Eat the elephant?

 

Eat the elephant?

Ummm...well, why is it you want to do that?

Well you see, I have this huge goal for 2021, but I'm not sure where to start...

Gotcha. Well, then! That's a great question!! I would love to share with you what has helped me eat the elephants in my life....

1 - Choose the right elephant. There are usually plenty of elephants around to choose from. Spend time praying and thinking about it. Look at all of your options, and then make a commitment to the one that you know is right for you, and make sure that now is the right time to tackle it. I'll use myself as an example. I want to grow my business, but that may involve a lot of elephants of various sorts and sizes. "Growing my business" looks a lot like a huge shape off in the distance that I'm pretty sure is an elephant...but I think I need to take a closer look and get a more clearly defined goal in mind. OK. So, my elephant for 2021 is to develop brand awareness. To me, that is still a big, very fuzzy elephant!

2 - Get close enough to the elephant to see each and every part. Aha! Yes, that is clearly an elephant. Very intimidating. Look at the size of that trunk! (For the sake of the analogy...let's assume the elephant is dead and ready for consumption...and that consuming it will be a good thing to do....) Now, back to my example -  Brand awareness has several parts to it...a website, blog, email list, landing page....etc. Lots of parts waiting to be consumed...

3 - Get some help! My goodness, you will never get the elephant eaten in a timely way all by yourself.  I have put off developing a web site (just a part of brand awareness) for at least two years. The thought of trying to do it by myself was too overwhelming. I have been looking at several options, from friends to expensive professionals. Meanwhile, a friend recommended someone that I feel comfortable working with, for a reasonable monthly fee. No long term commitment or huge upfront cost involved. I am depending on them to help me choose which body part to start with, and, for their help and support throughout the entire process. They promise to help me get all the parts clearly identified and consumed.

4 - Pace yourself. Plan it out. Don't sabotage yourself by planning to tackle the biggest part in a month full of family commitments or other demands on your resources of time and energy. In my situation, because it is a coaching group, I will need to follow the prescribed timetable. However, I plan to build in a little cushion for the unplanned. There are a lot of things I just don't have control of from time to time. But that's ok...because my business isn't the only elephant in my life. Know your own limits and stick with them. Don't take over-sized bites, or try to eat too fast!

5 - Is there actually more than one elephant?  Keep first things first. Most people have several areas in their lives that present huge challenges. Yes...I have huge goals for my personal life as well, and sometimes the elephants have to be juggled. I often have to work at keeping my priorities in order. 

6 - Next, put that big old elephant on paper. I plan to have a couple of paper elephants for 2021. Identify every part. Leave room to add the parts you didn't see the first or second time around. And then, break the parts down into little bite-sized pieces that you know you can get down in one day. Try to not have any left-overs. They will build up, get stinky, and turn into another form of unpleasant elephant. And then, it will be easier to walk away from the elephant than to keep eating away and watching it disappear. Which by the way...is incredibly satisfying. It's really quite amazing...eating all that elephant doesn't make you gain weight...it makes you stronger and wiser. 

7 - Find an accountability buddy. It may be one of those people that you have hired or a friend/family member that can help you eat the elephant. Encourage them to check in with you on your progress. Allow them to ask the tough questions, and to give constructive feedback. 

8 - Finally...celebrate even the smallest victories. Seriously...some days my to-do list contains the most mundane things, like run the vacuum, refill the bird feeder, make a grocery store run...call three potential customers, make three Pinterest posts... etc. But, you know what? At the end of the day, all those checkmarks under the "done" column are small victories that add up to a successful day. One big toe....GONE!! Woohoo!!

OH, and this really is the last thing.....enjoy the experience!!

And, if you want to know more about my business...

check out the Karine Joncas link to the right.

Happy New Year!!

Martha P