Work In Colour - Work. Think. Live. In Colour
Tuesday 8th March 2011 | 8 comments
I'm going through a challenging period. Some of this is because I have chosen to up the ante in my business by setting some really big hairy audacious goals for 2011. And some of it is just about those times in your life when crap seems to descend on you from several great heights all at once :)
This is not the first time I have faced overlapping challenges in my life (and much though I might hope otherwise, I am fairly sure it will not be the last).
The difference this time is that over the last few years I have learned the value of having support. I used to think it was up to each of us to deal with our own dramas and disappointments alone, and to soldier on without asking advice or admitting we had a challenge in our lives or a seemingly insoluble problem.
This is quite a useful belief system if your aim is to live on a desert island. But in fact for most of us, there is nothing worse than the feeling that there's no-one there when the going gets rough...
A great way to avoid this is to develop your own support team (or success team, if you prefer...). The people on your team are likely to come from two areas:
So, who are the people in your life who support you? They may be family, friends, professional advisors, neighbours or colleagues...or they may be people you've never met, but whose lives or careers help you and inspire you.
Write a list of the people on your team. Stick up their pictures (or quotes from their work) if you're a visual type.
Think about gaps - be proactive in seeking out people to fill them.
There are any number of networking associations in most cities or large towns...ask around or do a web search, and check out their facilities (events, breakfasts, newsletter, mentoring, referrals, seminars and so on).
If you can't find a readymade group, start your own. Find one other person who is on a similar path, either because you share a field of endeavour, or because they also are starting a new business, a new career or whatever (don't choose someone in direct competition with you as this clouds the water too much...). Arrange to meet say once a week or once a month, talk over issues and set goals together. You can use this time to plan, brainstorm, whinge, work through obstacles, prop each other up and celebrate victories.
For technical support, ask friends for referrals to professionals they trust and interview a short list.
Finding your tribe - those who support your vision, your journey - may be the most important step in realising your dreams. So special mention here to Mo, Claire and Suzanne. And also friends like Steph, Caroline and Steve.
My team also includes my VA, Bronwen, my web people Jess and Mitchell, collaborators like Noel and Sally and Steve, and the women at She Business Australia (brilliant network, that!). And my son Josh, who is there at the end of the day to share my adventures with.
Who is on your team?
Tag: strategy
Love having you on my 'team' too Jo - for all the reasons you list above.
And I agree - one of my triggers for realising I've hit an unresourceful state is when I start feeling overwhelmed and hear the 'I have to do it all and I'm the only one who can do it - by myself - and I'll never get it done yada yada' tape playing in my head. Now when I hear it, I bypass the drama and dial-a-sanity-check. Tribes + Outsourcing = the great enablers. Bring it on... :)
How did my tape get into your head, Mo? Not that I am in any rush to get it back :)
Love this post!!! LOVE I!! xx
Thanks, glad it resonated!
Very good article Thank you
Thanks Veronica, nice to hear you liked it...
So many times your "posts' are a mirror of what is happening in my life. Thanks for sharing and reminding us that doing it ourselves just gets us to that overwhelmed and resenting our days kind of place too quickly when we can reach out to someone, our challenges don't seem so hard anymore and our days get easier.
Joanne, thank you. It's funny how often people tell me a blog post expressed just what they were feeling or experiencing. I guess we are all equally insane, muddling along together in the soup of life...but at least we all have company!