Travel provides the extraordinary privilege of perspective. Today, I saw the world from the sky and land as I flew to Calgary, AB for a week with fabulous clients.
As the plane approached the runway flying over Calgary, I was taken by how brown the city looked. Having lived there for 18 years, I wasn’t surprised at it’s spring palate, yet I actually had the audible thought, “Oh Wow!” as I took in the view from my window seat.
It was the vast amount of brown. Everywhere I looked it covered the ground.
It’s quite a contrast from where I live now in the Okanagan Valley in BC. Everything has been green there for over a month. So green that people have started mowing their lawns, the flowers and trees are beginning to bloom and the golf courses are open.
I started to compare the two in my mind, and then noticed the toxic seed that starts so many downward spirals. How many times have you subtly compared your brown life or business landscape to that of another, who appears to be miraculously growing a green and prosperous space? We do it all the time without realizing the price. Comparing is a pointless rabbit hole that distracts and creates confusion.
Within a nanosecond of comparing, you’re feeling discouraged, questioning what you must be doing wrong, and all of sudden you are miles down the road at Mach 1 to the land of ‘I’m Not_________ Enough’. Filling in the blank before you leave is like signing the guest book there. Whether you sign it or just think it, you are giving terrible, toxic lies power over you, over your Truth.
Do you think the beautiful blossoms and green grass where I live worked any less hard to succeed? Do you think they are smarter or richer? You can convince me nature has it easier in the Okanagan because of the warmer climate. And if I buy your story, what does that give you? A cheap ticket out of success, that’s what. Don’t you dare!
The blossoms and grass in Calgary will come out beautifully when their time is right. And when they do, people here will celebrate (trust me, I know) equally as the people where I live. It’s a different landscape, geography and climate here. It’s apple and oranges.
You are on a journey – YOUR journey. No two people will have the same one. You can sit on your brown landscape and pout because someone else’s looks better than yours, or you can get up and keep going knowing that spring is coming. It WILL come.
You might need to get up and do some spring-cleaning – open the drapes and let some light in, open the windows and breath some fresh air. You might need to do some work, hard work and make some changes internally and externally.
Here are some tips to reach your spring season –
Take note of what other people are doing to succeed in your industry. Choose one or two things you think apply (not the laundry list that totally demotivates you!) to you and your season. Implement those with a regular schedule and add your personal flavor.
Take stock of your current activities. Being brutally honest with yourself about which ones are actually growing your business and which ones are old habits from previous seasons is the best kind of spring-cleaning. Ditch the old and make room for the new (or more of what already works).
Join a networking group – a really good one. Ask around and find one that fits your timing and needs and get connected virtually or in person, or both. A blossom doesn’t bloom unless it’s attached to live tree! Getting connected is crucial for keeping new ideas coming and fanning the flames of your passion.
Go back to what you love. In the winter of your life or business it can feel like you’ve been in a grey storm, slogging and shoveling forever with no end in site (hats off to all you Easterners!). It’s easy to get off track in that space. Sometimes just asking yourself what you really love takes you back to basics, reigniting a passion or creating a key shift that needed to happen.
Keep it simple. The longer people have been trying to grow anything, the more complicated I find they make it. STOP IT! Choose 3-5 key activities you are going to focus on and just do those.
Fill yourself with life. How long have you been working at this? Are you doing your Energizer bunny imitation slogging it our or hitting the brick wall? Take time for yourself every day to meditate or pray while breathing deeply and thinking positive thoughts. Take a nap. Go for a brisk walk/jog or dance like a crazy person in your living room to your favorite song (yes, I do that).
Write a list of everything you have achieved in life and business. This is bar none the best comparison killer and I use it. I have digital folders of e-mails/reference letters I go back and read when I need to be reminded of my Truth and that my journey really is making an impact, and going to big places.
Remember, having a brown landscape in your life or business doesn’t mean you aren’t working hard, everything is dying and success isn’t coming. Just like spring, there is a ton of work and growth going on just below the surface that you can’t see. And when the time is right, life and newness spring forth in a full display of color and renewal. Keep going, your spring is coming.
Need a little extra support, call me to get started. Here’s to you finding your awesome!
