Episode 159: Don't Be The Fly In The Window in Your Small Business
Running a small business will never be easy, and we are often met with several problems. Our mindset dictates what we see in life and in the problems we encounter. In this quick tip episode, Fiona talks about stepping back and think about the solution instead of giving up with a losing mindset.
Topics discussed in this episode:
Introduction
The fly in the window
Find solutions to your problems
Conclusion
Get in touch with My Daily Business Coach
Episode transcript:
Hello, and welcome to episode 159 of the My Daily Business Coach Podcast. If you're listening to this in real time, there is like 11 days until Christmas 2021. I just can't believe that. I know people say that every single year. And I know the older I get like the less 12 months takes up in my ratio of my life. So it just does feel like oh my goodness, we're here already. But we are and today's tip episode is brought to you by the change in weather and the summer that is here now in Melbourne. And you'll understand what that means, but actually start getting into it. Before I do. I want to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians on the land on which I'm lucky enough to live and record this podcast. I want to thank and acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation and pay my respects to their Elders past present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty has never been seated.
So today it is a quick tip episode - that is where I share a tip tool or tactic that you can implement immediately. And today I would say it's a tip. Yeah, it's a tip. All right. Let's get on with that, shall we?
So as I said, this episode is brought to you by summer in Australia. So it is summer, it's been summer now for two weeks if you're listening in real time. And I often if you haven't guessed already, I often see things in life and look at them through the lens of small business, and life and psychology and so many other things. And I was washing up the other day as you do, especially when you got young children. And I was washing up and I was looking outside my kitchen window which looks on to basically clay rocks and a whole lot of succulents. And there was this fly. Now, if you have never been in Australia in summertime, you don't understand what a blow fly is. They kind of come around every time this time of year and they are horrible. I can't stand them. I also can't stand spiders. I know I live in the bush so but warmer it is you get these horrible blowflies that just make so much noise anyway, the window it was kind of not totally open but a bit open. And I looked up and this fly was just going berserk. Like trapped thinking that it was trapped in the window. And you may see where I'm going with this. But I was watching it just was clapping all over. It was like this. And I was like gosh, calm down fly. And so I rolled the wind, we've got old school windows, rolled the window and we have flyscreens another thing if you're not from Australia, flyscreens absolutely essential. We have so many creepy crawlies. Especially in summer when you want to have things open. Anyway, I wound the window out to give the fly more room to be like come on, fly, just move down and you're out. You're free. You're free. And I was sort of tapping at the flyscreen like come on, just move down, just move down. And it made me think about how often we are that fly.
This might sound so like "Oh my god, she like lost her marbles?" But honestly, I was watching this fly and I was thinking, how often are we in our lives or in our business or sometimes in both stressing out when the path to freedom is right in front of us. If we would just calm down for a minute and stop spiraling into "Oh my gosh, everything's a mess. It's never going to get better. Blah, blah, blah." all the other things that we tell ourselves.
if we would just take a minute, calm down, look for other solutions. Often what we will find is that there is a solution or, and or that the issue that we're getting so wound up about is not actually an issue at all. And so often, I think, you know, and I know, people will sort of be like, Oh, that's a really easy, cheesy way of looking at it. But I do think that so often, our mindset dictates what we see in life. I remember once having a conversation with a staff member, who was so angry about another staff member, I was managing both of them. And I remember saying to her, Look, we all have a filter with which we see the world from, I have a filter, you have a filter, this person that you're complaining about has a filter. And when you say something, it's going to first travel through her filter, and then come to her. Likewise, when she says something to you, it's going to travel through your filter, and come to you.
And when I was looking at this fly and thinking about, you know, this idea in business and in life that sometimes we stress out, our mindset can be a really big filter or mindset can be the difference between us being these buzzy fly, or taking a step back and being like, okay, okay, I see that there's a problem. What is the solution?
So when I work with people, one-on-one business coaching, they have to fill in a questionnaire prior to working with me in the first session. And one of the questions in there is, how would you fix this yourself? Like, basically, they've described an issue, then the next question is, if you were not to work with me, and you had to fix this yourself, list five ways that you would fix it. And the reason that I get people to do that is to step back and be like, instead of going, "Oh, this is such a problem. Oh, my goodness, you know, I'm in just such a horrible challenge right now." And they may well be I'm not for a minute saying, oh, yeah, everything's like sunshine and rainbows. It's not always.
But if I push them to say, well, what are five ways you could fix that. So often, they come up with the solution themselves. And I know, I'm kind of going round about here. But with that fly, all I wanted to see was that there was a huge gaping window open at the bottom, if it could just calm down for a minute, and stop looking at just what was in front of it, and actually, just look around, take a minute, fly down a little bit, fly, and you're out, you're free.
And so that is the tip, do not be the buzzing fly in the top of the window, when the bottom of the window is completely open for you to fly through. In other words, do not be the business owner, or the person in life that focuses so much on the problem, sit back and figure out what is the solution? Even if you have to think wildly. And over the top like, yeah, the solution would be that Beyonce comes along and completely pulls me out of this bankruptcy that I'm about to file.
Yes, that may or may not happen. But just putting those things down. Often, it'll make you realize, you know, what, there is one step I could take towards a solution right now. And I think that is the difference sometimes between business owners that are successful, and business owners that strive to be successful in whatever success means to you. Because the business owners in the former are able to step back and think about the solution. What could we do if XYZ had happened? What could we do instead of focusing just on the problem?
Another thing that I say to clients sometimes is I know it sounds cheesy. So but another thing that I'll sometimes say is let's take off the chaos hat that you've you're wearing, and put on the Curiosity cap. So instead of being like, oh my gosh, it's all you know, the heat has hit the fan. And this is wrong. This is wrong. And this is wrong. Yes. Yes. Yes, yes, they may well be. But let's put on the curiosity cap of what would be possible If.
So say, for instance, if people are super overwhelmed, it's like, well, what would be possible if part of that was automated, or if that part was delegated to that person. And it's like, you can see the relief that kind of comes up just with the thought of these things being a possibility. And so that is the tip like I'm just sort of reiterating again and again, and again. Try not to be the Blow Fly,or be the blow fly that finds the path out.
Instead of the one that just buzzes and annoys everyone around it, and is freaking out. Just take a minute. It could just be as simple as sitting there for a few minutes in peace. And just letting your mind wander. Thinking about if I stop focusing so much on the problem.,what is the solution? I know it sounds so easy to say so hard to do, but often it is actually not as hard as you think to do, this could be journaling, it could be sitting in silence for a little while. It could be sleeping on it, you know, putting it to one side for a week, even me like I'm gonna come to that next Wednesday, at two o'clock in the afternoon that's scheduled in my calendar. But between now and then I'm not gonna just let it fester.
It could be talking it through with a friend, it could be your education, looking for a YouTube video or podcast, a book that might help you find the solution. But the point is to not sit there and just get more and more and more overwhelmed and mucked up. Do not be the fly. I sound like Mr. Miyagi, wax on, wax off, but do not be the fly my friends, that is the tip episode for today.
And if you want a transcript because you're like, I don't know what she was saying. I will go back and see if that makes any sense. You can find that over at mydailybusinesscoach.com/podcast/159. And if you enjoyed this and you did follow it, and please make sure to hit subscribe so that you don't miss out on any future episodes. Thank you so much for listening. I'll see you next time. Bye.
