How Do We Make the Best of This?!

​It’s a crazy world we’re currently living in. That’s for sure.  A world where we have no idea about what will happen next. A world where much of what is happening is out of our control.  A world where things we’ve hoped and dreamed about for years may not take place. A world where routes to revenue may be blocked but ongoing fixed expenses don’t stop.  The list goes on and on. For each of us, the list is likely different. So how do we make the best of all this?!

Many would say I’m an eternal optimist, always seeing the bright side of things.  Although that’s not always true, it is most times. I feel there’s not enough time in the day to stress over things we can’t control.  Especially not when doing so takes away moments we could be enjoying. Plus, if you follow Law of Attraction principles, what you think most about, you attract to you.  Who the heck wants to attract more negativity?!

When I first heard they were all going to be home with me for a few weeks, I have to say I wasn’t so thrilled.  How would I continue focusing on the business while they are all home? As I took time to step away and meditate, I was reminded of the many projects on my list that could still be done with them around.  I was also reminded of why I have my own business instead of working with others- it’s to be around my family. So them being home is really a blessing.Zach, my oldest, is currently a senior in high school.  He’s quite the busy kid and I often joke that his teachers see him more than we do.  What a blessing that he gets to be home with us for the next 3 weeks. I’m so excited about him being home that I’m not even annoyed that he’s playing the saxophone very loudly next to me as I type this.  Instead, I’m enjoying feeling his presence next to me and hearing how talented he’s become at playing this, and many other, instruments.
​My husband is a teacher and he’s home with the boys and I too.  While they work on their classes, my husband is working with his students and I’m doing things for my biz.  After some time working, we get to binge watch movies together and enjoy some quality family time. What a blessing!  I saw a meme on Facebook the other day that said something to the effect of “Your grandparents were called off to war. You are being called to stay home and binge watch netflix. You got this.”  I had to laugh because it really put things into perspective. In our digital world, so many already work virtually. Many schools offer online courses. What a blessing that these technologies exist during our current crisis so we can carry on with our lives while helping contain and wipe out this virus. Despite all the blessings I’m choosing to see in our current situation, I realize the situation of other people may be different and everything isn’t rainbows and unicorns.  Perhaps your children are younger than mine and it’s taking a lot of time to take care of them and help them with school work. Perhaps you’re a single parent and don’t have a supportive spouse around to help carry the load.

 Perhaps you or someone in your household isn’t able to work and money isn’t coming in to pay the bills that won’t stop.  All these situations likely make it much harder to see the blessings in what’s going on right now. I totally get that and can truly sympathize. However, we can’t control any of these external things going on around us. All we can control is ourselves and how we react. When we react by looking at the blessings we have, even if they are few and far between right now, we get ourselves into a place where solutions begin to appear and the things we do have influence over can start to go in a different direction.

So what steps do we take to make the best of all this?

irst, STEP AWAY for a minute- The world continually has something to draw our attention to.  Take a minute, longer if you can, to step away from it all. If you’re a mom with little ones that are constantly requiring your attention, take your time after they are asleep or lock yourself in the bathroom for a quick minute.  (Others may not agree, but tv and video games are your friend during that minute! Use them from time to time for your sanity. Lord knows I did when mine were little and both have grown into amazing, smart, talented kids.) Once you are finally alone, breathe.  Let it all go. Have a conversation with God or the universe or whoever you believe in. Be open to the messages that come through to you. It’s during these moments of stepping away that we soon remember our overall goals and things show up that help us move forward.  It was while I was doing this first step that I came up with my plan for the next 3 weeks while everyone was home.

​Next, CONSIDER A FEW THINGS to determine where to focus your time.

PLANS & GOALS for your business- Do you have a plan for your business (or role at work)?  Plans are so vitally important because they guide decision making.  Without them, we go through each day faced with requests from others and don’t have a framework to say yes or no.  Additionally, unexpected things come up in our lives and we need to suddenly shift tasks. By having a plan, you can easily refer back to it and see what tasks may be suitable for your current situation.  Right now it’s being quarantined, but I guarantee you something else will come up down the road, like a family member being suddenly sick, that will bring about a need to shift.  Since planning is so important, it’s woven into many of the things I do with clients.  I encourage all clients working with me to start with a plan for their next 6-12 months.  Some do this in a private V.I.P. Day with me and others do it on their own through the Jumpstart Your Future online course.  Regardless of which way they start, 

we take time each quarter to do a Quarterly Deep Dive and adjust our plans based on things we’ve learned in the past 90 days.  Again, some do this independently through the online course and others do it surrounded by other professionals at the Quarterly Retreat included with my Coaching Club 2.0 program.  If you don’t currently have a plan, now is a perfect time to start working on one while we have some pause in our lives.  If you’re not sure how to get started, reach out. I’m happy to help. ​​If you do have a plan, look at it and see what’s on there that can easily be pulled to the forefront during this time. For me, it’s enhancing the videos in my online academy.  Currently the academy is in a soft launch mode because some of the trainings haven’t yet been adapted for online use. It was part of my business plan to adapt 3 per month and have the academy out of soft launch mode by the start of the summer. This current shutdown gives me more time to record videos and have them edited and posted in the academy.  Provided all goes well, the academy will be out of soft launch mode sooner and potentially increase the timeline of heavily promoting my online courses and bring revenue in from them sooner. An additional look at my business plan has me smiling because I’ve intentionally created my offerings to withstand a time of not being able to be in-person a lot for my clients.  About a year ago, I had a close family member die of cancer. I spent tons of time at doctor appointments with him and realized that this type of thing will happen more in the future. Since one of my biggest priorities is family, I took a close look at my offerings and ensured that what I was offering could easily be maintained in situations that unexpectedly pulled me away.  What a blessing to look back and see this plan now playing out successfully in our current unexpected situation! 

PLANS & GOALS for your life- Like your business/work, it’s just as important to have plans for your life for many of the reasons listed above. What sorts of things do you want for yourself in terms of health, happiness, travel, wealth, recreation, rest, quality of life?  If you have plans for these things, what can you work on now that you have some time? If you don’t have plans for these things, now is a great time to start. As part of the initial “step away” part of the process, I sat down the other day and watched a DVD from Jack Canfield called Living the Law of Attraction: Creating the Life of Your Dreams.  It was a great way to reflect on plans I have in these areas and to make adjustments. Your BUDGET- This is a great time to take a look at your business and personal budget.  Where can you cut expenses in both budgets? Are there places you normally pay that have postponed payments during this time? ​

My gym, for instance, has put our payments on hold until this passes. Is there a recurring payment that is not needed during this time that you can turn off.  For me, that was the case for Ben’s lunch account that’s funded every couple weeks. Will there be enough revenue coming in to pay your ongoing bills? Are there opportunities for income that don’t have you looking like an annoying person preying on people in a time of need simply to serve themselves? Is there a need to get a part time job right now to ensure you’ll be ok as things progress.  Many stores and factories are hiring right now because they need workers to perform essential tasks like stocking grocery shelves. 

​I’m looking forward to digging into a book that was recently released by a dear friend, Jody Robinson.  It’s called Money Messages: Get Out of the Red and into the Green, Emotional and Financial Freedom to Transform Your Life  Money is often a tough subject for people to discuss and look at.  A lot is tied into the money messages we’ve heard and learned throughout our lives.  If you’re looking for tips on how to have a different relationship with money, I encourage you to check out the book. 

Opportunities to LEARN & DEVELOP YOUR BUSINESS- This is a time when people are coming out of the woodwork to provide training and resources for others, often free of charge in an effort to help our society during a trying time.  Make the most of these opportunities and enhance your skills in areas that make sense for your goals. Additionally, develop parts of your business you’ve been waiting to develop. One of my goals is to spend more time on LinkedIn.  Once I’m past the video/course update project I mentioned earlier, I’ll head over to LinkedIn and start learning how to most effectively use that tool for my business. Notice how I said once I’m done with the videos?! It’s so easy for us to say we’re going to do it ALL at once, but that’s not realistic and can lead to unnecessary stress.  Also, since I have a plan for my business I know that the one task should be focused on before the other.   One last and important note on this topic, BE CAREFUL to take advantage of RELEVANT learning and avoid focusing on everything people share/offer.  It’s so easy to get sucked into taking advantage of everything and end up making little progress because you weren’t laser focused. I have tons of classes in the Z&B Online Academy  that can support you as you look to develop your business.  Many are free or $19. I’m happy to share a coupon to get the $19 courses for free during this time.  Simply contact me for the code. ​ 

 Opportunities for PERSONAL GROWTH- Personal growth is similar to learning and developing your business.  Take advantage of what’s being shared, but be cautious to not get overwhelmed by trying it all.  Also remember to check what you already have in your home that may help you in the area of growth that you simply haven’t had a chance to get around to using yet. Have you been looking to mediate more or maybe cook healthier meals or exercise more? All these things can be done during this time of shutdown. ​What a blessing! Those are all things that have been on my list for awhile.  I’ll be taking time to focus on them during this time. Since my family shares the goals of exercise and eating well, I’ll be working with them on the goals which will make it more fun! 

​Opportunities to GET THINGS DONE AT HOME- I don’t know about you, but I have TONS of projects sitting around at home that are unfinished due to the busyness of kids, life and the business.  I got through many of them during the two week holiday break, but didn’t get to finish all of them. I’ve tried to get back to them since but there just hasn’t been time.  Thanks to current situations, now there is! The first on my tackle list was going through the fridge and pantries so I can better enjoy cooking more meals. So glad that’s now off the list and looking forward to tackling others.  I do realize, though, that in order to be able to tackle a lot of them, I am going to have to make a habit of limiting my time on Facebook.  I’ve quickly seen just how easy it can be to spend a lot of my time there seeing what everyone is up to and then no longer having time to do projects on my list.  That’s not to say that Facebook is a bad thing because for many it’s the way they are staying sane and connected during these times and it’s very good for them. ​​Whether it’s ‘bad’ or ‘good’ depends on each individual's goals/priorities/preferences and how it meets or doesn’t meet them.  Yet another example of how being aware of your business and personal goals can prove helpful in making decisions about how to spend your time. On a personal note, I’ve seen tons of coaches hopping to Facebook lately to provide guidance and wisdom to people and it’s a beautiful thing to see.  I was tempted to do the same when all this started, but as I revisited my goals and priorities for my life and business I realized that wasn’t the best approach for me personally or for my business or my family. Instead, I reached out to clients, stayed present with family, and took time to reflect and renew; trusting in the fact that the people God wants me to serve will show up in the right time and I don’t need to do me or my business differently to avoid financial impact.  I was able to confidently do that because I have a solid plan for my business and life and am clear on what I want each to look like and how they blend together for good for my family. 

​Opportunities to REACH OUT TO PEOPLE- Who haven’t you talked to in awhile that you can reach out to?  In business there may be people you’ve met through networking, past clients, current clients, referral partners. 

 In life there may be friends, family, neighbors. Despite being forced into isolation, you can still reach out to all sorts of people.  I encourage you to use the method that makes the most sense for your happiness. Many are taking to Facebook and social media to get their social interaction in.  If social media isn’t your thing, don’t feel like that’s the only option. There’s the good old fashioned phone, as well as writing notecards to people and putting them in the mail.  All are acceptable ways to reach out and reconnect with people. My Grow Your Business in 15 Minutes a Day online course is a great one for walking you through the process of reaching out to people consistently in your business.  I’ve included the link that gives you the coupon code to enjoy it for free. How awesome would it be for you to hone this skill now and keep it going once things return to normal?!  When it comes to reaching out to people, 

I encourage clients to spend 15 minutes a day, every day, to ensure they have a constant funnel of people for their business. Check out the training to learn more.  ​Opportunities to CLEAN THINGS UP ADMINISTRATIVELY- I’m at year 6 or so in my business and there’s been TONS of change and flux during that time.  As I’m sure you can imagine, there are a bunch of computer and paper files that are no longer relevant to the current way I do business.  As part of my video/course update project, I’m cleaning up paper and electronic files. Over the holidays, I tackled a bunch of the paper files and it felt so good.  There was so much that I filled an entire tall recycling tub just with papers, plus shredded a large box as well. There was just a little left to finish and it was all related to my online courses so that’s being tackled before the video/course update project.  Once that’s done I’ll shift into electronic files that weren’t fixed during the video/course update project. Normally I’d go through receipts and upload them to quickbooks during this time but I’m happy to say that we tackled catching up on that project just after the two week break over the holidays.  Another project on my tackle list is cleaning up contact and photo files.

Next, CREATE A PLAN for the unknown time ahead- After having spent time considering the many areas above, you should have a fairly good idea of the kind of things you can do in the days ahead, as well as the order to tackle them in.  WRITE YOUR PLAN DOWN and keep it somewhere you can easily reference it. Life, family and other things will continue to come up and throw a wrench into your best laid plans. Having the list to reference easily will help you to adjust quickly when needed.  My list is written on giant paper and posted on my office window.
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​Lastly, remember EACH DAY IS A CHANCE TO START AGAIN - NO ONE IS PERFECT so don’t expect yourself to be.  Remember your priorities, focus on them as best you can and BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF!  Take this time to renew and refresh and be grateful for what does happen during this time.  If you don’t already, perhaps start a gratitude journal and at the end of the day log 5 things you’re grateful for from that day.  At the start of the day, revisit your goals and what you plan to do for the day. Meditate and visualize your success. Allow yourself to be still and reflect and spend time going internally.  The more you spend time on those sorts of things, the less “efforting” you’ll need to do to accomplish your goals. 
As you take time to go through the process above, reach out to myself, or others you trust, to get thoughts where needed.  I’m here for you during this time, and so are many others!

​Let’s make the most of this time and come out with stronger relationships with our families, ourselves and God….while also having stronger businesses.