Business
I couldn't help but to ask myself the question, what if I just rest? For awhile I found myself frantically working and not getting any results. I was starting to feel really jealous of the people who were sheltering in place with their families and could just chill out a little bit and enjoy, cooking and making puzzles and. [00:00:20]Taking up instruments and all the things. And here I was frantically working and pushing and pushing and not getting results. And so I had to ask, why am I doing this? What would things look like if I just rest? And maybe you find yourself in that same position. Should you keep pushing hard? Should you take some time and rest? [00:00:38] How should you best spend this time during the shelter in place to make sure that you and your business come out of this as best as you possibly can? That's what I'm going to talk about in today's episode. [00:00:49] So last week, I think in the last episode that I posted, I talked about how I'm going to be beta launching a brand new course, which I'm really excited about and I haven't given up on that idea, but I found myself later that evening after I published it. [00:01:18]Exhausted, just emotionally tired. I had been pushing and pushing and pushing for a couple of weeks without hardly taking any time to breathe and I was making decisions left and right and left and right and I mean, I did 10 FOD gassed episodes in a few days and just really found myself determined to just work harder and just push harder and make things happen. [00:01:44]And they just weren't happening. And I was getting really frustrated and in tired and there was all this news about this new stimulus bill that was going to be coming out, the cares act. And so I just took some time and I said, you know what? I'm going to take the weekend off. I think it was Friday when I decided this, and I'm going to take the rest of Friday and then all of Saturday and Sunday and I'm not going to make any decisions and I'm just going to let my mind go wherever my mind wants to go because. [00:02:14] I found that one of the ways that I feel valuable is by doing things like when I can Mark things off my checklist, I feel good, But I wasn't actually getting any results. It wasn't bringing money into my business. It was taking time away from my family and I was getting really exhausted. [00:02:32]And so I wanted some time just to think, when you find yourself jealous of people who are sheltering in place and not able to work on their normal jobs, you know, that's probably a sign that you need to step back a little bit and find some balance. So. I slowed down a little bit and I gave myself some time to really just let my mind wander. [00:02:53]I took this really long, 10 mile snowshoe. It was five and a half hours because, I dunno if you've ever snow shoot or not, [00:03:01] but the feeling that you get when you're snowshoeing on your feet, it's kind of like having soaking wet tennis shoes that are caked with a half an inch of mud around the outsides of the shoes. They're just really heavy. It's a lot of extra weight to carry, and I was going up and down these Hills on super soft snow because yes, we have a ton of snow here still, and it was just exhausting, but awesome. [00:03:24] It's been a long time since I've moved my body so much, and at one time, actually it's been since my race back in February. And it just felt really, really good to be out on the trails. And I listened to some audio books. I talked to some friends on the phone. Did, you know, our phones could be used to talk to people. [00:03:40] Like I never use my phone as a phone. It was really cool. So I talked to a couple of friends on the phone. and I, Just really spent that time thinking and listening to music and podcasts and atomic habits by James clear, which by the way, absolutely fantastic. Highly, highly recommend it, but I just kind of let my mind go wherever and didn't make any decisions and didn't. [00:04:02]Try to think about anything or try to figure anything out. And I kind of used it as this flow meditative state, even though it wasn't like meditation, where I would sit for a while on a cliff and then I'd go hike a bunch more, and then I'd sit on a different cliff, and then I'd hide back to the first cliff. [00:04:20] And I did this kind of pattern back and forth where it was physical exercise, but also just like this mental freedom. And I rarely. Give myself that kind of space to just let things happen. what I decided to do was that moving forward, I'm still going to do the beta course. I'm really excited about that, but I decided not to do that this week. [00:04:40] I decided to take a week and really take some time to apply for the stimulus stuff because the income and my business is pretty much stopped. And so when I heard that that was coming, I wanted to have everything set up and in place so that I could. Apply for that as soon as possible, [00:04:55] and so I took some time to get all of that stuff set up. One of my team members got sick, and so I, have some extra content duties that I had to do and just really took this week to try and figure out exactly what do I need to do going forward if I were to rest more. But not completely give up on my photography business. [00:05:14] I want to keep sustaining that. I want to keep nurturing my people so that when everything comes back and they can go out and do photo sessions and you know, get back to life in a more normal way, it'll never be the exact same, but at least start working again and bringing income. And again that I can pick right up where I left off and really start serving them well. [00:05:34] So I want to still be with them and serving them this time. But I really looked at my week and said, how can I do less while still keeping that momentum going so that I can have the space that I need to do this beta course and to be with my family and not just run myself ragged because it makes me feel good. [00:05:51]Getting something done, you know, that frantic work pace, it's not healthy. It can't be sustained longterm. And so that's kind of where I'm at this week. Like I said, I'm doing a bunch stuff that's just not fun. Nobody wants to go apply for stimulus loans and whatever else. But I've come to this really great place of peace, even though it's been one of the hardest weeks I've had maybe ever. [00:06:13]I've had to make some really hard decisions this week. And even though it's been really hard, there have been so many bright spots in it, and I feel hope moving forward and I feel peace about everything. I'm excited about the transformation that's happening within me personally. [00:06:28] I'm not freaking out anymore the way I was, and yeah, I've got a few moments here and there where I start to feel a little bit of anxiety, but for the most part, I'm really excited about this shift that it's allowing me to make. I'm really excited about how people have started coming together again. I have loved reconnecting with some friends in ways that I haven't in years, and even though we aren't connecting. [00:06:52] In person right now. It's just so nice to see people doing more stuff with their families and connecting with their friends. I've been seeing more of the positives and I'm loving, even though I'm not loving it, like I'm loving that this is such an awesome opportunity for personal growth and I just really want to look back on this time, like a year from now. [00:07:12] I want to look back. And I want to be like, well done, Jamie, you did this great. And so I'm trying to see. Everything through that lens like a year from now, how will I have wanted to walk through this time? And I decided that I don't want to run frantically just because it feels good to feel busy, but I want to go through it smartly. [00:07:31] I want to continue working. I want to keep the momentum going. I want to continue taking the right kinds of actions. But I also want to use this time to help me make the pivot that I've been planning for a couple of years now. I really have wanted to work with entrepreneurs and influencers for ages, and so if I can help them create a raving fan base of people who just love them and want to buy from them and just really nurture their communities in a super deep way and build these movements of people around their business. [00:08:01]That just brings me great joy. I'm really excited about that. So that's what I'm going to be doing going forward. you know, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm going to keep working on the podcast stuff, and I'm going to share all the behind the scenes stuff that's coming. . And then next week I'm actually going to be doing a podcast with rusty rial. He invited me to be a guest on his podcast. yeah, I'm excited about that and I want to continue, reaching out for those kinds of opportunities and getting the word out there because right now it's a great time. [00:08:29]To be guests on other people's stuff cause you have more time than normal. So that's on the docket. but really the focus next week is going to be mostly on clarifying my messaging for the new course, figuring out exactly what my framework looks like and trying to get all this stuff that I know how to do out of my head and into a really clear framework and start prepping to launch that. [00:08:49] So I want to do a bunch of conversations with people and try and get some of The frustrations and the struggles that they have in their own words. So I can use that as I'm promoting it, because the clearer your messaging can be, the more specific it can be, the more effective it's going to be. So, yeah, that's kind of what I'm looking at doing moving forward. I'm still committed to podcasting what's happening, but I just wanted to encourage you as you're going through this time, that it's okay to take a little bit of a step back and breathe especially if your business is really struggling or it's closed or there's things you can't do to increase sales. [00:09:22] Like the amount of effort it takes to get sales right now is so much bigger than it normally is. hopefully it will get easier later in summer and that this won't take too long. But if you find yourself just spinning your wheels, staying busy because that's what your anxiety is pushing you to do and it's not actually getting results, maybe it's time to step back. [00:09:41] Take a deep breath and just take a day where you're not making decisions. Spend some time with your family and loved ones that are with you in place. Obviously, get out in nature and move your body or go for a walk And give yourself a little bit of thinking space. [00:09:56] Maybe you make some art, maybe you play some music, do something that gets you out of your element and lets your brain just do its thing without the pressure of having to figure things out or make decisions or know how you're going to pay the bills. Just give yourself. a breather a day, a couple of days. [00:10:13] You know what you can do so that when you come back to this and you're ready to dive back in, you can do it with balance. You can do it with focus and you can feel a deep peace coming into it. Knowing that. This is going to ultimately help you in the end, but that you're not coming at it from a place of anxiety and compulsion. [00:10:32]And that's what I was doing. So I'm still going to be moving forward. I just am slowing down a little bit, which is really hard for me cause I'm a quick start and I get a lot of my worth from my doing. And so it was a really good lesson to learn. And you know, I also encourage you to document this time in some way. [00:10:47] I like to use the Otter app. O. T. T. E. R. it's this free app that lets you do voice dictation and it immediately transcribes what you say it's really cool. And so I've been using that sometimes when I'm out and about. And I just have a couple of thoughts quick. [00:11:02] And when I say out and about, I mean on the trail, not out like with people. So I'm still definitely sheltering in place. Don't send me massive messages, angry at me for being out, but I live in the woods. And so for me to go outside is very easy. On my 10 mile snowshoe, I did not see a single person because that's how remote it is. [00:11:20]but I love the Otter app because I can pull it out wherever I am, and I can just. Speak into it and have a place to capture my thoughts as I go through this, because sometimes things will hit you at the craziest times and it's really nice to have something fast to capture that. But also. [00:11:38]I want you to be able to really learn from this time we have been given this awesome opportunity of this struggle that we all get to do together. It's actually really kind of cool that we all get to go through a really tough time together. I think it's gonna really draw us together as people in general. [00:11:53]But difficult times, even though they super suck, have such gifts to give us if we're just willing to look for them. And the amount of personal growth that can happen when you're under pressure is just so huge. And I know that you can do hard things as Glennon Doyle says, that's from her book, untamed, phenomenal book. [00:12:14] If you haven't read it, highly recommended all sorts of recommendations today. but you can do hard. Things you can get through this. You just have to take it one day at a time, one step at a time, and we're all in this together, you know? I know not everybody is struggling, which is great. I'm really happy for the people who aren't, but the majority of the world right now Is stressed out by this. They're affected by the pandemic and I know that we are going to come out on the other side and that there are beautiful things for you to learn and see and experience despite the darkness. There's always a light somewhere to find, so find that light. Find your balance. No, you're going to get through this. [00:12:55]And give yourself some space to breathe and then start moving forward with intention. I'm super excited. Can't wait to share it. I'm going to be doing in the next episode in terms of launching this new beta course. So definitely subscribe. If you haven't. If you are a podcaster and you are looking for guests, I would love to be on your podcast if the messaging fits for your audience and we can talk about that. [00:13:17] Just send me a DM on Instagram @JamieMSwanson would love to chat with you to see if it's a good fit. And if you know anybody else who would find this podcast helpful, definitely spread the word for me. I would really appreciate that. So would that my friend. I will catch you in the next episode. You have a great day.