Is Working Too Hard Working Against You?

My husband and I often play a game of pool to relax and laugh after a long day. Last night, I was anything but relaxed as I watched him sink 4 balls for my every one. The more easily his shots lined up, the more annoyed and tense I became. I tried harder. My game deteriorated even further. Wincing every time I missed a shot, my tense shoulders got even more knotted. Exasperated, I barked at him. It was then I realized I was missing the whole point—which was to enjoy his company and have a little fun. I put my arms around him and apologized for being such a pill. We both laughed at our mutual competitiveness and I let go of caring about winning the game. After that, my shots lined up easily and I won the next two. What does this have to do with succeeding in business? As entrepreneurs, we like to succeed so much that we often work way too hard at things that should be a pleasure. In an economy like the one we’ve experienced over the last year, it has become even easier to justify greater effort and longer hours. And if working hard pleases us and nets the results we want, no problem. However, I work with clients daily who are pushing themselves harder and harder out of a sense of fear and anxiety. There is no pleasure left for them. What became immensely clear to me was it wasn’t the level of effort expended that allowed my improved game; it was letting go of my concern with the intention of simply enjoying the game. How long since you simply enjoyed the game of being in business? Let’s take a look at the underlying beliefs that might push someone to expend more and more effort. See whether any of these resonate with you: <ul> <li>Rewards go to the ones who work the hardest</li> <li>I can make this happen if I work hard enough</li> <li>Only those who work hard deserve success</li> <li>If I’m not getting results, I just have to try harder</li> </ul> Is it possible that some of these driving beliefs might be off base? Definitely. For example, if a person doubts their deservability, no matter how much effort is expended, they don’t let themselves win. Each of us could easily cite examples of people who simply could not have done enough to deserve all the good that came their way or on the flip side, we could name those who worked their tails off and did not receive the benefit they fully deserved. Here are a few ways working too hard works against you: <ul> <li>Energy Depletion – When we get run down from expending too much energy and taking things too seriously, we run the risk of getting sick or burning out. When we are approaching work with a healthy and balanced attitude, we will be energized by it, not depleted. And we must learn when to say, “That is enough for today.”</li> <li>Lost Access to Intuition – As we tense up, like when you find yourself breathing from the collarbone rather than your core and shoulders creep up around your ears, we are focused on the fearful side of things rather than focusing on the outcome we desire. Fear is such a distraction, we may entirely miss the intuitive signals that would otherwise be helping us along. Intuition is an important part of our success. When we lose access to it, it’s a little like flying blind.</li> <li>Saps creativity – Our most brilliant ideas flow when we are refreshed and excited about what we are doing. When we are tired, tense and discouraged, we simply are not as creative in our thinking. We don’t make the mental leaps we’re truly capable of when we are fresh.</li> <li>Not mentally sharp – Running a business requires us to make many decisions every day and good decisions are most easily made when we are rested, alert and feeling positive about the future. We do ourselves no favor by working so hard that we literally cannot think straight. </li> <li>Unfocused – Another side effect of overworking and trying too hard is that we scatter our energy and attention widely without spending adequate, focused time with any one project or idea. This scattershot approach rarely brings satisfactory results. Plus, we may give the appearance of not having it together, scrambling—this isn’t the message we want to send with our behavior.</li> <li>Nothing to Give - When clients do show up, we may not have anything to give them because we are so depleted.</li> <li>Attracting What We Don’t Want – The cranky attitude resulting from over work and trying too hard changes who and what we attract. Like attracts like. If we want to work with bright, capable, optimistic clients that enjoy their work and are a pleasure to work with, we must be that.</li> </ul> We deserve to succeed with balance and harmony in all areas of our lives. When we treat ourselves well and create the intention that our businesses will be a place to express the best of who we are, then expect the best to show up, it does. We must care enough to hold sacred our mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. We are absolutely worth that.       2009-09-17T20:49:19Z

2009-09-18T05:56:06Z