Overwhelmed is something so many of us often feel

It’s usually a sign, showing us that we’re doing any number of things that don’t relate to being in the present moment; zooming ahead, worrying about things that haven’t happened yet, or doubting ourselves and our own abilities.

The feelings of overwhelm can seep into all areas of life and business, and I remember feeling them intensely whenever I found myself at a transition point in my business (and indeed, in my life too).

The transition point may have related to making changes in my business, to up-leveling my thoughts and energy, to taking huge leaps, or to making progress on something that felt deeply important.

As I’ve built my business over the years, I’ve always followed my own roadmap – and sometimes that’s meant I don’t know where the road is leading.

(But really, do we ever know? This is where trusting yourself, your decisions and actions, and your path in life becomes crucial to building a life and business that feels really good to you.)

I’ve never had a business plan, but I’ve (mostly) always been clear on my bigger purpose, and importantly, I’ve had the inner drive to do the work.

However, there were many times over the years – and during the many stages of building my business, no matter how many years I’d been in business – that I would feel crippled by overwhelm.

I remember some periods where I was going through huge change in my business, where it didn’t matter that I felt excited, exhilarated, in flow, and sometimes a bit nervous about the growth and expansion; sometimes  overwhelm tinged the flavour of the day too.

Some mornings I’d ask myself questions like…

What can I do today, to move my business forwards?

Am I doing enough? 

Should I be doing more? But what?

If I should be doing more, what should I be doing…?

 

 

I went through all of these constant, recurring thought patterns, day after day after day…

And there came a time where I realised this couldn’t be a new thing I did – to stay in overwhelm every time I felt my business expanding.

I knew I couldn’t stay in that mind-swirling space of overwhelm if I were to grow my business, and allow it to support me even more.

Staying in that state of mind (and energy) was unproductive and uncomfortable.

It meant I was focusing on the wrong things in my business, and creating extra tension that wasn’t serving or supporting me (or my growing business).

It meant I was forcing things to happen, rather than allowing myself to intuitively build my business.

It meant I wasn’t allowing things to unfold as they needed to; to allow the chaos I was feeling to shift into clarity, to allow the confusion to be invested into taking action, and to allow the action to support my confidence.

It meant I wasn’t spending time doing the important work; the work that truly moves things forwards. It doesn’t always have the same heady, swirling, swooning energy of the urgent tasks that feel, well.. urgent…but when you complete a day of doing important work, you feel really, really good. Grounded. Content. The important work is what counts. Sometimes you wade through confusion until you find it, but when you surrender to not knowing the details,  the clarity whooshes (or drips) in, like ‘Hey silly, I told you I was here! You simply had to be patient.’

So… I gave myself a few lessons in patient, trust and surrender.

I adopted certain mindsets that helped me to focus, get clarity on what really mattered, and release the paralysing grips of overwhelm, perfectionism and fear.

And now I’d like to help you do the same.

 

Here are some crucial mindsets that will help you build and grow your business in alignment, instead of from force:

 

Mindset #1

I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be

This mindset change helped me instantly drop the “I should, but I should, but I should…” attitude that was making me strive, push and force my way through those icky and uncomfortable feelings that I was never doing enough.

 

If you adopt this mindset, you’ll be able to:

• Breathe a sweet sigh of relief and trust that where you are right now is helping to build the foundation of where you’re going.
• Focus on where you are, instead of zooming ahead; allow yourself to do your best in this moment, and then your best in the next moment, and then the next, and the next, and the next… focusing on now and not then. 
• Increase your focus and productivity to work on the tasks that will actually help you move forwards; what can you do today to focus, align your energy and shift something forwards? Sometimes this is an action, a task or planning, but sometimes it’s taking a break, allowing yourself to rest, breath and receive.

 

Mindset #2

I trust I’ll know the answer when the time is right

I can’t tell you how many days I wasted because I stressed over questions I didn’t yet have the answer to.

I can’t tell you how uneasy this made me feel.

I’m sure you’ve felt it too; that feeling that you’re a step behind where you’re meant to be because things don’t feel clear yet.

The truth is that when you feel that way – stuck in confusion – it’s because the bigger picture hasn’t been made clear yet, because the timing is not right.

The more you force and struggle through it, the more you force and struggle through it…

What makes this period of confusion or overwhelm feel even worse is impatience, and a resistance against slowing down (or stopping!), taking stock, allowing yourself to not know for just a little while, and trusting that you’ll receive the answers you need when the time is right.

When the right time comes, the answers will make absolute sense and your inner world will feel like it’s been righted. Until then, be okay with the not knowing.

Put your energy somewhere else; take a break from what you’re doing, invest it in another project, another element of your business or life. Do something that allows your mind to both rest and work on the problem in the background, like going for a walk, doing the laundry, colouring in, cooking, relaxing.

Trust in the spaces in between. The clarity will come.

Redirect your energy and allow the answers you seek to flow to you, when the time is right.

 

If you adopt this mindset, you’ll be able to:

• Trust that you are supported by something greater than yourself, and trust in the timing of your business and life.
• Trust that the answers will be revealed to you when the time is right, and trust that you’ll take the right actions at the right time.
• Slow down and enjoy where you are right now.

 

Mindset #3

I’m going to let things be easier 

If you’re anything like me, sometimes your brain goes straight to the most complex, complicated option.

Instead, what would happen if you let things be easier…?

Take a moment to think about something in your business that’s making you feel overwhelmed, tight-chested, confused or constricted.

Write it down on a blank piece of paper, then underneath list three ways you can make it easier.

Just three ways you can simplify whatever is confusing you.

Another way to do this is to simplify one concept down, three times.

If you’re not sure how to do this yet, go and do something else for a little while (the laundry, some errands, cooking, tidying) and allow your brain to work on the solution in the background.

Simplifying can be pretty easy, as soon as you decide you don’t have to make things so hard for yourself.

 

If you adopt this mindset, you’ll be able to:

• Open up to receive clarity on what to do next without forcing, attaching or controlling.
• Make a lot more progress, with ease and in flow.
• Enjoy your work and business even more.

 

The moments you feel the most overwhelmed or confused often come right before you feel the most clear and focused, so allow yourself to feel it all, and then take aligned action to build your beautiful business, with trust, devotion and joy.

 

Get your free copy of my Beautiful Business Workbook for some extra support in creating clarity on your path

 

Love,