Times are changing, unemployment rates are sky-high. Conversations I’m having around a revamp, a major re-evaluation of what is really important in life are swirling in my social circles on numerous continents. So many have lost jobs, had jobs scaled back, or are questioning what is really important. What used to be relevant, what used to occupy our days no longer seem as important as they were 5 months ago.
Where to go from here? It’s rejig time and who betters advice to have in your pocket than Jane Deuber. Jane, this weeks’ Unconventional Life guest, has been building and accelerating businesses for over 30 years. She has dedicated her career to offering advice and pragmatic guidance to others trying to do the same. According to her. there’s never been a better time for individuals to launch a business, offer their skills and expertise to the world and to be happy doing it.
Believe in Yourself
First things first. Believe in yourself. The whole success of any operation comes down to your capacity to know that you’ve got you. It is from this place that you embark on your journey. With this foundation in place, the exploration of what you are meant to be doing and how best to deliver that to the world can be born.
“When you know at your very core that you… are resourceful, that you can deliver value in some way that allows you to weather whatever life brings you.”
This is the backbone of your personal resilience. It is the self-determination that fuels and inspires you to get back up when you’ve stumbled, when your business has a setback or when doubts are flaring.
Exponential Empowerment
In the world of business, the key to being successful requires you to:
Find Something That Lights You Up. There is no point doing something that has no meaning for you. So ask yourself, what makes me happy? What is my interest, talent, and passion? Now, how do I find work that is significant to me that aligns me with those skills, talents, and passions?
Work in Your Zone of Genius. This means identifying what you’re best at, then doing that. The rest is best served being someone else’s work. If you spend 100% of your time doing what you’re best at and outsourcing what others are good at to them, everyone is doing what they’re good at and enjoy.
Tips for Aligning Yourself With Purpose
Effectively done as a journaling exercise, these prompts put things in perspective
If you have a business:
Use the “rear-view mirror method”. Reflect on the past year and ask yourself:
- What brought me the greatest joy?
- What was the easiest?
- What brought in money?
- What felt the heaviest?
- Where did I struggle/where was it hard?
Let the past guide the future. Let these answers inform what is working and where change is needed.
If you’re starting a business or thinking about it:
- Know in your gut that there is something that you’re meant to be doing. Believe in yourself.
- Ask a lot of questions, do a lot of research. Success takes commitment and calculated action.
- Now, to find the movement, or “your thing” ask yourself 2 questions:
- What breaks my heart? When you see something that isn’t right, what is it?
- What ticks you off?
These two questions help you to identify what is driving you, where your passions lie and start to point you in the direction of what it is you want to be working on.
How can I be relevant today?
“There’s never been a better time for people to reimagine their work in the world-ever, right, because there’s a belief out there that this is the worst time to start a business, but there are needs and market opportunities that haven’t been imagined yet and so if you can just give yourself permission to be like, wow, sometimes what will happen, Jules is people are like, ‘who am I to come up with the next great idea?’ but the truth is, your perspective from the outside in actually allows you to see opportunities that haven’t really been met.”
The Myth of Work-Life Balance
Jane says that the work-life balance is a myth. The way she sees it, if you’re building your business or doing something you love, you are going to commit yourself to it in a big way. The balance, for a time, will be off. You’re “in it”. What she says is the key is boundaries. Setting boundaries for yourself is the magic key to keeping it together and maintaining a happy and peaceful existence. If this means no work after 7 pm or that no matter what your 30 minutes of meditation and exercise in the morning remains non-negotiable, boundaries are what’s going to keep you happy, focused, and balanced.
