I heard a saying on a mastermind call a while back and I want to share it with you.
You ready for this?
“Instead of chopping the tree over and over again, sometimes you need to grind and sharpen the ax”
I hope I quoted that properly (lol, don’t judge me it’s been a while since that call!)
You are probably asking “what in da hell does that mean?!”
It’s simple really, you can’t always work work work (like Rihanna)
sometimes you need to take time to rest and relax so you can come back to your work with renewed focus and energy.
you also need to keep your skills sharp and learn new skills to make your work easier and more efficient.
The same way a dull ax doesnt chop a tree very well, a dull mind will not help you make money
These days, its trendy to #grind, so many people start to work tirelessly for 14+ hours a day.
Sure, the money can be good, but who cares about that if you have no time, energy or the freedom to enjoy it?
This will also affect your health, so the money you are making could be just for the hospital bills you will get later.
Sometimes people work inefficiently too…trying to be a one-man band instead of leveraging the time and skills of others.
It’s kind of ironic, many people leave their day jobs to become entrepreneurs for the freedom…but then they start to work longer and harder hours!
Here’s the thing, you need to take care of your body! (you only get one body)
that means you need systems in your business to allow you to rest!
We all know how our focus and quality of work drops off when we don’t sleep or rest
yet, we force ourselves to push through it…and for what?
Whats the point of pushing yourself that hard if you will have to go back and fix your careless mistakes the next day?
Whats the point of getting yourself in this lifestyle to have even less time than when you had a regular 9-5 job?
Now, don’t get me wrong, sometimes you gotta grind it out, and get things done because of a deadline.
Or maybe the “bug of inspiration” bit you, and you need to finish everything before its venom dissipates and you lose that inspiration.
But most times, if you set up a regular routine for yourself to get your work done within a certain time every day
you will be able to get more done in less time (I talk about this a lot in my book, Get Off the Bench)
You also will need to make systems for yourself to make things easy for you to walk away from the business and have it still make money.
How do you know what to make into a system?
See what tasks are mind numbing and repetitive…the ones you hate.
And see how you can automate that away.
Use a VA or a machine to do the work.
OR maybe figure out a way that you can eliminate that task all together.
The key is to go back and see what you can do to help yourself
Doing these things will give you the time and energy to be able to take care of your body
That means good nutrition and some physical exercise, and lots of rest
It also allows you to take more naps (I love naps!)
The end result is that your work will be at a much higher quality and your spirit will be renewed…
and you can work ON the business not IN the business.
This is the secret that will allow you to enjoy success and abundance at levels you had no idea was possible…while working less!
-Coach Vic