Beth, an active member of one of my mastermind group, shared her story as a solo entrepreneur and how she was forced to stop her email newsletter and create a paid course after changing her long-term professional goals.
It looks like she has given up. She’s wasting her time, money and energy.
She’s one step closer to achieving her goals, from my perspective. I couldn’t be happier to see her succeed.
Quitting vs. Shifting
I am not a proponent of serial quitters, nor am I suggesting that giving up is okay.
There is a fine line between letting go of chaos and moving in clarity.
The key is to be clear about your vision and to commit to achieving it, even if that means cutting off what isn’t serving you anymore.
Beth needed to make the right decisions in order to reach her professional goals.
Your vision and purpose, regardless of whether it’s a product or project that’s not generating sales, are what ground you, bring clarity into your mental workspace, and help you decide your next steps.
This three-letter word will help you align yourself with your vision
How can you tell if a product or feature request, project, idea, or product fits within your vision? How can you tell if a product, feature request, project, or idea fits into your vision?
Although we rarely have immediate answers, they are often able to provide them when you ask the following question:
Why?
This three-letter word has been a familiar one since childhood. However, its importance is greater in our lives as leaders or decision-makers.
Ask yourself “Why?” This forces you to reexamine your original vision and purpose. It is important to remember why you started this journey and to assess if adding this task to your schedule will help you reach your goals.
You might ask different Why questions by putting things in your context.
Why am I doing it?
Why is this product/project/feature important to me and my company?
What are my reasons for wanting to add/introduce/start this?
If they don’t have the answers you need or aren’t aligned with your vision or purpose, it might be time to put the idea on the back burner or completely scrap it.
Instead of seeing it as a waste time and effort, consider it as shifting your focus to something more important or effective.
Are you ready to implement the idea? Jump to the end to download a 5-minute exercise (PDF). You can still refine your idea by reading on.
Three ways to get rid of the fog in your head
Sometimes we get so absorbed in our thoughts and fixated on our visions and ideas that we lose sight of the important things around us.
These are three simple and effective ways to clear your mind and test your ideas before you make your next big decision.
1. Discuss the idea with your advisors and team. You can schedule a meeting to present the idea and get feedback. Take down any questions, concerns, or risks that may arise from the conversation.
2. Ask your users. Your users can be a great source of information if you are trying to make a decision about a product or feature. Send an email to your fans inviting them to become beta testers for the new feature or product. They will also be able to share their thoughts with you.
3. Pay attention to the industry members. You might want to invest in a blog or website for your company. You are aware of the magnitude of this project, so you want it to be done right. You can look at other brands like yours to see how they manage their blogs and what content is engaging their audiences.
The Why Filter: A 5-minute exercise
Take 5-10 minutes to answer the questions now
