The big question: what do you actually care about?

Before you answer, I’m not just talking about business-related stuff. I also want you to think about everything else that makes up a part of your life and the things which currently aren’t but you’d like them to be.

It’s a pretty big ask, asking you to identify exactly what you care about, I know. But it’s important for both you and your business. After all, for many of us, the two are difficult to separate.

Also key to note is that what you care about shouldn’t be the things that you think you should care about, or what others tell you that you should care about. Are you muddled yet? Let’s dive deeper and unpack this some more.

Time to Make a List of Things You Care About

 I want you to sit down, grab some paper and a pen. Done that? Good. Now on that paper, I want you to write a list of all of the things in the world that are important to you. There’s no need to overthink this – just write everything down that pops into your mind. Grass, birds singing, my kids, my cat, making money, clean washing hanging on the clothesline; whatever you have a positive association with.

Now I want you to read through your list and take stock of the different things you have on there. Family, friends, money, shelter, love, cars: whatever is there, separate the list into two groups with one for personal and one for business.

On your personal list, you’re likely to have things such as spending time with family and friends, enjoying running your business, and taking time to engage in your favourite hobbies. Chances are, there are more things you care about within your personal life than business life. If there’s nothing or next to nothing in your business list though, then we really need to talk – call me! In the meantime, let me guide you through some business-related things you may not have thought about and could add to your business list.

Business Related Things to Care About

What you care about defines who you are, both personally and professionally. If you are struggling to find things to care about for your business besides an income, it’s time to stop and do some hard thinking. Perhaps your business is not right for you, and you should think of selling or reimagining it. Maybe you need to outsource the things you hate doing, so you’ve got time to do the things you want to do. Perhaps it’s time to consider other things in your business which should be important to you, such as caring:

• About your goals – when your goals are important to you, you’ll make the effort to achieve them. You’ll have written them down, shared them with someone who will hold you accountable for meeting them (like me) and will remain motivated when things get tough.
• That you are using your time wisely – once time has passed, it never comes back. You’ll give others the jobs you don’t want to do, so you can focus on the ones you do want to do. You are likely to think carefully about the things you say yes to and practice saying no more often.
• About your personal growth – your business is not the only important thing. You’ll also want to move in the right directions towards your dreams, and spend time focusing on yourself.
• That you try your very best – you’ll care about the little details, keeping your standards high even when stressed and overworked.
• About the things you are thinking of – negative thoughts do happen, but it’s what you do with those thoughts that are important. Pay attention to what you are saying to yourself and challenge, rather than accept them. Seek help from others who you trust.
• About being happy – if you’re happy, you’ll never work a day in your life. Running a business isn’t all roses; it can literally suck at times too. Keeping positive even during challenging times will help you to succeed.
• That you feel the fear and do it anyway – we’re all scared about trying new things, to a degree. But if you never try it, you’ll never know what will happen. Feel the fear and do it anyway.
• About how you treat others – this goes for both customers and competitors. Being supportive, polite and caring doesn’t cost anything, and if you believe in karma, it’ll come back your way someday.

While not all of these will be appropriate to add to your business care list, some will be. What we’re going to do next though, is make a list of the things you really hate doing or don’t care about, and come up with a plan to manage them.

Dealing with Things You Don’t Care About

It’s time to make another list now, and that is of the major things you dislike doing. Ready, set, go. Once you’ve compiled your list, take a thoughtful look through, identifying the things you could do something about and those you can’t. Cross off the things you have no control over and never will, and focus your attention on what you can change. This list will have things on it that you know are important to do and should be doing, but that you hate doing with a passion. Ironing, bookkeeping and washing the dishes are three that come to mind for me.

Now, of that list, what things that you dislike or have no passion for could you reasonably give to someone else? Could your kids do the dishes each night instead of you? Can you hire someone to do your ironing for an hour a week? Are you ready to let someone else manage your monthly finances for you?

 In business, we’re sometimes so ingrained in the mindset that we must do it all, that the enjoyment of being a business owner disappears. The truth is though, you don’t have to and you actually can’t. Acknowledging that is hard, but important. Making a plan for and acting upon this realisation is crucial. Here’s what you can do with your list of things someone else could do for you:

• Rank each task in order from most to least hated or cared about
• Starting at the top, write down how it would feel to you if someone else did the job for you
• Identify someone who could do your top three most disliked jobs for you
• Ask them to do it

Once you remove the things you don’t care about doing or dislike from your day, life gets better. You’ll have time to do more of what you love, both personally and professionally. If you’re ready to start today, awesome! If you’re still not sure if you can let go, then let’s make a time together to nut out your goals and make a plan to move forward.