I was tired, and could not see straight
It was a Saturday morning and for most people, this was the weekend, however, being in the digital marketing world seems like every day can be the same.
I was on a Zoom call with my Stan business partner mid-morning, and I'm a morning person, and he was asking me questions that I just could not handle. I asked what I remembered when meeting with Danny 4 days ago. I just could not remember, and this is very unlike me.
I had to Tell Stan I’m only working at 30%, so whatever we are talking about is not registering in my brain. This has happened before but today was worse.
I could tell all the ideas he was discussing were important but I was rejecting everything. In the past when I reject all his ideas it gets tense and we usually recognize this and re-set ourselves to be productive.
Conflict with business partners is normal, it’s how you get past it to move on, this is probably how Stan and I have remained partners and friends for over 10 years now.
What happens when running at 30%
Personally, when I’m under 50% I stop and do something else. I’ll find a YouTube entertainment, movie, go outside in my garden, meditate, or just try and take a nap.
A mentor and friend told me that “If you don’t have time to do it correctly now, when will you have time to do it again?”
So being less than sufficiently focused I allow myself to step away and clear myself.
When I try to work or accomplish something I’m not focused on it’s a disaster. If I’m writing let's say this blog, which I’m writing the day after, and my mind drifts, I re-read and it just does not make sense and I stop.
If I’m working on numbers I will doubt myself that the spreadsheets and financial calculations will be missing something crucial. Hyperlinks and payment buttons are the worse because now we’re talking about my money or someone else’s money.
The good news is I understand and recognize I’m not present in my tasks and I allow myself to step away.
How to achieve 100% when I’m mentally at 30%
Sometimes I don’t have a choice, well we always have a choice, and I need to focus and do the task right, right now!
Running a Solo Ad business we’re talking money and speed. It’s all about my customer and providing high-quality traffic fast… nobody wants to wait when it comes to making a sale and earning money.
I’m on this same Zoom call with Stan on a Saturday morning at 30% and I get an email from a new client asking for a quote on running some traffic.
I got off the zoom with stan rather quickly and politely as I could…
…went to my email and the urgency of this new client triggered my 100% get into action and focus.
The urgency wasn’t the real trigger, it was the dream of my lifestyle making money on the internet. Some call it the laptop lifestyle, or Stan’s blog “Think It, Live It.” It’s having an internet business that makes money marketing and selling stuff.
Everyone says they want to make money at home on the internet but most don’t know-how or quit before they make some real money.
I have wants, Liberty and Autonomy…. I want to be liberated from all financial weights and have the autonomy of doing whatever I want when I want. My life is not extravagant and I don’t ever want it that way. In the past when I was introduced to network marketing and Isotonix supplements I wanted all the shiny things, this lasted about 6 years… this is another story for another time.
Getting back to 100% focus, my business triggers urgency when my core values and wants are called upon.
Think of this as the “flight or fight” instinct that the human body has. When you are in danger everything else is put aside and you act fast. Think of someone getting injured real bad and you are the only one present and jump into action like a superhero.
This new customer email snapped me out of 30% mode into 100% and I was focused on the task at hand.
It was like being on autopilot and I knew what i had to do, i did it quickly with 100% accuracy.
How to tell what triggers your 100%
Everybody is different with their personality, goals, core values, and more so what works for me may not work for you.
Being a technical type of guy I can only suggest something to try.
- What do you really want?
- What are you good at, or what skills do you have?
- Would you work this, or that business for free, meaning do you enjoy working it even if you don’t get paid?
- If you like the business are you doing that now?
Most people don’t even know what they should be doing. Stan and I call it working your “Passion to Profit” which we spent considerable time on this and have a download e-workbook if you would like to fill it out and get you to think about yourself and your business a little differently.
Conclusion…
We all make choices every day, some are good, and some are not so good.
When you need to focus 100% and you are struggling to achieve the task at hand, step back and look at what you are really doing. Look at this from a 10,000-foot view.
Is this business right for you? Do you or are you capable of the skills required? Can you learn the necessary skills? Do you want to do all that is required?
When these answers are yes, then spend some time thinking or meditating on what your perfect day would be like when you are making that money. Meditate in a state of mind where all your desires and goals are already true, what would it feel like? What would you be doing on a daily basis?
We are all human and sometimes it takes failure, re-starting, getting help, or even throwing something out and starting over to reclaim our human sanity.
Hang in there, you were created to be great, you are great, now think that way and do your best.