The Ms. CEO Show

The mail is stacking up. Your dirty clothes hamper runneth over. Your to-do list is longer than the New York City Marathon. There are a bazillion things to do in your business and all of them are top priorities. Your assistant just moved away. Your accounts payable (the money you owe people) are behind, and your receivables (money owed to you) are too. When it rains, it pours and you feel like you’re standing smack dab in the middle of Niagra Falls.

Wow, can I relate.

Sometimes go-getters feel embarassed or inadequate when everything seems to be snowballing or going wrong or we feel that we must step up to the plate and handle it all—and all at once. Not so. You are entitled to being overwhelmed, and if your life and business never get to the point that you don’t feel this way, or haven’t felt this way, then you’re probably not doing much. The key to making it through these life/business snowstorms is paring back to the absolute essential actions that will put you in a position to easily (or less strenuously) handle everything else.

Figure out what you ultimately need and go after it with a vengeance. For example, if bills are behind, you need more employees or contractors to help your business grow, your marketing is suffering, and your house isn’t as tidy as you would like, all of these challenges effectively boil down to needing more money.

Maybe the challenges you are facing effectively boil down to needing to take action quicker—and not procrastinating. Whatever your situation, ask yourself—what’s the bottom line here? What does this boil down to and what are the two or three overarching, or broad, solutions to this problem?

So, if money were the ultimate issue then you’d need to decide what two to three things you could do relentlessly and consistently for a period of time to move yourself out of your circumstances of lack. If procrastionation were the ultimate issue then you’d need to decide what two or three new behaviors you could adopt to shake that show-stopping monkey off your back.

As entreprenuers, it is absolutely essential that we take stock on a regular basis of not only where our businesses are but who we are as the visionaries and drivers of our businesses. When all things are awry get back to the very specific things that will move you forward, persist in these areas, and delegate other things or let them be until you can address them. Believe me, I know it’s a scary place to be in when you start having to leave some loose ends untied for awhile but this is the great entrepreneurial dilemma. I believe it is nature’s way of weeding out those who really want it versus those who sorta want it, and those who don’t.

I found this overview of the 10 most common traits among the most successful entrepreneurs. You don’t have to possess all of them but it’s a great list to read and think on. Among all these traits I would say “persistence” is the most critical.

If you’re bombarded with responsibilities and feel like you’re being pulled under by the tide, decide what is ultimately going to turn your situation around and single-mindedly focus on that.

Be Encouraged,
Felicia Joy