Episode 36: 2021 has been hard... and here's what to do about it

I’ve been thinking about the beginning of the pandemic a lot, and what it meant to businesses like mine. There was a sense that navigating 2020 would mean ‘something’. Something uniquely special to small businesses, to limited companies, to sole-traders and anyone navigating this new territory with only a small team by their side… and in some cases, even alone. If I could successfully survive, it would be ‘something’ to tell.

At the time, there wasn’t much (if any) support for limited companies from the government. Yes there was a lot of fear, but there was also a push to dig deep, of necessity and of having to make this work.

Surprisingly, I know a lot of businesses that, at the end of the day, had one of their best years in 2020. Which brings us to now.

All the sudden, it seems the exhaustion has set in. The tedium of scrolling endlessly. Of feeding this digital machine. Of wanting genuine connection yet being uncertain what that means for you in a world of screens. If you’re feeling this, you can be sure that your clients are too.

During this episode, I lean in to this feeling that so many of us are experiencing, and look at how you can work with it to keep growing, selling, and connecting. Now isn’t the time to run from your business or feelings— the exact opposite! Now is the time to reflect, take a deep breath, and keep communicating and learning.

QUOTES

‘We tend to be like, oh, I'm done with online. People don't seem to be interacting with me the same online. If you’re feeling done online, if you're feeling exhausted by all of this, that's how your clients are going to be feeling too.’

‘Have a think about reflecting on what's gone on. What's worked? What's not worked? What are you no longer doing that you used to love? Because I think one of the things about 2021 is we have gone into… survival.’

‘We've gone into this kind of… no person's land of ‘what's happening’. We've gone from having this sense that we were all in it together to ‘it's everyone out for themselves.’

‘There's a third way to regulate our nervous system. And it's a newer way. And that is connection. It's to reach out to people. It's what happens when you are feeling scared and you hug someone. And you take a deep breath’

‘Sometimes our feelings are big and we need to sort of gently nudge them out. That's okay. But to retreat at this moment, when there feels like there's a shift happening, when it feels like there is an opportunity to show up as who you are to be really truthful in your message to speak to your people… what I really want you all to know is that this is not a time to hide. This is not a time…to make this all about you and to run away. This is a time to really step up. It doesn't mean you can't balance that…with rest and looking after yourself.’

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