In almost all of my posts I keep talking about how we treat ourselves, how the mind works, and these weird things we call emotions. Why am I not talking about all the things people relate to productivity like ROI, analytics, and the bottom line?
Because productivity is more about how you consistently show up than it is about solely monitoring your numbers. All of these measurement tools are meant to give you feedback on the outcomes of your efforts AFTER you've made them, not how to show up in the first place. We can make educated guesses and shifts based on this data, but how do we go from just performing to being HIGHER performing? High Performance High performance is consistently going above and beyond what we see as "normal" or "average" but like anything else, just because it's normal doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy or productive. High performance is a sustainable series of thoughts, feelings, beliefs and actions that serve our highest self.
High performance is a sustainable series of thoughts, feelings, beliefs and actions that serve our highest self.
When we think of high performance, we think faster, stronger, smarter, better, and more efficient. The best place to implement such intentions is right at the beginning of any process. This focuses on prevention of obstacles vs dealing with the side effects of the obstacles later. Here's an example: You post consistently on social media using the 80/20 rule of value vs sales posts and you convert 5% of your following into customers by asking for the sale. That's great!
What if you worked through your belief that you're not worthy...
What if you worked through your belief that you're not worthy of the sale, your aversion to being seen beyond your Facebook business page, and processed your emotions of shame for not being good enough that started around 2nd grade?
How would your language change?
What level of confidence would you have?
Would your current prices still stand?
Productivity As defined by Dictionary.com, productivity is: "the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services."
Let's go over this one piece at a time.
Quality - There are many thing that make up the quality of a person. While society still focuses on the accomplishments & skills of a person ("doing'), it's their character of "being" that lends itself to the true value. Ever work with someone that was super skilled but was very unpleasant to work with & only did things their way? Qualities like dependability, cooperativeness, caring, and listening would have gone a long way. Life is not a solo act.
State - Your circumstances, attributes, structure, form and phase all play a part in the condition you are in. How's your health, relationships, and communication? How you are feeling is a quality of being, not a goal. What are you presently experiencing and how would you choose to be right now?
Generate - The ability to cause something to arise is about working with the subconscious to make it conscious. Ideas, innovations, plans, creativity, thinking, they're all the processes of how we generate or work with perspective.
Create - Creativity is the culmination of unprotected data that relates to the situation at hand. The best creativity happens when we take down the "firewalls" of protection in our mind and allow access to all data stored in our subconscious. It's our way of problem solving. Creativity is NOT art. Art is just 1 way of expressing creativity.
Enhance - When being of service to a client or customer, we need to understand how they will use and be affected by our product or service as well as how their clients, customers, or communities are affected. To deeply understand another, we must understand ourselves on an even deeper level. This is how we are able to connect & sell to the right people. We're heart-centred entrepreneurs. We sell to create impact and receive our value in return. This form of service is more personal which makes the inner work so important.
What's Normal?
You want to know what's normal or common? All of these things and more are being done by countless entrepreneurs in all phases of business & success. As you read through, look for which ones could hinder success, and which ones you could sustain for the rest of your life:
procrastination
avoidance - tasks, feelings, people
distractions - social media, email, phone calls
seeking daily motivation externally
not finishing projects - no due dates, business development, personal growth
low energy afternoons
trying to fit in
glorification of hustling - could lead to overwhelm or burnout
"copy-paste" mindset - "do it exactly like me"
I'm guessing you didn't find any that would give you long-term success. You don't want to just bring forth goods and services for the short-term, you want to create security & freedom while you make a lasting impact for everyone involved.
Just because it's common doesn't make it automatically right, okay, or healthy.
Just because it's common doesn't make it automatically right, okay, or healthy.
Redefining Productivity
If there's one thing I've learned after going through trauma, it's that after such big changes, there is no going back to who you thought you were. You've evolved beyond that version's qualities or state & have started a new branch of life. Productivity starts on the inside, with you & your mind. It's how you create or enhance the version of YOU you want to grow into.
How will I redefine productivity?
I'll practice showing up!
Yes, showing up for others, but truly showing up for myself on a whole other level. This means daily self-care that actually takes care, facing fears that move me forward, taking constructive action before I feel "ready", honouring my word & values as evidence of self-trust, and creating the mental space to acknowledge how badass I am on both my best days and my worst.
Productivity is presence with a deep understanding. It's communicating to truly connect & address the needs of those you serve. It's taking constructive and intentioned action toward change. This is how you come from a place of creation and innovation. It's time to let curiosity, understanding & gratitude lead your heart so you can show up in the world the way only YOU can.
Let's Get Pro-duc-tive, Pro-duc-tive! Okay, so how can we find ways to address the common pitfalls and move our businesses forward? Here are a few ideas in no particular order that you might not find on other productivity lists:
Manage your emotions. They are a part of you, but are not you. Don't let them take over, but let them feel heard. Procrastination is a symptom of unresolved feelings causing avoidance.
Get aligned. We do the things we want to do, not usually what we need to do. Needing daily motivation is either accountability for early efforts to create change, or it's a symptom of unaligned values. Is there a way to tweak your perspective of the task or goal so it honours your top values?
Look after your health. I don't just mean diet & exercise. Your mind, body, & spirit all have a role to play in making you a high performing entrepreneur. If you've ever been in pain, experienced brain fog, or didn't believe in yourself, then you know how much t affects the quality of your work. Get unstuck & follow the BEDMAS of Wellness™ formula for ripple effect results.
Harness the power of your subconscious. The conscious mind only has so much power over the way you think, feel, act, and what you believe. Most of these personal defaults were created when you were a kid. There are many ways to communicate & work with the subconscious. Try a few methods that seem interesting to you.
Get to know yourself. If this means taking a few in-depth personality tests online like 16personalities.com or truity.com then so be it. Knowing your Harry Potter house may be interesting, but it won't give you the deeply personal information that can help you get to know your many layers and facets. What motivates you? What's your flow of genius? How do you react to challenges? What do your dreams mean? Yeah, sometimes I look up my dreams. Remember, all of these are just guides with labels to help you gain understanding. Don't put yourself in a box.
You are not exactly like anybody else. We all have similarities, but just because something works for you doesn't mean it will work or fell good to me. Stop the copy-paste and please show up as the YOU we all need.
YOU Are The Asset
Your biggest asset is you. You make the decisions. You connect with the clients. You paint the vision. You create the impact. Start things off right by managing YOU, then tweak it all with constructive feedback from everywhere you measure it.
To go from where you are to where you want to be is not a straight line, but the more you know how to be you and allow yourself to align with your badass qualities & experiences, then the faster, stronger, smarter, better and...straighter...your journey will be.
How can you make one of your common habits more sustainable?
Share by using the hashtag #BEDMASlife.
Learn, Love, and keep your Momentum,
Laura Lake <3
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