"I can't swim!"


New to the Solopreneur Diary Entries? Welcome! This weekly newsletter comes to you every Saturday, featuring anti-hustle success tips & the behind-the-scenes scoop of solopreneurship.

Hi Reader,

From the blog archives:

  • The REAL Reason Why We Become Solopreneurs: Get the raw, transparent story of my solopreneur journey (from the hot mess express and rocky beginnings back in 2008 to the panic attack from hell in 2018 and more!)

***

Kamloops is at the fork of three rivers, so Mr Science and I are having fun kayaking on them — and when we were kayaking last weekend, I was struck by how much the current changes from one section of the river to the next.

Those currents are STRONG! It makes for a nice leisurely trip on the way back, but going upstream requires continual effort.

The water is pretty clear on these rivers (they come directly from the glaciers, so as you can imagine it's also cold, lol!) — and I always like looking into the water to see what's happening underneath the surface while we're kayaking along. It's mesmerizing because depending on the way in which you are looking at the water, you have all different perspectives:

  • The surface of the water (e.g. reflections or anything floating on the top).
  • In the river itself (e.g. long grasses or fish swimming by)
  • The riverbed (e.g. rocks and sand on the bottom)

...and all it takes is a brief adjustment to switch from one view to the next, BUT you do need to train your eye for it.

In fact, sometimes I'm so focused on peering into the water (hoping to catch the sight of little critters swimming about!), that I don't even notice how shallow the river is in a particular section.

...and THAT reminds me of a particular scene from one of my all-time favourite films, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves — Kevin Costner is battling Little John in a river, Little John is pushed into the water and he says "I yield! I can't swim!" ...and then Kevin Costner helps him up and makes Little John realize that the river was barely waist-deep.

He could have stood up the entire time, but he didn't realize it.


ALL of this connects back to your business, of course!

Here's how:

  1. Doing the upfront work pays off BIG TIME in long-lasting, long-term sustainability the rest of the way... and *being strategic* and *managing your energy effectively* are VERY important in that (e.g. kayaking upstream at the beginning gives you the chance to relax when your energy is lower; being smart about the order of operations and how you approach your business will make it smooth-sailing once everything's in place).
  2. A change in perspective can help you to see things that were previously invisible (e.g. shifting how you look at/into the water when kayaking; shifting how you perceive your business and being open to fresh new ideas/approaches to improve your systems, strategies, and actions you take — which can also save you time and get you better results!).
  3. Allowing yourself to think beyond *this* moment helps you to have major "aha" moments (e.g. Little John not being able to stand because he was so focused on not being able to swim; in business, you're so busy putting out fires and dealing with day-to-day tasks that you're not taking a pause to look to the future and see the bigger picture).

Your business can feel exhausting and like *hard work*... or it can feel leisurely and full of ease.
Your business can be something you only see through one perspective with blinders on to the rest of it... or it can be an evolving creative outlet that fully reflects your personal values, your goals and ambitions, your true vision, and is adaptable as you change and grow.
Your business can feel like drowning... or it can feel like standing powerfully on your own two feet.

What will it be?

What do you WANT from your experience?

What will YOU choose?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself this weekend...

  1. What feels hard in my business? What do I want to feel EASY, fun, leisurely?
  2. What do I believe to be true in my business that might be holding me back from forward momentum? How do I KNOW it's true and factual? What other possibilities are there?
  3. What is distracting me in my business? In what ways is it taking up unnecessary attention that could serve me much better by redirecting my focus?

I'd love to know what comes up for you! Hit reply and share :)

...and if you're struggling with answers to these questions, OR if you're not sure what to do next *after* you answer each of those questions...

...I'm here to support you

Let me know if this resonates with you!

Have a great weekend,
Sagan (she/her)

Success Coach & anti-hustle Productivity Strategist | Romantic Comedy Novelist
SaganMorrow.com | Twitter | Instagram


P.S. I'm not kidding about taking the time to answer the above questions.

You might be surprised at what you discover about yourself and your business! Please set aside some time to really think them through.

→ And we can also do this together — guiding other solopreneurs through questions like these is exactly the type of powerful work I do with clients.

P.P.S. If you enjoy my emails, invite your friends and colleagues to receive the Solopreneur Diary Entries newsletter, too! They can subscribe HERE.


Solopreneur Diary Entries

A weekly "diary entry" newsletter with real-time, real-life experiences of solo entrepreneurship, notes and observations, lessons learned, struggles and wins, thought experiments and action steps (so you can apply it to your own life or business), and behind-the-scenes stories of the solopreneur life! Sagan Morrow is a Personal Fulfillment & Solopreneur Success Coach, helping you improve your relationship with yourself (and your business), save 10 hours/week (WITHOUT burnout or overwhelm), design a genuine lifestyle business that fully supports your personal values and goals, and enjoy healthy work/life balance while also making awesome progress on your business goals.

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