I’m on somewhat of a social media break right now because I needed some space to determine the next phase I need to focus on to grow my lifestyle business.
I was really starting to feel overwhelmed by everything and it’s because I was doing way too much. I go into details about it in this blog post.
Today I want to talk about how you can measure success as you build a lifestyle business. A lifestyle business is one that is built to support the life that you desire. In other words, you create and run your business how you want so that you can spend your time where it matters most to you.
So it’s different for every one of us. And that’s why you have to determine what success means to you as the lifestyle business owner. Now I’m sure we have some measures of success that are similar. For instance, we want to have control of our schedules so we can take time off when we want to, spend more time with our family and pursue the things we want, when we want to.
But if we were to compare our big goals, they’re going to be different and that’s ok. You may be striving to build a six figure income, someone else just wants to replace the income from their 9 to 5 so they can be at home with their kids.
So it’s time for you to define your own success and achieve it by your own rules. This is your business and you need to be intentional about how you run it and how it supports your life. You need to ignore what social media defines as success.
That’s easier said than done. That’s why I’m going to share what I do to remind myself of what success means to me. And you can go through these same steps so that you can do the same.
This is really important because the influence of social media is strong whether we realize it or not. There will always be someone in your feed that seems to have more clients, more money and more success but this does not mean they are happy. You really don’t know what’s going on in their lives behind the scenes of those pretty pictures.
It’s easy to think ‘if I just had this, then I will be happy’. When you do this, you are creating a pattern for your brain to seek out the next best thing. And in this day and age there will always be a new thing! No matter how many things you create in your business, there will always be something else you want to create because you feel it’s not good enough.
Changing how you measure your success starts with changing your mindset. So the first thing I want you to do is to remember why you started your business. And this needs to go deeper than because you want a more flexible schedule and to be able to work from anywhere with your laptop.
Remember Your Why
Stop and think about why you really started this journey as a solo entrepreneur because I know it wasn’t so you could work 60 hours a week for yourself. So here are a few of my reasons why.
- To have the time and space to take better care of myself spiritually, emotionally and physically. I’ve already shared that I am on a social media break. I identified this break was needed during my morning routine. As I sat down and evaluated what I needed, I realized I needed more quiet space and less noise from the world. And I absolutely love the space and my business is still growing. But most importantly, I can get in my workouts and focus on my spiritual needs which are way more important than showing up on Instagram or Facebook or anywhere else online for that matter. I decided I would stay connected with you each week though, which is why I made the podcast my only priority.
- To be able to spend quality time with my daughter and be available to help my family out when they needed me. I was able to sit with my grandmother, who was bedridden, during the last several years of her life. I’ve been available to take my dad to physical therapy so my mom didn’t have to do it all herself. And I’ve been home with my daughter as she was homeschooled for high school and I enjoyed every minute of being with her every single day.
- I also enjoy helping other women entrepreneurs get the clarity they need in their business so they have the space they need to share their expertise and talents the way that they want. Seeing them create the business they want after we work together to get their systems in place brings me happiness. I could create a course or do group sessions to make more money, but I won’t. I prefer to work one on with and develop relationships with my clients and see them flourish as they start to achieve the success they want.
It’s hard not to get caught up by all of the noise and start following the trends. But this journey is hard enough without you putting down your progress because of the so called success other people brag about.
Don’t buy into it. Write your why somewhere that you can see it constantly. And never forget that you should define your own success. If it’s not having a six-figure business, that’s ok. If it takes you longer than others to get things done for your business because you focus on your family, that’s ok too. That’s why you have to remember YOUR WHY.
Practice Daily Gratitude
Part of my morning routine is to pick at least one thing I am grateful for and write it down in my planner. The great thing is it doesn’t have to be something huge! Take time every day to notice the positive things in your life even if they are small. When you do this, you will be less likely to compare yourself to anyone else. You will stay focused on your own journey and make decisions that will support what you want out of life.
Think about the progress you’ve made over the past 18 months. Does your business allow you the flexibility you desired? Have you been able to create memories with your family with everyone being at home?
When you are grateful every day, you can see the forest through the trees. When you feel happy, you’re more optimistic and energized which leads to action. And action is needed to achieve success. These positive emotions will fuel your progress even further. The more progress you make on your goals, the happier you feel. The happier you feel, the more progress you make.
Get Specific with Your Goals
What do you really want? I know you’ve got an idea of what success looks like to you. So start to visualize that in your head. The more specific you can be, the more attached to it you become. It becomes real, it’s a part of your life. So when things get tough, close your eyes and picture whatever your success looks like and keep moving forward, even if sometimes you have a few setbacks.
Here’s an example. Have you ever embarked on a weight loss journey? It’s hard right! We start off setting this big goal like I’m losing 25 lbs this year and we’re going to stop eating this and work out this many times per week. Now you may start off strong for the first week, but let’s be honest. It’s hard and you’ve made a bunch of changes at once and you’re miserable so you give up. Well what happened?
What has worked for me is focusing on creating sustainable healthier habits a little bit at a time. I started by drinking more water daily. Now I have 24 ounces before I have my coffee in the morning. I also bought an Apple Watch and set a goal to get in at least 4,000 steps a day. Now I get in over 6,000 per day, sometimes more. As I got comfortable with one goal, I set another goal. I love seeing the number of steps I’ve taken at the end of the day and it motivates me to do the same or even better the next day.
Point is you need to set a big goal but be sure to map out those little goals to help you get there. And make sure you celebrate when you achieve any steps! Those little steps turn into bigger action.
Let’s review the tips again so that you can define your own success.
Remember Your Why – this is vital to your journey and will help you ignore what everyone else around you is doing.
Practice Daily Gratitude – Increased happiness drives motivation and action. Action leads to success. So reflect on the things you have every day and let them fuel you to reach your goals on your terms.
Get Specific with Your Goals – Small steps matter. You need to be specific about what you want and take small steps to make it happen and you will be motivated to make big things happen. This is your journey so go at your own pace and enjoy it!
Now you know how to define your own success. The only thing that’s left for you to do is make it happen! I know you can do this!
And now is the time to do this. Hopefully you’re planning not only for Q4 but for Q1 2022. In order for you to create a strategic plan that will work, you need clarity on what you want in your life and in your business. Let me help you map out your strategic plan. Schedule a 15 minute Discovery Call with me to see if we’re a good fit. And even if we aren’t, you will know what your next steps need to be after we talk. I’ll drop a link to my calendar in the show notes.
If you would like to hear the audio version of this post, feel free to listen to episode 81 on your favorite platform below.
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