Grounded is a word that, for me, describes that feeling that we’re where I need to be, I’m on solid ground and I’m feeling rooted to my purpose. When I feel grounded, I feel less anxious, more focussed, settled and in a MUCH better place to run my business.
Everyone will have their own triggers that lead them to feel like they’re whirling through life feeling short on purpose, direction, anxious or out of control. Often, tell tail signs are over full inboxes, being late for deadlines, waking in the night or worrying about things that don’t normally niggle. Another sure sign is that the inner voice that says life is too hard, work is too hard, business is too hard and you’re not good enough will get louder and louder.
Have a little ponder about when you have that lovely ‘grounded’ feeling and when you feel a little ‘all at sea’ and perhaps what the percentage of time each week they take up.
So...given that most of you will at least experience some ungrounded times, here are some tips to re-ground when you need.
Select your sources of news - news does change fast and it is important to understand a world context but is it really important to listen to phone-in programmes or hourly updates of the same distressing information? The current financial dialogue is particularly unsettling for business owners, so choose 1 or 2 times a day when you might check in and move on.
Avoid 'busy' - stop laughing! There is a huge difference between having full lives where we prioritise what we need to do in a focussed way, and the 'headless chicken' feeling of being busy and rushing from one task to the next. I am careful to even avoid using the word busy so that my language doesn't unwittingly make me feel unsettled.
Balance your diary - every person and especially every business owner, needs space. Space to think, create, take some deep breaths or simply switch off. However, if we're the master of our diary, it can be easy peasy to fill it to the brim! Carve out space with colour coding or daily or weekly moments. Your business will actually improve and you'll have more time to do the prioritising that you need to.
Revisit your vision - we all had a vision and purpose for why we started our businesses in the first place but it's easy to lose our connection to it. Make it visual or add a couple of inspiring goals or quotes to the fridge or office wall to help you settle in times of crazy. Take a deep breath and focus to settle.
Prioritise everything - not ALL the things but the most important things. Ask yourself often about whether a task is important or a bad habit. What ever makes you feel settled and grounded (nature, exercise, spa days, reading etc etc) should be high on your list and perhaps other things need to drop off the bottom of your list. Learn to delegate what you can't do, ask for help when feeling alone with a challenge, avoid draining people and remember that you're not all things to all people. Be really human and avoid perfectionism.
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