What’s the problem, really!?

  What’s the ACTUAL problem stopping you being where you want to be right now, hmm?   This is a subject that has been coming up a LOT recently with clients.     Where we can often ‘assume’ something is the issue holding us back, when in fact it’s something completely different.   When I read the intake forms for the lovely ladies who work with me and what they want the subject of their call to be, it often very quickly becomes clear that what they THINK is the problem, isn’t really a problem for them at all and it’s something completely different…and often a potentially easy sort!   But it’s SO important to work out what it is or you’ll stay stuck in a constant loop and not moving forward.     When the problem is run from unconscious programming or thoughts and beliefs…how can you expect to see it unless you’re really looking and asking the right questions?     It’s a fact and ‘just the way it is’ for you when it’s unconscious.     But, that is VERY rarely the case that it’s fixed.  

What label are you using?

  We like to ‘label’ things and label things that we perceive to be ‘wrong’ with us, reasons or excuses for why we aren’t where we want to be yet that are often outside of us.     Even labelling something a ‘problem’ makes us feel better because it’s something we can attach to.    But, what if we saw it differently?    What if we stopped calling them ‘problems’ all together?    Even simply changing the language can shift the way we look at it.     What if they were just obstacles?     Or even just ‘questions’ to be answered?    It makes it a little less emotionally charged and gives us some power back, right?   One of my favourite words to use personally is ‘quandary’, sounds totally solvable (and weirdly fun, it’s a bloomin great word!), nothing that requires emotion or labelling as such…just something that requires some lateral thinking to find the way forward.     It sounds far less ‘permanent than a problem.  

It’s all part of the journey

  But, this is all part of the journey to achieving big things in life.     We want these things solved NOW, instant gratification, but unfortunately the majority of the time it really doesn’t work like that.    But, it CAN often be a lot more simple than we think.   So, here’s the thing.     There are several key ‘problems’ that I see time and time again and often it can be just a tweak in thinking that’s required to get you moving again.  

First up, ‘I have a problem with my strategy’

  We can often think we have a ‘strategy’ problem where we get stuck in a loop trying to find ‘THE’ way to start making things happen.     This is where good old shiny object syndrome can set in and keeps us in a perpetual loop of looking for the ‘one’ thing that’s actually going to work for us, but actually we end up jumping from strategy to strategy and not actually implementing anything for long enough to let it work.   Sometimes it IS a strategy problem but…You guessed it, often it’s really not a strategy problem at all.     You can know all the things, but you’re still not doing them…and that’s not strategy.   So what is it then?   This is where the mindset piece comes in, and needing to work out WHY you aren’t doing the thing that you already know how to do.    What unconscious programming, thoughts and beliefs are stopping you taking action?     What is it that’s REALLY holding you back?   So this could actually be a mindset problem masquerading as a strategy problem.   

Then next up is the ‘I have a mindset problem’.  

  Procrastinating, stuck in overwhelm and not taking action because there’s just TOO MANY THINGS leaving you frozen and crippled with a lack of confidence and self doubt.   But do you REALLY have a mindset problem?     Maybe you do …or, could it potentially be some simple tweaks to your productivity that will get you out of that overwhelm, procrastination and ‘I don’t have time’ zone?   The amount of times I get people booking in with me about a money mindset issue or overwhelm or procrastination and in an hour we’ve gone through some game changing (and simple!) productivity tweaks that have just given them HOURS back in their day and you see the weight visibly lift.   But I also get to see the light bulb of confidence, belief in themselves and that ‘oomph’that they thought had gone visibly return.    You don’t know what you don’t know at the end of the day, right?!   If you don’t LOOK for a better way how can you know there is one?   So here we have the ‘productivity problem’ masquerading as a mindset problem!   Sheesh, this stuff is confusing right?!  

Next up we have the ‘I have a Mindset problem’…and i’m always busy and tired and I’m feeling down and I don’t know what’s wrong with me!

  Now the first important thing to be said here on this one is that it’s always a good idea to speak to your GP and/or a therapist/counsellor to make sure there’s nothing else more sinister going on.     Looking after your mental health is so important and it’s ALWAYS worth speaking to a professional who can help and check the necessary things that need to be checked.   BUT, on the subject of this one, when you think there’s a n=mindset problem and you’re always feeling tired and unproductive, could it be a tweak in lifestyle that could be of benefit and be the difference that makes a difference?     This has certainly been the case for me in the past and if I start to feel a little ‘off’ and can’t put my finger on why then I have a look at a few key things that make a HUGE difference for me.   Are you getting enough sleep?  Sleep is SO important for your mindset and your health as a whole and it is very easily de-prioritised, especially by people who advocate the ‘hustle’ mentality to entrepreneurship.   I have a hard and fast rule of 8 hours sleep.  If it’s really not possible for whatever reason, then I FEEL it.  In my productivity levels but also my mood and my memory…and ability to string a sentence together ha!   Are you prioritising self care?  You can’t pour from an empty cup and as business owners it’s easy for this stuff to get overlooked, again, especially if you’re operating from the ‘hustle’ mentality.  What can you do to make sure you’re looking after yourself and making sure you take time to relax?    Again, if I notice a dip in my mood and I can’t really work out why then I ask myself this question …then i’ll go run a bubble bath and take my meditation apps with me for an hour. I will MAKE time for it.  So what is self care for you?   Are you drinking enough water? Sounds SO simple but it has a HUGE affect on mood, memory, focus and TONNES of other things.  It’s not to be ignored!   Are you eating a good balanced diet or reaching for the junk because it’s easier and it’s 10pm and you ‘forgot’ to eat.   This is my battle and has been since I was about 14 years old and something I’m constantly working on.  But I know my triggers and I also know how much of an effect what I eat has on my productivity and mood.  If I have a big lunch then the afternoon is often a write off in terms of getting stuff done. However, if I have a light lunch then I have MORE energy and get MORE done.     The trick is to notice what certain foods or certain meals do for you in these areas.     You wouldn’t naturally think that a potential antidote to a lack of productivity and procrastination could be as simple as what you eat and drink…so it’s something you have to consciously look for.   So here we have a potential ‘physiological problem’ masquerading as a mindset problem.  

Yikes! So how do you know which is which?

  Well, you can find out for yourself through trial and error and asking the right questions, self coaching, reading the right books, creating awareness for yourself and being curious about what’s potentially going on.   You can speak to people doing what you’re doing and see if they’ve noticed any patterns in you.     This could be membership groups or masterminds that you’re currently in.  Friends and family, biz besties.   Or, you can work with a professional to get to the bottom of it.   Whether that’s your GP, a coach or mentor in any of these areas.  Just someone who knows what they’re looking for and can help you shine a light on it.   We all like to ‘self-diagnose’ and it’s easily done but you can waste valuable time and energy focusing on the wrong thing by ‘assuming’ you know what the cause is.   Remember the majority of this is UNCONSCIOUS.  You don’t know what you don’t know.     It’s time to stop beating ourselves up for all these ‘problems’ that are part and parcel of doing this on your own.  Having this level of awareness isn’t the ‘norm’ for most people…but you’re not most people!   Just know this, whatever the ‘problem’ is, it’s changeable, which is the fun part!     You’re never as stuck as you think you are as long as you ask the right questions.   So get curious, use your journal to map some of these things out on a weekly basis so you can see the common patterns and start asking yourself the right questions…or book in a discovery call with me ha!   If you got value from this and you know in your gut that now is the time to step up and start rewiring your thinking and changing things for yourself then book in a free discovery call so we can work out what needs to happen to get you from where you’re at right now, to the action taking success you know you can be!! If you want my eyes and ears on YOUR problems I work with people 1:1, through the Proactive Pants Programme and 1:1 full day intensives, stop waiting for if and when and decide to change things now! Fx Fran Excell, Subconscious Success Mentor – Helping Business Owners Overcome Self Sabotage & Get More Done In Less Time at www.franexcell.com RESOURCES: Check out The Positive Pants Podcast here Download your FREE Stressed To Success Meditation here Shop Printables & Meditations here Grab your 365 day ‘Attitude Of Gratitude’ Journal here Grab Your ‘Positive Pants Firmly On’ Notebook here Book In a Free 20 Minute Discovery Call here