Written by: Tarah Dove, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Being a business owner comes with many challenges and can be very stressful, especially when you have a lot of overhead and employees.
When you’re stressed, it starts to control your decisions, reactions, and communication. Stress can take you from a winning mindset to a losing mindset very quickly.
A winning mindset keeps you focused on controlling what you can. A fear of losing mindset forces you to want to control everything (even the things you can’t).
For example, you can’t control your employees, but you can learn how to motivate them. You can’t control slow and busy seasons, but you can choose what to do in those seasons. You can’t force clients to stay or come, but you can choose how you treat them.
Let me give you a sports analogy of how stress can help you win or lose.
Team A and Team B are in a championship basketball game. Team A is focused on not losing. Team B is focused on winning.
Both teams want the same thing. To win! How they play will be very different.
Team A is playing from a place of stress because they don’t want to lose. The stress physically changes how their bodies move and the decisions they make. They are so emotional that their movements become reactive, instead of proactive. They are focused on trying to control the outcome. At the free point line, all they hear is the noise and cackling of the crowd. They are focused on not missing the shot because if they miss, they lose. Their player misses the shot, which creates more stress for the team and more poor decisions when play resumes. The team starts getting frustrated with each other. The coach starts getting mad because the players aren’t making good decisions, which then puts more pressure on the players to not lose. Team A will most likely lose the game. The one thing they wanted to avoid.
Team B has been taught how to control their emotions, their mind, their body movements, and their communication. They have been taught how to remain calm under pressure, even when they are losing. Their movements on the court are calmer and more collected. They are able to think critically, rationally, and proactively. Team B is down by 5 points. At the free point line, their players don’t hear the noise of the crowd because they are focused on their body movements. They are focused on getting their feet lined up and their hands positioned right on the ball. Instead of focusing on not missing the shot, they focus on their follow-through and sink the ball into the hoop. Even if they miss, they don’t get upset. The coach doesn’t get mad and encourages them to keep focused. They are able to remain calm and keep playing to win. Team B will most likely win. The one thing they wanted.
Team A wanted to avoid losing, which made their focus on losing, increasing their stress. Team B wanted to win, which made them focus on winning and in control of their stress.
As a business owner, your stress will either control you or you will control it.
How you lead and allow stress to impact you, will also impact your team and the performance of your business.
Here are 10 signs that stress is controlling you.
Easily frustrated or agitated with team members and/or family
Being reactive instead of proactive
Chronic, unexplainable pain in your body
Pushing quarterly goals for fear of not being able to pay the bills
Exhaustion at the end of the day
Feeling out of alignment
Poor communication with team members, family, etc
Anxiety or panic attacks
You push to get more clients in slow seasons to offset financial stress
Frantically hire and try to keep head above water in busy seasons
Reducing stress is like peeling back the layers of an onion.
You have to identify:
Why stress is there
Where stress is coming from
What you are believing that is making you feel stressed
How you can start taking control of your stress
At Success Without Sacrifice, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how female entrepreneurs do business.
Just like pro-sports teams have training plans designed to avoid burnout and injury and achieve peak performance, the RAMP Method™ gives female entrepreneurs a roadmap to structure their day, week, month, and year, so they can be in peak performance at the right time, instead of all the time. The RAMP Method™ reduces burnout and improves team performance and fulfillment.
No one size fits all, so we work with you in a 1:1 coaching capacity to identify how you and your team can enjoy success without sacrifice.
Tarah Dove, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Tarah Dove is Co-Owner of Success Without Sacrifice, LLC with Business Partner Cheree Sauer. As CMO/Marketing Success Coach, Tarah brings over 15 years of Marketing experience to the Partnership. Using the proprietary system, The RAMP Method, created by Co-Owner Cheree, the duo works with Entrepreneurs to merge the gap between business and life. Their mission and The RAMP Method of coaching help reduce burnout and improve team performance and fulfillment for female Insurance Agency Owners.
