I hear this a lot: I have so many ideas, so many programs and workshops I could create, so many ways to market what I do – so many! Too many? Probably.
If you are a creative person – and I know you are – probably your main issue is not being able to sort through, strategize and plan what to focus on. I totally get that.
The odd thing is that having too many ideas can lead to procrastination, and then you don’t really move forward with anything. Or you start and stop, get distracted, go this direction and then that – never really getting the traction that you want and that will move you forward.
Sound familiar? If so, then you are in good company. Welcome to challenges of being creative! It’s actually one of the better challenges to have, in my humble opinion, but it’s a challenge nonetheless.
Focus is key. One-pointed focus is needed to create a successful business. It just is. It doesn’t mean you can’t have layers, and complexity and even complication. But one-pointed focus sends a message to the Universe about what you are creating, and all the unseen forces available then know how to help you. If you don’t focus, then the Universe doesn’t know how to help—the message isn’t clear.
If you try to focus on too many different ideas, people or things to say, you dissipate your energy. Nothing adds up. If you are going in too many different directions at the same time other people cannot see or understand you.
If you don’t know where to focus, you need to ask yourself why is that? Not because you are doing anything bad or wrong, or even worse, you are bad or wrong. But because being overwhelmed keeps you from moving forward. It keeps you in place. It gives you a “reason” to stay much smaller than you actually are. It becomes a reason not to take responsibility, because it inhibits your respond-ability. It can actually be an unconscious strategy to be invisible or stay small – so I suggest you check inside with yourself about that.
When you are overwhelmed you can’t respond well. You can’t think clearly, you can’t see possibilities and opportunities. You actually do not want to see them because you would not know what to do with them if you did see them—because you are already overfull with what you have in front of you. Ironic, but true.
Now why would that be? Why would you agree to let your consciousness be taken over like that? Not consciously maybe, but taken over nevertheless.
To stay safe. Safe from judgment by others. Safe from going for it and failing. Safe from becoming visible because you come into focus for others. Safe—but at what cost?
Marshall Rosenberg, the brilliant and compassionate founder of Non-Violent Communication, says: “Well, you can’t fall very far if you sleep on the floor.”
And the other side of too much is, of course, not enough. Not enough focus, not enough clients, not enough business, not enough revenue, not enough energy, not enough momentum, not enough joy, satisfaction, contribution, etc.
Two sides of the same issue – too much and not enough. They mirror and reinforce each other.
Take an inventory.
- Where do you find yourself with the story of too much and not enough?
- How is running that story affecting your ability to focus?
- How is that lack of focus affecting your ability to do outreach and enroll awesome new clients?
- How is the lack of new clients affecting your bottom line and your sense of well-being?
Decide to do something different.
- Pick one project and stick with it through completion.
- Pick 1-3 marketing strategies and do just them – get good at them, get feedback from what happens, tweak and modify until you get the results you want.
- Ask for help. If you don’t know what to do, or in what order – and most people don’t – work with a coach who knows what she’s doing to help you. You will save an enormous amount of time, money and energy doing so – I promise!
AND check out the incredible series, Quantum Creativity, that I am honored to be a part of, and hosted by my very own creativity mentor, Shiloh McCloud. We’ll be teaching about how to access your own creativity, and how to bring it into form in your life and your business. I will write more about my own experience of this later this month before my teaching spot on May 28th. Until then, register to get on board with this series – it’s free and it is going to be awesome!