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Mindset & Resilience

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The Importance of Environment to Growing a Business

Posted by
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia

Have you considered the power of your environment on your success?

Think about it.

As an avid gardener, I know certain kinds of vegetables grow best in specific types of soil and under particular weather conditions. I don’t stop to consider if the seed planted is “talented enough” to grow. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the environment plays a strong role in whether or not that seed is going to sprout and produce an abundance of produce.

Yet, how many of us stop to consider the impact of our environment on our ability to grow our business? Do we argue for our talents, knowledge, and abilities in our success? Of course, we do, with perhaps little thought going into the role that our environment plays in our achievements.

What if we did — if only for a moment — give credence to the notion of the contributing factors of our environment? What would be different for you?

As I consider the environmental factors influencing my performance, here are a few of my favorite things:

  • Music uplifts my spirit — and it wins hands down over the news.
  • Sunshine — ahhhhh, nothing is more mood elevator than the sun rising over the horizon. It signals the dawn of a great day.
  • Warmth. What is it about being warm that brings me to attention? Must be my North Dakota upbringing. When it’s 30 degrees below freezing, all I want to do is hide under the covers — where it’s warm.
  • Early risings, especially when the early morning hours of the day, when most people are asleep, are used to attack — and yes, I do mean attack — the tasks of the day.
  • Accomplishment seems to be the next important “thing.” The more I can tick off my to-do list early in the morning, the more I am inspired and motivated to take on the next task.

Although some of these “things” are more about habits than they are environmental, I recognize how my environment sets me up to develop habits that influence my success.

Decorating for Success

James Clear recently wrote an article on the impact of our environment on our success. It was, in fact, the inspiration for this musing. And, it did get me thinking about the environment for small business owners — especially those who are bootstrapping and working from a home office.

Certainly, as someone who has worked from a home office for over 30 years, I understand the joys — and complications — that come from such a location. There are distractions (think dishes, laundry, and other household chores) yet there is also a sense of freedom that comes from sliding into my home office in my pajamas and slippers, comforted with my cup of coffee while I watch the sunrise. Frankly, although I’ve considered the so-called benefits of working outside of the home, I’m not sure it’s really worth it in the long run.

Surprisingly, while I pondered the marriage of environment and success put forth by James Clear, I couldn’t help but think about my home office environments of the past decades.

Certainly, there were functional………..(insert long pause here) and that’s about it. Now that I give it some intentional thought, it’s almost laughable. Yet it’s not…and I bet I’m not alone!

The location in which we spend a significant number of waking AND working hours can — and should be — a better place to nurture our success. (Read that sentence again, for effect, and put yourself in the picture.)

What can you add to your environment (beyond a computer that works well) that feeds your soul, nurtures your dreams, and fertilizes your success?

Is it…

Flowers? Beautiful works of art? Luscious green plants? Pictures of loved ones?

Maybe it’s…

Your vision board. Brightly painted walls — that you can write on! (Can you imagine?) A comfy chair. A beautiful rug beneath your desk that keeps your feet warm.

Or, perhaps it’s a cat that sits quietly next to your keyboard purring while you plunk away.

What would you change about your environment that, like the ideal growing conditions for your vegetables, would foster your business growth? It’s well worth considering, isn’t it?

Why not till — and care for — your environment in a way that would support you in producing a bumper crop?

You are, after all, the seed that produces.

What elements of your business environment inspire your growth?

The Most Overworked, Underutilized Business Growth Strategy: Imagination

Posted by
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia

Albert Einstein wrote, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”

As small business owners we use our imagination in a variety of ways. As we’re launching our budding enterprise, we imagine the freedom of working when we want. We fantasize the financial freedom of business ownership. And, we experience the joy of achieving our goals.

When growing a business becomes more challenging than what we initially fabricated, our imagination conjurs up mental pictures of doom and gloom, destitution, and dejection. Our imagination not only creates impressions within our minds eye, it replicates emotions like fear, failure, and rejection.

Used as a tool, rather than a weapon, imagination ignites passion. It triggers creativity, fuels determination, and creates tenacity. When employed to solve a problem, imagination fabricates possible solutions.

Imagination forms a mental representation of what is not yet in existence — and sets in motion a chain reaction. As a result, we see our business, and it’s growth strategy, in a different light. Where there may have been obstacles, we now see opportuntiies. Problems are replaced with possibilities.

Imagine this

If you’re ready to use your imagination as a tool for your business success, take this exercise out for a spin.

Close your eyes, take 3-4 deep breaths, and imagine this:

My goal is ______(fill in the blank)________.
It feels like _____(fill in the blank)________.
It sounds like _________________.
It looks like _____________________(color and texture).
It felt ____________________________in my body (location).
It feels ___________________________(warm, cold).
Its color is __________________________.
If it had a taste, it would be ____________.
It smells like _________________________.
Its texture is _________________________(smooth, rough, prickly).

Do you see the possibilities? I thought you would.

10 Ways Your Mind Sabotages Your Business Strategy…And How to Fix It

Posted by
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia

Your mind is a beautiful thing. It ignites ideas, sparks inspiration, and illuminates direction. One’s mind can also be a bit tragic. It has the power to elevate anxiety, destroy self-confidence, and flame the fire of your worst fears. It shrinks goals, minimizes efforts, and brings to fruition that which one most fears.

It can quickly and easily create a catastrophic event in one’s thinking. It’s almost effortless. Triggered by the smallest calamity, the mind dashes down a rabbit hole to unearth visions of epic ruin.

Rather than rush to a place in the mind where clarity and calm co-exist, the mind resorts to sabotaging behaviors. And, given the primal function of the brain, who could truly blame us for wanting to flee danger?

Subtle sabotage…and its cunning ways

The mind employs slick tactics to convince you that engaging in certain behaviors is necessary — even when those behaviors undermine your goals.

Can you identify with any of these cagey practices?

  1. Procrastination. Although putting things off until later sounds like a good strategy in the moment, it’s merely a tactic used to trip you up.
  2. Obliging self-indulgent behavior. Commonly used phrases like “I deserve it” and “I’ve worked hard” sound completely justifiable — although they’re not. It’s one more way your mind tricks you into avoiding that which you truly want.
  3. Escapism. Whether to a sandy beach, a trashy novel, or under the covers, dodging your business strategy — and beliefs about its success — doesn’t change anything.
  4. Avoidance. Putting off pulling the trigger on your business strategy until later today — or maybe next week — doesn’t change the outcome.
  5. Relentless research. When you know a bunch about many topics, yet have little to show in the form of goals achieved, you know you’ve been sabotaged!
  6. Perpetual planning. This really looks good — but only on paper. It’s another subtle way our minds keep us “busy” rather than achieving.
  7. Crisis fabrication. Chaos creates a smoke screen preventing us from seeing the reality of what is really occurring beneath the surface of our mind.
  8. Perfectionism. A need for something to be exact, as in the case of a website or new program, is merely a delay tactic.
  9. Saying “Yes” too often. If your days are filled with commitments and obligations to others, you don’t have to face down the fears of achieving your own goals.
  10. Continuous complaining. Camouflaging self-sabotaging beliefs in criticism, blame, fault-finding, or dissatisfaction does little to change your business outcomes.

Sublte. Astute. Clever. Creative. Sleek. Inventive. Rationale. Sensible. Skillful. All describe the dark side of one’s mind.

Imagination: Your Business Strategy For Success

You may have come across some readings claiming that thoughts create reality. Thoughts, by themselves, do not change our reality. They do, however, change the choices we make that influence our ability to succeed with our business strategy.

Beliefs, however, play a significant role on our thoughts. Regardless of our subtle — and not so subtle — choices of self-defeating behaviors, the origin is in one’s belief.

I’ve always found that the best defense against self-defeating beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors is a good offense. And, it begins with intentionality.

When emotional upheaval — and subsequent self-sabotaging behaviors — begin to take hold, stop whatever you’re doing. Put your day on pause and take several deep breaths to calm the amygdala that little piece of gray matter that runs our emotional universe.

Next, begin to construct a different mental framework of potential outcomes. Don’t just visualize — imagine! Imagine what it looks like to achieve your goal. Imagine what it feels like to conquer your fears. Imagine your confidence growing as you stay the course. Imagine the sound decisions you’ll make in the face of adversity.

Imagine knowing that you have the wherewithal within you to overcome the self-defeating behaviors standing between you and the success of your business strategy.

Pretty awesome, isn’t it!

The Entrepreneurs Guide to Reaching the Summit

Posted by
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia

While “executing” my morning routine, I realized my crack of dawn habit was messed up. Designed to fuel, energize, and sustain me, it did little to prepare me for the day ahead.

I run hard throughout the day. Besides being a business coach, I’m a business owner, wife, house and yard manager, chef, housekeeper, sister, aunt, grandma, godmother, and friend. It’s exhilarating…and exhausting.

My day begins at 5:30 am. It’s the time before the sun rises that my world is quiet. I have undisturbed, uninterrupted time for me and my rambling thoughts of the day ahead.

Needless to say, I’m a bit embarrassed to share my sacred morning routine with you. But, in the spirit of full transparency, here goes.

Feasting on Fruity Bears & Digital Delicacies

Up until the time of this writing, my break of day “me” time was filled with pouring over my iPad, caffeine in hand, curled up in my favorite corner of a well-worn couch. It was 90-minutes of sheer, unadulterated bliss before I hit the trail for the day’s adventure.

This morning was different.

Having read an article on fueling for the day, I set out to challenge my daily grind. The author suggested having breakfast within 30 minutes of rising followed by 1 cup of coffee. Say what?! My 90-minute escapade included 2-3 cups of that hot, rich caffeine-ladened elixir. Breakfast was an afterthought 2-3 hours into the day.

In an attempt to follow the expert’s idea, I launched into the new routine, albeit ridden with skepticism and forlorn. How I would miss my “old” routine. Much like disposing of my favorite pair of running shoes long-past their purpose and usefulness, it was tough to part with my old ways.

My well-worn morning routine consisting of games, social media, and news consumption. It was my way to energize and prepare myself for the day ahead — to gird my loins, if you will. Yet, it was very much like having a sugary donut and a handful of gummy bears before climbing Mt. Baldy.

A Hikers Guide to Peak Performance

As a hiker of Mt. Baldy, it didn’t take long to realize that such a morning start wouldn’t take me far up the trail. What if I peered down the eye of each day as if it were a trek across the Pacific or Appalachian trail? How would I fuel? How would I travel? Would I go all day without a break?

Heck, no!

Breaks would be pre-planned. Meals and snacks — affectionately called “fueling” — would be deliberate and calculated. Hydration would be projected and delivered with regularity to avoid the energy-crushing effects of dehydration. Rest — and lots of it — would be premeditated.

These would not be ad hoc activities. No “poking around on Facebook” until the wee hours of the morning only to have sleep interrupted by the blue light of digital devices. No! We would be much more reverent and respectful of our routines and habits knowing what the day ahead may bring.

IMHO (In My Humble Opinion)

The job of an entrepreneur is exhilarating. It’s exciting and fun. And, it’s demanding — as taxing as the mountain trails with their dangerously steep inclines and rocky descents.

The views along the way are spectacular. The vistas inspiring. To reach the summit — the ultimate pinnacle of our labor — requires the utmost care in planning and preparation to ensure our readiness for the journey ahead.

Entrepreneurs do a crappy job of taking care of themselves — myself included. We need to do better to make certain we outperform each and every day along the trail. It is, after all, the only way to summit.

The Small Business Owners Guide to What to Do When

Posted by
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia

Working longer hours creates more work than it accomplishes.

There! I’ve said it and there’s no take backs.

It reminds me of a lecture I attended sometime in the early 80’s (likely before you were born). Judge Ziglar, Zig Ziglar’s brother, was speaking at an event in Fargo, ND. (Yes, people who hail from Fargo do sound like the movie.)

As an offspring of Industrial Age parents, imagine my shock and dismay when Judge unequivocally shared the following:

“Work 50 hours a week and you’ll be in the top 5% of your industry. Work 60 hours a week and you’ll be in the top 1% of your industry, and if you work 70 hours a week, you’re a F-O-O-L.”

What?*!# was my initial reaction given the 100-hour work weeks I was investing in my business. I had learned the lesson of hard-work to get ahead from my depression-born parents. This statement turned everything upside down!

Since then, technology makes it easier to do more in less time — or does it? From my vantage point, small business owners continue to work beyond the capacity that is wise or sensible — despite technology’s claim to make life easier.

Why Identifying Priorities Is a Priority

Is everything a priority in your world? If so, you’re not alone. It’s difficult to juggle the myriad of projects, tasks, goals, plans, and client demands to find one item that merits attention. Yet, our reluctance to invest time in sorting to uncover the priority leaves our mental and physical energy strained. Without that energy, performance suffers.

It’s the very reason we work 70+ hours weekly and are burning out at unprecedented rates. We claim we don’t have time for prioritizing and planning. Hence, we run through our days in full-on firefighter gear, carry a heavy water hose, and put out fires.

Yet, every minute spent planning, yields an additional 10 minutes for implementation. (Seriously. You can’t make this stuff up. It’s science.)

Instructions For Identifying What To Do When

Objective: provide you with tools to better sort through the endless things to do each day to identify your priority, reduce your stress, and have you delight in self-satisfaction at the end of the day. (Ta! Dah!)

Focus: solve the dilemma of “what to do when.”

Before you pull the trigger, there is a foundation on which the premise of prioritization is built. That is, deliver that which has the greatest value to the client first.

In order to respect this basis, we need to understand a few things, right?

  • Who is my client?
  • What do they value?

If you’re the business owner, you or your goals may be considered the client. If you’re an employee, the client may be the manager or CEO of the company.

If you deem that you and your goals are the client, what do you value most, small business owner? I don’t know about you but from my perspective, the ability to execute on the plans and tactics needed to achieve my goals is what is most valuable to me.

This is not to say my clients, who are reading this, aren’t important. They are! You are! However, as a business owner who works “on” and “in” her business, it’s about balance. Without the critical business development pieces needed to advance and grow my business, I quickly loose relevance and viability. Without that, there is no business for clients.

Get my point? Good. Let’s move on.

Now that you’ve identified your client, along with that which is most valuable, you’re ready to become a prioritization ninja.

  1. Create a master list. This is a catchall — a data dump, if you will — of items to complete by the end of the week. In my world, this happens Monday morning. You don’t need anything fancy other than the back of an envelope and a pen. For techno geeks, trello is an effective digital variation.
  2. Spell out your achievement. This is a crystal, clear picture of what you intend to achieve by the end of the week as it relates to your goals.
  3. Identify high value items. Based on what you determined to be the greatest value to your client, as defined by you, what activities from your master list have the greatest impact on your achievement? Place a “HV” next to them. (HV for high value.)
  4. Reorder your master list. Realizing that you likely won’t get to everything on the list, placing the high value activities at the top of your list. BAM! Your priorities are revealed. You are now able to quickly identify the top 20% of your activities that create 80% of the impact on your goals. (Dang you, Pareto Principle!)
  5. Begin execution and delivery of high value activities.

Sound simple? It is….sorta. Once you develop the habit of objectively identifying high value activities, it becomes easier.

Final thoughts: Your high value activities will continue to shift based on the needs of your “client.” Be willing and ready to swap out equally high-valued activities as needed. Plan with only enough detail to deliver the first increment of value. Then, rinse and repeat!

Choosing The Hustle” Means Business Startup Success”

Posted by
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia

Starting a business requires trade offs — particularly in the early stage of business development.

There’s a give-and-take between that which is comfortable and that which is awkward, annoying, and downright tortuous to put into action. Like a tug of war, it’s the unspoken agreement we make with business startup success.

These concessions, although not always pleasant to the palate, create a strong core for your business.

You Can’t Always Choose Comfort

The desire to avoid discomfort is one of the biggest challenge amidst the small business startup. It’s particularly apparent among the millennial generation.

This is not to knock this particular generation. However, it’s been my experience that boomer business launchers appear more willing to do what it takes. They choose to do things they don’t like — temporarily. It’s part of what business success requires.

I don’t want this to come across as though I’m generation bashing. (Is there an echo in here?) One size doesn’t fit all — every member of a particular generation doesn’t fit the stereotype.

What I am saying is different generations adopt different work styles and attitudes. In fact, differences between the millennial and “older” business owners are well documented. (Hey, who are you calling “old?”)

The biggest difference, in my humble opinion, is “time in the saddle.” We (i.e., “older” business owners) were once young, dumb, and wet behind the ears. Thank goodness wisdom comes with experience for most — but not all — of us.

Of course, some would say with business longevity comes rigid thinking, limited creativity, resistance to change, and defunct innovation. Imagine “this is how we’ve always done things” bellowing from the dingy office of the older business owner.

And they would be right…

For instance, 68% of millennial small business owners rely on social media for brand promotion compared to 14% of older business owners. (Get with the program, Grandpa! Facebook, albeit a slacker, is here to stay.)

Some millennial business owners make respectable choices that could/would have served the boomer well — like intentionally carving out quality time with family.

The challenge arises when one, regardless of generation, choose something other than the hustle — particularly in the early days of business.

Do The Hustle

What does it mean to choose the hustle? To the melody of the 1975 Van McCoy song, The Hustle, playing in the background…

Hustle is not…

  • working 24 hours per day
  • missing your kid’s little league games
  • responding to customers requests at the dinner table
  • working through sick days and vacations
  • …fill in the blank with your belief about hustle

Hustle is…

  • doing what success requires
  • taking calculated risks
  • coming out of the closet to your strengths and passion
  • not surrendering to your fears
  • adapting gracefully and graciously to changing trends
  • willingness to briefly be uncomfortable

Hustle is blogging — even when the thought of it makes you queasy — if that’s how your buyer persona locates your services.

Hustle is attending networking events — even when you think they’re lame — if that’s how you expand your network.

Hustle is sending emails to potential clients — even when you’re convinced they’ll say no — if that’s how to inform your audience.

Hustle is experiencing the discomfort — even when it’s a hassle — if that’s what is required to succeed.

And when you’ve been in business for a while and have done the hustle to succeed — to build your reputation, to create awareness, to reach out to others, to hone your expertise in your skills and rework your services time and time again — then, and only then, are you empowered to be selective.

Until then, put your big girl/boy panties on and let’s hustle.

An Alternative Approach to Achieving Work-Life Balance for Small Business Owners

Posted by
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia

High performance and work/life balance are two terms deemed by many so-called experts to be at odds with each other. I mean, really!

In fact, if you were to poll small business owners, you would discover that many believe high performance/achievement is synonymous with long hours, dedication, missed recitals, meals eaten on the go, exhaustion, lack of sleep…and stress! Let’s not forget stress.

Work/life balance, on the other hand, is seen as being compatible with a sense of calm, going with the flow, sufficient sleep — even going to the gym! Who knew!?

Business owners who cut their entrepreneurial teeth a decade or more ago continue to believe that the two of these phenoms are incompatible. And, today’s entrepreneurs have a tendency to follow in their mentor’s footsteps and adapt the same — albeit flawed — belief.

Technology: Compliment or Curse of Work/Life Balance

With the advancement of technology has come greater complexity. But wait! Wasn’t technology intended to make life and business easier? Less complicated? Less stressful?

In a word — yes! That was, and still is, the original intent. However, this equation breaks down when we ADD ON rather than ADD TO.

The Pile-On Small Business Generation

In a time of “more,” business owners are notorious for piling on. And why wouldn’t we? The mantra for the past several years has been “do more with less.” Less brain cells, that is…

Is it any wonder we’re developing kyphosis? Most ergonomic experts have told us it’s the way we slump at our desks. Honestly, it’s because of the burden we experience from what is already a heavy load to carry.

Doing It All — Having It All

In case the email went directly to your spam folder, the notion of “doing it all” has failed in epic fashion.

Those who embraced this concept drug themselves through a trench only to emerge bruised, muddied, and a bit dazed. Despite this beating, overachieving types continue to press forward on solving the do it all-have it all dilemma. (Insert definition of insanity here.)

How do we rectify our legion of ambitions with our finite supply of resources like time, money, and energy?

Here’s a little something I discovered recently…

The Excess Overload

My sister recently brought up the notion of walking the Camino de Santiago. I love the outdoors and immediately saw this as a physical challenge to experience.

In case you’ve not heard, El Camino is a 500-mile pilgrimage in Spain. First made famous in 1994 by Shirley MacLaine and later in the movie, “The Way,” with Martin Sheen, the El Camino is a mental, physical, and emotional challenge.

Along with training for El Camino, I want to learn Spanish, strengthen my spine to avoid the ravages of osteoporosis, and grow my business and that of my clients…

As someone who came to age during the “do it all/have it all” era, my bucket list doesn’t end there. I have goals to achieve, health to gain, retirement funds to procure, places to see, people to visit…you get the point. It’s endless. Plus, I want dust-free baseboards in my office.

I need a 32 hour day!

There’s little to no accommodation for balance — or so I thought….

The Add-To Alternative to Having it All

Early on, my mom taught me to take a load of “stuff” when enroute to the basement. Whether it was a load of laundry, pickles for the “fruit room,” or toys returned to the playroom, including those items during pre-planned trips optimized the trek…and the workload.

Was it possible to incorporate a similar philosophy into my goals? Yes, of course.

And so began the great mashup with these two discovery questions:

  • What am I currently doing that is not — to use a common phrase — optimized?
  • How can I optimize that activity to include other objectives and goals?

Spanish podcasts, business audiobooks, meditation, and farmers’ market expeditions are being added to my daily odyssey of 10,000–20,000 steps. Sun salutations and planks happen during Facetime with my niece. A “never cook alone” philosophy is unfolding with friends. Even drafts of my blogs are audio recorded during walks when my mind is free to roam about the countryside.

Lunch with a business colleague? Why not replace with a stroll through the local museum. Just because it doesn’t follow conventional wisdom of how business is conducted doesn’t mean it’s not an effective replacement.

The Bottom Line

You get the point…we truly can have much of what we desire when we’re willing to add to rather than add on. In fact, that sounds like a dandy new mantra!

You in?

Changing the Path of Productivity for Small Business Owners

Posted by
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia

We all have “those” folders on our digital devices. You know the ones I’m referring to? The folders we use to organize our rapid growing number of apps…

Ah, yes — those!

All neatly labeled, they contain the plethora of applications once deemed essential to growing our small business. Now, over time, they’ve lost their shiny penny appeal yet linger in the background — eating up MBs.

The Label Master…

If you’ve followed my work for any period of time, you already know that organization pulses through my veins.

My mom often said, “Everything has a place and there’s a place for everything.” A quick tour of my digital screens confirms I learned that lesson well.

I have folders labeled for music, entertainment, reading, travel, virtual meetings, financial, etc. The list goes on. My most frequently accessed folders, however, are productivity and meditation/health.

One day it struck me. What was my meditation app doing in the meditation/health folder?

Given all the benefits of meditation — calmness, reduction in anxiety, release of stress, clarity of direction, focus and purpose — wouldn’t it make more sense to move the meditation app to the productivity folder?

Working Day ‘n Night…

When people say the United States is an industrialization nation, they’re not kidding. Our productivity and efficiency is well documented. (Although recent studies reveal our productivity waning. Burnout, anyone?)

One measurement that seems to be missing from the equation is about the quality of life and the satisfaction that one gains from their work. Studies prove happiness and work/life satisfaction precede success.

I will admit that for way too many decades, I followed the path outlined by the so-called thought-leaders and experts in the world of business — increasing my “productivity” by working longer hours — until I ended up sick. SICK! Not sic….

Given the gravity of the diagnosis, one would think I learned my lesson about the outcomes of working long hours, and it’s accompanying stress. I guess it takes years for some of us to get that message — particular when said lesson is contrary to what the rest of the nation is doing.

Salmon Anyone?

Swimming upstream challenges most of us to the core. “Going against the grain” of conventional wisdom triggers a fear that causes us to question our inner wisdom about the small business of our design.

Admittedly, it’s happened to me. Following my intuition — my gut — triggered all sorts of fears common to any small business entrepreneur. From missing goals, being left behind, or not achieving the success I desired were all real fears triggered by following a path less traveled.

Open Your Mind…

Meanwhile, back to the changing path of productivity…

I pooh-poohed the whole notion of meditation for years. As someone who is continually (Okay, mostly.) on the move, sitting “still” for 30 minutes sounded tortuous. Living in a time and task-oriented nation, it went against everything I was taught.

Even though the thought of calmly breathing in and out made me break out in a sweat, I longed for the business benefits tied to the practice of meditation.

More and more studies are proving that meditation does, in fact, enhance productivity for small business owners through the following modalities:

  • Builds capacity to focus on one task at a time. With an attention span of a gnat (8 seconds according to science), the ability to maintain laser-like focus also reduces decision-fatigue.
  • Spurs creativity. With a brain less stressed and anxious, innovative solutions to tenacious problems float to the surface.
  • Triggers a more efficiently functioning brain. And, what small business owner doesn’t want that?!

Find Your Om…

With all the science behind the many personal and professional benefits, it’s too nonsensical to continue to believe meditation is a waste of my time. Particularly when current methods for improving productivity are failing in epic fashion…

Find a methodology that works for you. Is it a measured stroll to Starbucks? (Walk! Don’t run to your daily dose of caffeine.) Or, 10 minutes sitting on a rock in your garden?

Perhaps, like me, a quick slide of your meditation app from your health to your productivity folder will drive home the point that changing the current path to productivity is a good thing.

The Purpose and the Power of Being in Process

Posted by
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia

Any ambitious, results-driven small business owner knows the challenge that comes from being mired down in a process.

Whether it involves clarifying one’s brand, narrating the company’s core story, or articulating the benefits of your service, working to completion on business development projects such as these, can feel as if you’re walking through quicksand.

Yet, there is a purpose in the process — a reason for being “stuck.”

The Harder I Work…

Agonizing or pushing to maneuver through the interferences often proves to be ineffective. The harder you work toward clarification, the deeper you sink into an inability to get through it.

Attempts to move beyond the gumminess of these perplexing pieces essential to completing the series of actions creates frustration. Before you know it, self-doubt creeps in. And, in a desire to “just do it,” we disconnect from the entire transaction — hit “force quit” — and move onto another piece of business development.

But, wait…there’s more.

What Are You Waiting For…

The drive for ever-increasing speed makes a stalled process particularly challenging.

We’re in a hurry. We live in a time of ever-quickening technology developments that cause us to stand in front of the microwave and yell, “hurry up!”

For the most part, we live in an instant society. Don’t believe me? Just ask Siri!

And, while you’re chatting it up with Siri, ask her for tips on patience.

pa·tience (ˈpāSHəns/)
noun: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

Whether it’s a better direction, greater focus, or improved insight to advance your idea, patience is a powerful ally to help you through the process.

Got Patience?

Patience is sitting quietly and paying attention to that which is around you. Attentively putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Completing the process to avoid having to repeat the process.

Like the SBBOD (spinning beachball of death) on my Mac, my operating system is overloaded and is causing other functions to slow (metaphorically speaking). Repeatedly pounding the ‘enter’ key only magnifies the problem. But, if I wait patiently, it often resolves itself.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait…

To coin a well-worn phrase…

Those who have developed the ability to be patient when things aren’t clear have better relationships and experience better mental health.

The ability to wait calmly also helps us achieve our goals. Wait! What?!

A study conducted by Sara A. Schnitker, associate professor of psychology, uncovered some very intriguing insights linking patience to goal achievement. Read on…

“…patient people of all stripes reported exerting more effort toward their goals than other people did. Those with interpersonal patience in particular made more progress toward their goals and were more satisfied when they achieved them (particularly if those goals were difficult) compared with less patient people. According to Schnitker’s analysis, that greater satisfaction with achieving their goals explained why these patient achievers were more content with their lives as a whole.”

The Bottom Line…

It’s not fun when you’re stuck smack dab in the middle of a process — especially when developing something critical to your small business success.

However, if you’re willing to bravely wait with yourself — and the process — you’ll uncover tremendous power and purpose.

Two Words That Kill Small Business Success

Posted by
Jackie Nagel, Synnovatia

One aspect of business coaching that most small business owners enjoy is the collaboration between themselves and an objective bystander that results in “new and/or different results.” (Without that desired outcome, what is the point in investing resources in coaching?)

Even so, one of the most deadly phrases whispered from the lips of the business owner desperately desiring a course correction is, “Yeah, but…”

We’ve all heard – and used – this well-worn phrase to express our desire to remain the same.

Wait! What?!! Didn’t we just finish saying we desired a different outcome?

Yet, when offered potential opportunities for better or different results to show up in business, it’s shut down with two simple words.

“Yeah, but…”

Six alphabetical letters that stand between us and the success we desire.

“Yeah, but…”

What’s It All About: Yeah But…

As a commonly used phrase, “yeah, but…” has woven its way into our nomenclature. It signals volition and stops collaboration, innovation, creativity, and possibility dead in its tracks.

What is being communicated through the use of this commonplace idiom is – this is the way it’s always been done.

This is the way I’ve always done it so therefore I’m going to continue to do it this way even though it’s not producing the results I want.

Success Begins At “Yes And…”

The next time you’re presented an idea – a potential key to the success you desire – before you let “yeah, but…” slip from your lips, consider the breadth of possibilities that could be achieved by applying a different approach.

Consider “yes, and…” as in “yes, that’s a novel idea and (fill in the blank).” It signals the onset of a favorable outcome.

Repeat after me. Say, “yes, and…”

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Testimonial

Brooke Billingsley

Vice President
Perception Strategies

Synnovatia is a strategic coaching firm that is detailed and knowledgeable about business. i have a small business that grew from $150K to $750K because of the goal setting and resources that Synnovatia provided. It saves me years of learning on my own.

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