When Work Needs a Refresh...

I realized something pretty profound this past weekend that I'm going to share with you today...

I've been in a little, or not so little conundrum around pieces of my business.  

And the core: I really don't like about 50% of the stuff I think I need to do.

I'm actually not inspired by my

current business model

at all.

For me, each business, side gig and even employment aspirations have always been born of a passion.

A passion for hospitality,

for projects, for gardens, for the mystical

and always it seems,

in support of people finding

calm and peace, and authenticity

through their work, their businesses,

their gardens, homes,

spirits

and

the balance

between their

inner, and worlds.

These things - as it turns out - are the core of all my various work: life to date.

I never intended it to be that way, my path through work life has always simply aligned with my core values... profits made from passions, essentially with a core value of an authentic and peaceful life.

Maybe not living at the temple peaceful...

but,

Peaceful in the terms I need peace.

Successful in the terms I feel successful.

Essential in the way I need life to move.

 And, as a dear friend recently reminded me in a chat...

Results Come From Passion, Not Planning. *

That 'brick to head' announcement

really catapulted through my

current internal clash.

I realized that each day felt more and more burdensome, digital fatigue has been setting in heavily, and somehow I was chasing business and marketing models I had outgrown or didn't feel like me, contracts I no longer felt interested in - in other words - work that I really do not align with.

This feeling... I'll call it, 'the deadening'

was surely NOT the feelings I was generating when I started this journey...

and I'm not even sure when this took over!

But I know where I landed... a lack of passion, and connection... and my desired results. Because... for passion preneurs... creatives, owner-operators...

if we can't generate the steam...

it's pretty hard to

move the engine.

Results. Real Results -

the kind we 'signed up' for when we started our venture -

whether you're the beloved market jam lady,

inn keep, nail artist, or home builder... butcher, baker, candlestick maker... (you get it)

those results come from

having a love of the game,

and they erode fast when we

'lose that lovin' feeling'.

Small biz has ALWAYS been my thing,

from my first job,

 through business ownership and

large scale business support projects.

I've managed everything in business from small local events and larger town halls, to people, files, businesses and numerous projects both local and national.

My passion for, and knowledge of, what it takes to run a good business in a smaller center,

a more rural area,

and a remote location has

gifted me some amazing opportunities,

connections and successes.

I love running my businesses and managing business and personal projects, and I really enjoy supporting others with theirs...

I also have really strong personal why's...

But ... through a weekend of connecting with nature, and working on our little chunk of land, something I really truly enjoy... I came to realize there is something

inherently mis-aligned to how

I am running my

business.

You could parallel this to,

oh, I don't know ...

if were running a small spa next to a motorcycle shop because it was the only location you could find,

or you were an organic gardener with a contract that insisted on you using toxic product...

you get the drift.

Passion quickly evaporates once the well of alignment runs dry.

We move quickly into frustration,

dissatisfaction

and even a general malaise...

We lose that lovin' feeling.

We creatives, contractors, makers and shop-keeps...

we got into this

for peace... for balance...

for the ability to create something we had great skill in,

 or passion for

and that allowed us to get to ball games,

attend art class,

write,

play,

travel,

love,

and work hard at the

things we enjoy

while creating whatever

level of

profit and success

we want to expand to meet.

And sometimes, the world around us changes -

internally, and externally,

so significantly,

or mildly but generously over time,

that we need to take a step back,

and realign,

 make small changes

in our

life,

work,

and in our business.

When we 'lose that loving feeling' ...

 we are getting nudged toward a deeper look,

a larger review, even a fresh path...

 we need to reconnect with our mission,

our vision

 and realign with

our values ...

breathe new life into old ways

then,

 passion renewed...

business model updated...

and back in alignment with who we are,

and why we started,

we can move forward and leave the

stress, burn out or frustration behind...

with a notebook of

lessons learned on your desktop

and a

refreshed energy and outlook.

Whatever it is,

if you've lost something along the way ...

something that is making getting from your morning coffee

and into your daily work feel more and more difficult...

look in friend,

to you and your work,

and start to make the shifts you need.

Life is either all to brief, or uncomfortably long when we are out of alignment, and missing our passions...

Get aligned.

Let's get work!

Until next time...

TLC

 *** Quote Credit

"Results Come from Passion, Not Planning"

Autumn LeStage | Natural Evolution