Your DIAGNOSIS is in and it’s official your DNA reveals you are…
The Survivor
…which means you’re programmed to give absolutely all of yourself to every, single project and the word ‘no’ is not in your vocabulary, but the word ‘yes’ is ingrained into your dna.
You believe in ensuring your clients have the very best of you and that their experience of working with you is not only smooth sailing but effortless, certainly from their end anyway.
Nothing is ever too much trouble for you and you put everyone else and their needs before those of yourself and your business. Your clients (and even your family and friends) rely on you completely as a valued asset.
BUT…here’s the thing, you’re starting to crumble under the sheer weight of work you’ve undertaken and are struggling to draw a line in the sand between business building and burnout.
Understanding your Entrepreneurial DNA and your own unique natural wiring are the pieces of the puzzle that will allow you to align with your purpose, who you are on the inside and how you want to feel about the work you’re doing.
Your Genetic Code as a Survivor
Helpful
You demonstrate a great readiness to help others even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally offer within your services (or don’t really have time for) because you hate to see someone struggle.
Reliability
All of your clients know how reliable you are. If they ask you to do something they can relax knowing that not only will you deliver, but you’ll overdeliver.
Do what it takes
You feel obligated to do whatever it takes to make sure you complete a task including burning the midnight oil, going without lunch and working through the weekend to get the job done.
And now for a word or two of caution….
As a Survivor you’ll be training your clients to oftentimes have unrealistic expectations of what can actually be achieved and when. This can lead to them being unwilling to accept the word 'NO' from you.
Your generous nature can leave you feeling compromised and used as you struggle to strike a balance between personal and business life causing you to unintentionally choose between work and family.
You’re always feeling like there are never enough hours in your already overpacked day. But it’s hard for you to have an honest conversation with yourself over what your capacity really is and what you need in order to relieve the pressure.
“There are only two words that will always lead you to success. Those words are yes and no. Undoubtedly, you’ve mastered saying yes. So start practicing saying no. Your goals depend on it!”
– Jack Canfield
Ready to wave goodbye to confusion and say hello to clarity?
I hope so….
….but before we do it’s also important to acknowledge that for some people, you being one of them, your reluctance to say the word ‘no’ comes from a place of caring. For you that word is closely associated with letting people down, disappointing them or hurting their feelings.
But it doesn’t stop there. Our brains are also partly responsible for our fear of saying no. Why? Because from birth we have learned to associate the word ‘Yes’ with a positive outcome, approval and sometimes encouragement, whereas the word ‘No’ is the complete opposite.
Being told ‘No’ to anything conjures up negativity, possibly disapproval and often disappointment.
Therefore we have a deep emotional response connected to the word ‘no’. I like to call it ‘no-phobia’.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom. And the truth is that growing a business is painful, challenging and exhausting for everyone. Putting in fifteen hour days, feeling overwhelmed, not to mention a little out of control, is part of that growth…but at some point a calmer approach has to take its place.
And the approach I recommend is CCT – Capacity, Clarity, and Transparency.
Capacity is where you understand at what point you feel comfortable and what point you feel challenged. And just so you know, you’re aiming for somewhere in the middle. Ask yourself, how many clients is too many and how many is not enough? Crunch the numbers so you know your limits. Always be aware of your energy and when you’re at your best vs not so much.
Clarity is where you can get super clear on what you do and what you don’t do. Set your hours of business and establish clear client processes and then communicate them accordingly. Stop accepting tasks outside your area of expertise and learn to switch off your email and phone outside of office hours.
Transparency in knowing that the world will not come crashing down when you’re honest with your client(s). If you can’t make a meeting, hit a deadline, take on a task or jump on a call then say so. Your clients will appreciate your honesty and for the most part be only too willing to find another time that can better suit your needs. After all, they hired you for a reason.
And the approach I recommend is CCT – Capacity, Clarity, and Transparency.
Capacity is where you understand at what point you feel comfortable and what point you feel challenged. And just so you know, you’re aiming for somewhere in the middle. Ask yourself, how many clients is too many and how many is not enough? Crunch the numbers so you know your limits. Always be aware of your energy and when you’re at your best vs not so much.
Clarity is where you can get super clear on what you do and what you don’t do. Set your hours of business and establish clear client processes and then communicate them accordingly. Stop accepting tasks outside your area of expertise and learn to switch off your email and phone outside of office hours.
Transparency in knowing that the world will not come crashing down when you’re honest with your client(s). If you can’t make a meeting, hit a deadline, take on a task or jump on a call then say so. Your clients will appreciate your honesty and for the most part be only too willing to find another time that can better suit your needs. After all, they hired you for a reason.
Any of these inner monologues sound familiar?
I know I shouldn't say yes to this task/project but if I don't they might not find anyone else to do it. And besides, it will be good for me to learn something new.
If I only had another 2 hours I could actually get that project finished and off my list, but then I've still got another two projects with deadlines.
I really don't want to let them down so I'll do it just this once, although it means I'll have to work through the weekend to get it finished.
I'll just answer these last two emails before I switch off the light and go to sleep.
I'm not sure I'm going to get this done on time and I know they're relying on me. I'll just have to cancel going to see my family and get some work done instead.
Stop right there…these are all the actions of a ‘Yes-Man’ (or Woman). These are things you tell yourself to avoid saying ‘no’. The problem is, by saying ‘yes’ to everyone else you’re saying ‘no’ to yourself.
Here’s your Personalized Purpose Prescription
Saying Yes Is The Drug You’re Addicted To And It’s Time To Change The Narrative
Repeat daily and pin to a place where it will be a constant reminder….
By learning to say ‘no’ to the wrong things I’m allowing myself to say ‘yes’ to the right ones.
Letting go of ‘no-phobia’ will be good for my mental health, my productivity and my sanity.
I don’t have to do everything I’m asked to do, only the things I want to do.
Saying ‘no’ is all about practice. The more I say it, the easier it will become.
I’m only hurting myself when I refuse to say ‘no’.
Release your hold on the ‘Yes Man’ (or Woman) persona and watch your business take flight!
Say hello to your fellow Survivor…
Beyonce learned the power of saying ‘no’ and the freedom it gives you when you finally embrace it and step into your own independence
Aside from the fact that Beyonce sang the song ‘I’m a Survivor’ with Destiny’s Child she embodies this title in so many ways. At just 27 she was being pulled in numerous directions. The pressure to be a commercial success and be number 1 in the charts no matter what the cost was huge. She was so focused on being a visionary and leaving a legacy that nothing else mattered.
But then she learned the power behind that one syllable word – ‘no’.
She started Parkwood Entertainment so she could work on the projects that really meant something to her, allowing her to put art and creativity first.
Time to Discover Your Path to Purpose
Let me introduce you to ELEVATE, my simplified strategy that will help you to streamline and scale in a way that is aligned with your purpose
Evaluate
Take a deep dive into your business and start to evaluate what is working and what’s not. Start with the services you’re offering. Are they serving you as much as your clients? Are they profitable and scalable? Do you have the right processes and systems in place to deliver a top-notch client experience? Is the work you’re doing truly aligned with who you are and the goals you have for yourself, your family, and your clients?
Leverage
Look at your personal strengths and weaknesses and think of ways to leverage the things you’re good at. The things that only you can do and the things you love to do. How can you turn those strengths into your strategic secret weapon? And then get support from others to do the rest.
Educate
Take the time to educate yourself on the things you uncovered in step one. Do some research. Check out what others are doing in your industry or even surrounding industries. Are you being a trend-setter or a trend-follower? What can you do to make positive change and bridge those gaps for your clients? Start to map out the steps you need to take in order to make those changes. And don’t forget, small steps are better than big insurmountable ones. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your business.
Validate
Now bring in an expert to validate your ideas and the changes you want to make because sometimes you just need another eye or listening hear to help you on your path. Let them take an in-depth look at your business and prescribe actionable solutions that will help you move the needle forward. Remember your clients deserve to experience a business that is not just functional, but organized, fine-tuned, and sustainable and so do you!
Assign
Don’t be afraid to offload the things that you’re not good at, remember, we want to leverage those strengths. So, let’s get those things you don’t love and that take up unnecessary time off your plate. Assign these tasks to the folks that will undoubtedly do them faster (and oftentimes better) than you saving you money in the long run. There’s a reason we pay an accountant to do our bookkeeping, amiright?
Train
Be prepared to train your new and existing team members. Pack your patience here, because now is the time to document all of your processes so you’ll have them out of your head and readily available to your team so they can be there to support you. You may even need to invest in their continued education so they can fully embrace their role and take ownership of what they’re doing. A nurtured team is a loyal team.
Empower
Give your team the freedom they need to do a wonderful job for you. Empower them to own their role, bring ideas to you, and develop their own systems and strategies. Let them help you to make your business perform like a well-oiled machine which will empower you to be the best at what you do
WHO’S DISHING OUT ALL THIS ADVICE ANYWAY?
Hey there! I’m LaToya Williamson, Chief of Staff & Operations (some call me “Sunshine” and others call me the “CEO Whisperer”)
After 20 years in the corporate world working as an executive assistant I woke up one morning to no job. Yep that’s right, after ten long years with a very well known beverage/consumer goods company, I’d been laid off.
So what next? I wasn’t quite ready to launch my business, although I knew this was what I wanted eventually. So instead I got another job working for a CEO, who unfortunately didn’t value my skills or knowledge and treated me like a low level assistant.
And it was then that it hit me. I could NO LONGER work for anyone else but myself. I wanted to be seen, heard and valued by people who needed my help, guidance and experience. So I built my business based on what I knew people like me wanted, not just a business/project manager and mentor, but a friend and partner they could turn to for support, laughs, and tough love.
And do you know what, it worked. Past clients have often told me that when faced with a tough decision they find themselves asking “What would LaToya do?” That to me is one of the highest compliments anyone could give me.
So now you know something about me, let’s get back to you. How can I help you?
If you let me, I’ll be your biggest advocate. But you have to be willing and ready to become the best version of yourself. But the cool thing is that you’ve already taken the first step, which was taking this quiz!
Are you ready for the next step? I sure hope so because I’m ready to help you take it.
join the purpose alignment
Find the simplest path to reconnect with your purpose, build your dream business, and live the life you’ve always wanted.
Being out of alignment with your purpose affects every single aspect of your life. It eats away at your free time, your happiness, and your peace of mind. Stop settling for “good enough.” Instead, let’s reconnect you with your purpose and reignite your passion.
Those feelings of overwhelm, confusion, burnout, and being lost don’t have to be the norm anymore. You can find your purpose and then make it work in a way that fulfills you, with The Purpose Alignment.