My Success Starts with Mental Focus

My initial plan was to write about “finding balance”. I think about it a lot. But, the truth is, I’m constantly seeking it, never arriving at this optimum balance of which I dream. The life of a work-at-home mom / voice-over business owner is a daily balancing act that never really balances out.

I don’t know what works for you. Balance is a very personal pursuit. It is constantly in flux and is elusive. However, the process of seeking balance ultimately achieves something close to what I imagine it to be.

Here is my personal three-point technique…

• Choose PRIORITIES

If I want to accomplish anything, I know I need to be clear about my priorities; otherwise, I either have no direction (which is hard on me) or I fill up my life with things that do not reflect my true priorities. Whittling down the list of priorities helps me to really know myself and my purpose. I do this by listing my highest goals and aspirations. Then, I keep asking myself, “how?” until the steps are all laid out for me.

A basic example: I want to own a thriving voiceover business. How?

I make certain my products and services are useful and excellent. How?

I consult with appropriate coaches and I find appropriate clients. How?

I research coaches and contact them and I research my target market. How?

…you get the idea. I find common denominators which help me not only prioritize, but then to create goals, actions, and specific steps.

• Apply MONO-FOCUS

To achieve the goals that I have deemed a priority, I have to find time to focus on them. Within that time, distraction is the enemy. I can confidently say that we have more distractions than ever. The key to success that I read time and time again: be without distractions in order to do the “deep work”, that work that requires focus, thought, creativity and cannot be done while multi-tasking. Voice-over Virtual Assistant, Karen Souer, has also blogged on this idea.

• Understand CONDITIONS OF ENOUGHNESS

I wish I had come up with that phrase, but I accredit it to Jennifer Louden. Conditions of enoughness help me know when I can walk away, at least for the day. If I focused only on my business priorities, I could keep working 24/7. Conditions of enoughness help me decide how many hours a day, how many days of the week, etc. are sufficient in order for me to find balance.

If I don’t seek balance in my day to day life, I suffer. My health suffers and my family suffers. As a voice talent, if my health is suffering, I don’t have a business. If I don’t eat or sleep or exercise, which don’t directly seem to be a part of running a business, the business itself will fall apart.

While it may appear to my family (and the PTA) that I am a stay-at-home mom and not the consummate professional business person…and it may appear to my clients that I am the consummate professional and not the stay-at-home mom with volunteer duties at school, making homemade almond milk, and cleaning the litter box daily… I AM doing it all… always out of balance, but always mindful of the search.