It’s very easy to forget our relationships as business owners. We don’t do it intentionally, we just have other pressing matters, such as closing the next deal, motivating our teams, then when we do switch off, we switch off from anything close to being romantic.

I’m not romantic, I’ve tried to bring it out in me, it’s just not wired in me. I blame 1950’s Hollywood for making me look bad…(excuses??).

What I can do is consider the things that make my wife and those close to me feel better and value them in the right ways, despite my entrepreneurial goals.

Showing compassion and tenderness is not a sign of weakness, when we connect with others in our personal lives we become better leaders in our professional lives.

Don’t be too busy to care.

Is being a compassionate and tender leader a sign of weakness…Yes or no?

Hyper- achievers don’t have a stop button – it doesn’t exist, it is all acceleration and no brakes.

And when burnout happens, they are the last to know.

I looked to these people in the past as my mentors – inspired by their hustle, but I was only getting a glimpse of them at that moment.

I was unaware of the long-term effects of their frenetic drive, and I followed the same pattern.

Take time today to reflect on how your mentors are leading you and also how your behaviour may be leading others to follow the same pattern – positive and negative.

Let’s think deeply today about how we approach this week.

What is the game-plan? Is it stretching you enough without taking you and others too far into a panic?

Without reflection, our feet will be pressed firmly down on the accelerator and before we know it we are in a spin.

How do you plan your week?

Hyper achievers believe they can control everything – it’s a cause for celebration.

I believed that I was comfortable with not being in control of most things – when in reality I was desperately trying to cling to certainty.

I have learned to let the hours unfold and occasionally throw away the plan and embrace the unknown.

We need to keep an eye on the target, but, when we let go, it is surprising how we can still achieve our goals, even when we let go of control and revel in uncertainty.

Clinging on to control will lead to a loss of control.

What do you need to let go of?

Feeling out of control is a painful experience and can lead to burnout.

2020 has proven that nothing is certain – and that has been very hard for many people to cope with.

There have been times during the last 18 months when I felt like shutting the whole thing down.

I had to work very hard to reconnect with my purpose, which has kept me focused and on the right path.

But, we also have to adapt and change the tactics to achieve our purpose.

Now is the time to create your untold story – you are on your own hero’s journey – seek out the mentors and allies who will empower you.

Remember that your purpose is too strong for your ‘enemies’ to hold you back.

Then then the fear of the unknown will fade and you won’t feel stuck in an old pattern that is no longer serving you.

Are you ready to go all-in?

Email me back with a ‘YES!’

The hyper-achiever will use all the time they have if they could.

If a day was 36 hours they want 50 hours – But do they get more done?

I was the guy working through lunch, working late, taking my dinner back into the office, it felt good, I was productive until I wasn’t.

I was hit with the insidious nature of burnout. And the worse part was I would repeat the same pattern once I’d recovered.

It’s not a sign of mental toughness or stamina to be so committed to our work – especially when our health, relationships and mindset pay the price.

Let’s prioritise our health, relationships and mindset and we will thank ourselves in the future.

Don’t be put the person regretting you’d slowed down- it will be too late.

p.s.

I have launched a new course for solopreneurs, enrolment is now open.

www.solopreneurworkshop.com

Letting your email inbox dictate your life is completely unmanageable.

I would hop from one email to another. As soon as one came in I felt compelled to respond straight away, even when I was in the park on a Saturday playing with my kids!

I have learned to identify priorities, relax, and not get worked up about making my inbox urgent.

It is my life and I want to be in control of it, not my inbox or someone else’s urgent matter, which can often wait or in many cases simply vanish.

Learn to prioritise what is directly in front of you – stay present with what truly matters in your life.

Otherwise, you are a slave to your email and will ultimately lead to burnout and overwhelm.

How do you manage your inbox?

What it says on your business card does not define who you are. The hyper-achiever can often chase the title and forgets where their focus should be.

I used to hate it when people ask me what I do for a living. “I’m a business psychologist” “performance coach” “executive coach”.

I have wasted so much time deciding what my title is.

Now I tell people who I help rather than what I am.

How we serve people and how they experience us is what defines us.

It’s not about who we are but how we impact people, and not just clients but our close relationships too.

When we lead with our purpose – people will follow you

But when we lead with our own agenda, we are less believable.

p.s. Do you still use business cards?

It is counter-intuitive to put life before work for a Hyper-Achiever.

We believe we are, but are we really?

I believed that life would be happier when I got ahead financially or won the championship or have more cash in my bank account.

But it never came. I was chasing it all the time. I felt like I was two goals down playing desperate in last two minutes of the game, constantly exhausted.

When we let go of the desperation – we get clarity – and we have clarity we can see the wood from the trees.

We have to learn to prioritise our health and relationships, and play the long game with our work.

Only then can we move at pace with consistent energy.

Otherwise, without a life fully lived, what else do we have?

What are your intentions this week in your business, body, relationships and mindset?

Enjoy your Sunday!

Andrew

Studies have shown that a lottery winner will be no more happy within six months of winning.

Equally someone who experiences a serious accident and becomes a paraplegic, gets back to the same level of happiness as before the accident.

Don’t mistake your pursuit towards financial wealth or external perception as a goal to be happier.

The hyper-achiever finds this urge hard to control.

The key to a successful life is not just the wealth in the bank, but in our ideas, creativity, relationships and health.

When we learn to make peace with this we start to thrive and feel in control of our businesses.

Otherwise we’ll be the last people standing celebrating our financial success alone.

It feels like such a heavy weight to push – literally pushing boulders up hill  – there has to be more to life than just work. Right?

Of course we have to work, we need to hunt to feed ourselves and our families. It’s important to do a good job – I take my work seriously – but I have also learnt how to relax and have fun – something I neglected for years.

You are not on this planet just to work – The 4 Keys shows us how to devote equal time to our business, body, relationships and mindset.

When we focus on our health, relationships and mindset our businesses thrive.

When we only focus on our business and neglect our physical and mental health our businesses will suffer in the long run.

Agree?