Are you feeling overwhelmed about money?
We’ve all been there at some point. You know that place — the lull. Contracts have been sent out but haven't been signed and returned yet. Referrals have slowed down. Existing clients aren’t ready to start a new project yet, or worse, they are ghosting you. Due dates on bills are about to hit. The anxiety builds. The insomnia hits at 3 am. The sleep score drops. You’re exhausted mentally and physically — and worst of all, creatively. The fear begins to take hold and it’s hard to focus on the work you have in the queue because you’re so worried about where the next project is going to come from. You start to find yourself on job posting sites looking at full-time roles to see what’s out there (even though the thought of going back to working for someone else’s dream scares the shit out of you). Your heart rate picks up. Your breath gets short. Your mind is spinning, and then overwhelm takes over.
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First of all, take a long, deep breath.
Now, take another one. Then a third.
Don’t panic. You're ok. You’re safe. My Aunt Ginny has a saying that I come back to often when I get in moments of overwhelm like the one I just described. We are avid scuba divers and have been able to go on many dives together over the years. She loves to remind my partner and I, “Scuba diving is like life. Just keep breathing and don’t panic." When moments like these come up, remember to do just that. Your lizard brain is kicking into high gear and is putting you in a fight-or-flight state. Your lizard brain is not you. This heightened state of stress and overwhelm is not helping you to make clear, strategic, and effective choices in your life and your creative business.
If reading that intro paragraph triggered you, or you were already in a state of overwhelm when you started reading this post, I have a suggestion. I’d like you to do something for me. Stop reading this post. Yep, you heard me correctly. Stop reading this and move. Get up from your desk or wherever you’re sitting and move. Go outside if possible. Go for a walk, even if it’s just around the block. Do some yoga if you’d prefer. Just move. Get out of your head and into your body. If you are feeling triggered then you need to take a moment to reset. I'll be here (and will share a bit more about how beneficial that is for you when you get back).
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Ok. Welcome back! I hope you had a lovely stroll or yoga session. Many of us feel that digging in and working harder or longer will solve the problem. We can feel like we are moving forward and getting more things done. All we’re really doing is burning empty calories because are tank is on fumes, especially if your stress level is high and the cortisol is flowing like a river. If we go even deeper into physiology, cortisol hinders your metabolism and if you’re sitting down while you work, stressing out, and eating at your desk, you’re not going to help yourself physically either. You’re hindering your mind and your body — and that ain’t helping nobody!
Speaking of your body, if you need to get out of your head, getting into your body is one of the best things you can do. Studies show that going for a walk can improve your mood and mental state by getting fresh air, changing your surroundings, and increasing blood flow to your body and brain. Add in the ability to vet your ideas and share your challenges with someone that understands them while you’re walking, and that's even better. If you use an app like Marco Polo, you don’t even have to chat at the same time. You can share your thoughts (or potential woes) with a friend or colleague at a time that works for you and vice versa. I highly recommend the app if you haven't tried it. (I'm not an affiliate or being paid to say that either. I love the concept and how it supports connecting with others while having busy schedules and living in different time zones.)
As the saying goes, “It takes a village”. This goes for you and your creative business. Being an entrepreneur can get lonely and if you’re looking at your finances, cash flow, projections, expenses, projects (or lack of them), late payments from clients, and any other potential variables common in creative businesses, you can get overwhelmed quickly. Then the fear starts to set in. The inner critic begins to rear its ugly head whispering in your ear that you aren’t enough. Facing your fears and getting honest with yourself and where you are today allows you to understand the first part of a necessary step to moving forward. The next step is choosing where you want to get to in your business. Then you can work backward and figure out ways to get there.
I wanted to share another recommendation that could be extremely helpful for you on your journey. Recently I read the book, The Traveler’s Gift: The Seven Decisions for Success, by Andy Andrews. This has been such a powerful book (and it’s even a quick read coming in at 225 pages). I love how Andrews addresses the decisions and underlying message of the book by telling it through the lens of a fictional story. Rather than focusing on facts and figures and studies and formulas, he tells a tale that most of us can understand and connect with. The use of prolific real-life characters from throughout history, like Abraham Lincoln and Anne Frank, conveys powerful insights in an approachable way for these impactful decisions in life. I love a good story that can do that well so I was sold right out of the gate. I hope you’ll read the book to reap its rewards too! I’d like to share the first decision for success that Andrew’s shares because it’s relevant to this common plight around money and the mindset we must have to change our lives and our relationship with money.
Here is a brief synopsis of the book:
“Forty-six-year-old David Ponder feels like a total failure. Once a high-flying executive in a Fortune 500 company, he now works a part-time, minimum wage job and struggles to support his family. Suddenly an even greater crisis hits: his daughter becomes ill, and he can’t even afford to get her the medical help she needs. When David’s car skids on an icy road, he wonders if he even cares to survive the crash. But an extraordinary experience awaits David Ponder. He suddenly finds himself traveling back in time, meeting leaders and heroes at crucial moments in their lives—from Abraham Lincoln to Anne Frank. As David speaks with each of these historical figures, they share their philosophies with him. By the time his journey is over, he has received seven secrets for success—and a second chance.”
Now that you know what the book is about, I’d like to speak about the power of the first decision for success — The buck stops here. Below is an excerpt from the book so that you can read this powerful message for yourself.
THE FIRST DECISION FOR SUCCESS
"The buck stops here.
From this moment forward, I will accept responsibility for my past. I understand that the beginning of wisdom is to accept the responsibility for my own problems and that by accepting responsibility for my past, I free myself to move into a bigger, brighter future of my own choosing.
Never again will I blame my parents, my spouse, my boss, or other employees for my present situation. Neither my education nor lack of one, my genetics, or the circumstantial ebb and flow of everyday life will affect my future in a negative way. If I allow myself to blame these uncontrollable forces for my lack of success, I will be forever caught in a web of the past. I will look forward. I will not let my history control my destiny.
The buck stops here. I accept responsibility for my past. I am responsible for my success.
I am where I am today—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—because of decisions I have made. My decisions have always been governed by my thinking. Therefore, I am where I am today—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—because of how I think. Today I will begin the process of changing where I am—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—by changing the way I think.
My thoughts will be constructive, never destructive. My mind will live in the solutions of the future. It will not dwell in the problems of the past. I will seek the association of those who are working and striving to bring about positive changes in the world. I will never seek comfort by associating with those who have decided to be comfortable.
When faced with the opportunity to make a decision, I will make one. I understand that God did not put in me the ability to always make right decisions. He did, however, put in me the ability to make a decision and then make it right. The rise and fall of my emotional tide will not deter me from my course. When I make a decision, I will stand behind it. My energy will go into making the decision. I will waste none on second thoughts. My life will not be an apology. It will be a statement.
The buck stops here. I control my thoughts. I control my emotions.
In the future when I am tempted to ask the question “Why me?” I will immediately counter with the answer: “Why not me?” Challenges are gifts, opportunities to learn. Problems are the common thread running through the lives of great men and women. In times of adversity, I will not have a problem to deal with; I will have a choice to make. My thoughts will be clear. I will make the right choice. Adversity is preparation for greatness. I will accept this preparation. Why me? Why not me? I will be prepared for something great!
I accept responsibility for my past. I control my thoughts. I control my emotions. I am responsible for my success. The buck stops here."
— Andrews, Andy, The Traveler's Gift
It is our choices that got us where we are today and it is our choices that will get us where we want to be. Wow! Powerful, right? The challenge posed in the book is to read this (and each of the decisions) in the morning and before bed at night for twenty-one days. The goal is to repeat this message enough that it becomes a habit in your life and most importantly, in your mindset. If you want to continue being the captain of your ship and want to change the narrative of your life, you have to be your own change agent. As you read in the first decision for success, the choice is yours and the buck stops with you. My challenge for you is to read the first decision for success in the morning and before bed for the next few weeks and see how that feels. Let it sit with you as you read it. Let it drive you to make the change in your life. Taking responsibility for your life and for the choices you make is the first decision you must make to turn things around in your life and business because no one is coming to save you. You are the hero in your story. Will you take the challenge? Are you ready to be the hero in your life? If so, let me know in the comments and keep us posted on what comes up for you.
Photo by Ahmad Qime at Pexels
Before you go, I wanted to share another tip to support you (and hopefully a friend) in times of overwhelm. Here’s what you can do. Go for a walk but instead, do it with a friend or fellow creative business owner so you can support and encourage each other. They don’t even have to be with you during your walk. You don’t have to schedule a time to meet, to get into your newest piece of athleisure wear, or figure out a place to meet for these walks. With all of the different video chat capabilities, we have like Zoom, FaceTime, or Marco Polo, there are so many options to engage with a peer (or your new accountability/support partner). This can be a great way to give yourself a break, reset your mind, and engage your body while getting the support you need as you write the new narrative in your life and business. There’s hardly any excuse that can hinder your ability to reach out to a peer or colleague to have an accountability check-in or support call while popping around the block or your nearest park for a few minutes. And if you can plan to meet up regularly, even better! The anticipation of meeting a friend, connecting with them, and having to change out of that athleisure wear you've been in all morning to meet somewhere (you are going into public, right?) is a great way to create accountability for each other so that you can change your life and business (and your friend's too).
Are you ready to take the challenge? Give it a shot. You're worth it. You deserve joy, fulfillment, and freedom, not fear, overwhelm, and entrapment. Read the words, take them in, and decide that the buck stops here. And, as always, keep being ärtful!
