If you feel like you are running in circles, not knowing where you are headed next or if you are on the right track – you are not alone… it is very common for small business owners to feel overwhelmed and not sure where to go. You started doing what you do because you love the actual work but all the extras we didn’t sign up for – admin, marketing, budgeting, social media – and don’t even get me started on the emails! But here is the truth: a vision can ground you and bring you back to focus and keep you centred.
Your business vision is a map. When your lost, unsure of what can be ahead or perhaps you had to take an alternative route and don’t know how to get back – your vision will help you with this. It brings you back to what’s important, your ‘why’. Why are you doing this and why is this important to you. It helps guides us to make better decisions and to remain focus on what is important to us.
Here are 3 simple ways to stay focused when we become overwhelmed.
- Go back to your ‘why’
Go back to your vision statement. If you have a written vision, it is time to pull it out. If you don’t, here are some questions to ask to get that vision started.
Where am I going with this business?
What impact do I want to make?
What does success actually look like for me?
Your vision should drive you and excite you. It should remind you why you started what you are doing. – it’s your anchor
- Use your vision to filter your to-do list
As business owners, we tend to get overwhelmed by our to do lists that seem to get longer and longer daily. We fall under the mindset that everything is urgent and everything is important, but, is it aligned to your vision? Ask yourself, does this task move me closer to my vision? If the answer is no – delegate it or delay it. Focus your time and energy on what is going to help you achieve your goals and are align with your vision. Yes, there will always be those daily fires to put out but don’t let those become what your business stands for.
- Don’t focus on the overall map – break it down
A vision should feel impossible to reach right now, that is why it’s a vision. However, we can become overwhelmed when we at start 0 and trying to get to 100 in one or two steps. Start creating quarterly, monthly and weekly goals to help you get closer to that vision and not to overwhelm yourself on the how. Small, focused steps lead to big results over time. Overwhelm fades when you know where you’re going and how to take the next step.
You don’t need to everything at every moment. You need to stay focused and aligned. You know what your destination is but you might not know the path to get there and if you going to hit any bumps on the way. It’s in those bumps where we have to take a moment and refocus.
Want help creating a clear, powerful vision for your business?
Start with the Vision module from my Business Boosters program—a self-paced, actionable guide that helps you define where your business is going and how to get there.
Grab it today and take the first step toward building the business God has placed on your heart.
