruits of our sacrifice. However, before you make that sacrifice or pay the price, pause and reflect to consider if it is worth the price.

 

Yvonne is a Change Consultant, Coach and Speaker who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to enable change, drive results and achieve their goals.   She can be reached at:   www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc, www.twitter.com/oliveblueinc, www.oliveblue.com