1. SINGLE OUT ONE HABIT
When you are starting out as an entrepreneur, no one tells you what habits you should focus on.
Not developing the right habits can have severe consequences in life and business. The wrong habits can breed stagnancy, frustration, dissatisfaction and possibly lead to depression.
My question to you is “Do you want to be happy as you build that business or enhance your life?”
Or do you want to live in mediocrity?
The simple habit of being able to single out ONE habit has a transformational effect in your life and business.
What do you do when you wake up first thing in the morning? Do you reach for your phone and check to see if anybody new has messaged you on social media?
Or do you check to see your emails and see what business is pending?
Are you proactive or reactive to life’s circumstances?
Reactive people live in randomness. Other people and circumstances drive their agenda, and they routinely find themselves overwhelmed, overstressed, and overworked.
They are busy and not productive and barely manage to stay ahead; whereas, proactive people continuously master their day.
“They have adopted ONE high-caliber habit.”
Back in 2010, I was overwhelmed, overworked and overstressed. Because of my stressful circumstances, I inadvertently developed a bad habit. And that bad habit was emotional eating. You see, back then I was overwhelmed because I was on active duty and I had so many responsibilities as a Marine Officer.
Moreover, I was a single parent because the person I was with was deployed all the time.
So who had to maintain work, life, balance?
Me, of course! And let me tell you, when you are a functioning as a single parent on active duty, it’s no fun. But even though I had invested 17 years in the Marine Corps, and I was somewhat structured, my life was still chaotic and stressful.
Then one day, I ended up in the emergency room with anxiety. I realized I had shortness of breath and the tightness in my chest had slowly intensified.
The inability to breathe, really scared me because I felt like I was losing control. It honestly felt like something was slipping away.
The scary part is when you have 12 people in the emergency room trying to assess and understand what may be happening to you. Even though I was surrounded that day with nurses, paramedics, and other medical staff I felt all ALONE.
I remember asking myself, “What if this is it?” This is so unfair. My girls are so young and I’m only 35 years old. I felt alone, mortified, and there was nothing I could do.
The tightness in my chest persisted and one of the nurses told me to place a tiny pill underneath my tongue. She said, “Take this it will open up your chest cavity.”
In a moment of despair, I took it and immediately experienced a sigh of relief. Life had pumped more oxygen into my lungs.
The oxygen gave me life and it also gave me an overwhelming sensation of gratitude. I was so grateful, and I started to silently cry.
I cried because I felt tremendous gratitude. Gratitude that I would live to see another day. Gratitude that I would go home and see my girls. Gratitude that I would self-analyze and make changes to my life.
So what do you think had to change?
What about you? Have you experienced something so traumatic that it changes the trajectory of your life?
That scary incident was enough for me to look at my life differently. After the birth of my second daughter, I knew I put on significant weight! That weight was now affecting my self-esteem, and my self-efficacy.
So the stress coupled with the bad habit of emotional eating was now taking a toll on my life.
2. STRENGTHEN YOUR BODY
That morning in the emergency room, I made a promise to God that I would serve him in the best capacity if he helped me out of that situation.
I don’t know if he was listening that day but out of the blue, I got an idea to change. My mission was to single out ONE thing that would make a tremendous difference in my life.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but life is exhausting. It’s more exhausting when you have a family to take care of on your own, and a business.
The idea I received that day was to change my body. To strengthen it so I wouldn’t be worried about anxiety, stress or other health related problems.
So what about you?
“What is one habit that could significantly enhance your life at this moment?”
This is just a recommendation, but my advice would be the following; before you strengthen any area of your life, you must strengthen your body.
Especially as a warrior, life can be unpredictable. A strong body can help you manage:
- stress
- increase productivity
- sexy confidence
- stay vigilant
- face fear with certainty
Should I keep going?
With so much going on in my life, I knew that I was responsible. I was responsible for my health, my stress, and my challenges. So what did I do? I singled out one habit because I knew this habit would help me in some way.
Sometimes life makes you take drastic measures. After that experience, I knew I was NOT going back to those old habits.
They were jeopardizing my willingness to survive and thrive.
So I knew that the one thing would be to strengthen my physique. Now, to be honest I’m not going into too many details here because I share this story in my High Caliber Habits eCourse. But let’s just say that the change was so profound that I was able to share my story on HGTV, fun infomercials, and it’s one of the many reasons I coach women today.
As a woman entrepreneur, why do you think it’s important to develop a strong body?
Women who don’t have a strong body tire out easily. They struggle with energy levels and find themselves eating junk food and anything they can get their hands on. And what makes it worse is that this way of living affects their thought process, emotions, and behaviors.
So do you want to be moody, frustrated, and easily distracted? Then, it’s simple don’t make time for yourself and one day you will find yourself in the emergency room like I did with a life altering decision.
If you think about it, there will never be a right time to get started, so why not start now?
It’s like having a baby, there is never a right time to have one, it just happens. Well same thing can be said for focusing on one habit.
“When you strengthen your body, you strengthen your mind, and your ability to defend yourself.”
Have you ever thought about that? What if someone is trying to attack you? Will you be strong enough to fight him off? Just so you know, I’ve been struck by a man several times. One was a black belt instructor, and the other was also a martial arts instructor. I’m not going to lie, it really hurt and I couldn’t move for a week!
But sparring is a sport I admire and respect.
“And as a woman, you have to be prepared to STRIKE! You should never become somebody’s victim. Strengthen your body now!”
When you strengthen your body you become a LETHAL WEAPON! What do I mean by this? Well you are a deadly weapon.
You are an instrument of GOD, and you are capable of inflicting bodily harm if anybody messes with you.
Moreover, you are a messenger and have been given an assignment. Your assignment is to SERVE people. That is why you are here reading this. There is no coincidence in life.
God has already bestowed your purpose, and it’s your moral obligation to honor this assignment.
Don’t sell yourself short, and serve others with transparency, authenticity, and integrity.
Strengthening your body will help you sustain momentum. And momentum is required from you so you may bring this product or service into fruition.
According to Grant Cardone, basically, it’s your duty, obligation, and responsibility. To build a business and achieve massive success.
What happens when you don’t strengthen your body? Your willpower, creativity, and self-discipline gets depleted throughout the day. And for some women this precious resource is nonexistent because they don’t know how to create energy to begin with. You must strengthen your body, if you wish to strengthen your life or business.
This notion is worth repeating. If you are a woman, you never know when your life might be at risk. Will you become a casualty? Or will you fight back and inflict bodily harm?
Preparation is key, and always think outside the box. Use a stiletto or a switchblade and use whatever means necessary to save your life.
“A lethal weapon is gently camouflaged as a sophisticated servant of God, and when push comes to shove she STRIKES if she is physically, emotionally or mentally assaulted.”
Strengthen your body, and you strengthen your confidence so you can defend yourself (literally and figuratively speaking).
3. SELF-DISCIPLINE YOUR MIND
Not being able to discipline your mindset can have severe consequences.
For example;
- Will you give into gluttony, greed and lust?
- Will you be envious of others?
- Will you allow your ego to consume you?
- Will you victimize yourself and place blame on others?
Not disciplining your mind means that you choose to accept complacency and prefer to blame others for what is happening to you. Moreover, you choose to constantly make excuses.
Your state of mind has the potential to PULVERIZE or PROPEL you.
Which will you choose?
When you self-discipline your mind, you surrender your need for control. You self-discipline by being silent and listen to what “CALLS” at you, not what “CLAWS” at you.
You learn to be still. You learn to fiercely focus on what matters the most and achieve clarity.
When you self-discipline your mind you are not suppressing pain. Rather, you allow pain to surface and you channel it appropriately.
By acknowledging pain, you live life more profoundly because you are not scared to love, forgive, and learn from your mistakes.
“This habit makes you a catalyst for change, not a coward for complacency.”
When you don’t self-discipline you allow negative influences into your mind, and this can have devastating effects to your life and business. Self-discipline and learn to screen for negativity because if you don’t your negative thoughts will DECIMATE you.
This habit is a prerequisite for women entrepreneurs. Why?
Because there are higher demands on you and this habit has the potential to influence your self-esteem, brand, and business. Learn from the best as you discipline your mind. This habit will help you overcome limiting beliefs and set higher standards for you and those you lead.
Not disciplining your mind will lead to distraction and distress. It will disengage you from what is truly important.
Don’t disengage from what is important. Learn to develop the right habits that will make a profound difference in your life. If you need more guidance make sure you click here for my free guide that shows you exactly what you should develop.
That experience in the emergency room made me discipline one area in my life. I was forced to change or face the consequences of my actions.
4. SURVIVE SETBACKS AND FAIL FORWARD
Playing it safe in life means you are not taking bold steps to do something out of your comfort zone. You are playing it safe because fear, setbacks, or failure might be uncomfortable and you don’t want to experience further discomfort.
Here are the repercussions of playing it safe and not experiencing more in life:
- You hold yourself back from experiences
- You overthink and don’t become decisive
- Paralysis Analysis plagues you
- You sell yourself short
- Can’t financially contribute to your family
- Can’t experience genuine relationships
- Can’t experience professional or personal growth
Do you see where I’m going with this? Life is about surviving setbacks. That day, I was given another opportunity in the emergency room. God was communicating with me and he was saying, “Sandra, take it easy, don’t be so hard on yourself.”
I was receiving inner guidance that I was being too hard on myself and something had to change. Something within me snapped that day, and I knew I had to focus on one thing.
That ONE thing would alter the direction of my life in a positive way. In life, make bold decisions and have conviction every single day. This decisive move will plant a positive seed within you.
What am I trying to convey with my story?
“Use your setbacks and failures to guide you. Something is not working so look for the lesson life is trying to teach you. Dig for the GOLD!”
If you are trying to build a business, or push yourself out of your comfort zone you must survive by welcoming more setbacks in life.
Fail forward by making those mistakes. Surviving setbacks and failure helps you build mental toughness.
Surviving setbacks and failing forward is one of my habits. To be honest, it was a difficult habit to work on because it hurts to be rejected, it hurts to fail at relationships, and it hurts to be embarrassed or humiliated.
But you know what? I won’t know unless I try.
Let’s think about this for a minute…
“A diamond is merely a lump of coal that did well under pressure.”
~Henry Kissinger
Become that lump of coal, and welcome more pressure in life. Don’t be afraid to fail forward, you will eventually shine bright like a diamond.
Be afraid NOT to try.
5. SUMMON YOUR FEARS
Something is holding you back right now. What is it?
Not to alarm you but that one thing that is holding you back is growing as we speak. The longer you postpone it, or try to suppress it, the bigger it gets in strength and stature.
What are you afraid of?
Will you let it INTENSIFY? Or will you INTERCEPT and take control?
On a brighter note, just so you know, this is the best part of my job! I live vicariously through you! Sometimes you need someone to guide you and reassure you that you are not insane. You are simply listening to your calling and there will be fears along the way.
Summon your fears and learn to become comfortable with that unsettling feeling.
In the beginning, it will be intimidating because depending on the situation you might experience the following:
- uncertainty
- humiliation
- embarrassment
- knots in your stomach
- horror
- stress
- panic
- fright
Those are basic emotions that a human feels when they are faced with fear, setbacks or failure. If you don’t know how to deal with these emotions or have previously experienced limiting beliefs you will have problems facing your fears.
I have witnessed intelligent people self-destruct. Their negative self-talk and self-criticism destroyed their reputation and their self-esteem. Don’t let this be you!
“A true warrior, faces their fears, and is able to conquer those demons that surface.”
It takes courage and humility to face internal and external adversity. Don’t shy away from struggle, you must honor the struggle.
Now, please understand that there are some deep entrenched phobias that people would need a therapist for. They can further assist you with strategies that will help you manage anxiety. I’m not a therapist, clinical psychologist or medical doctor who can recommend therapy or medication. Professional treatment can help you overcome or manage specific phobias.
I am however, a warrior who’s developed mental toughness that has helped me cope with difficult circumstances, toxic people, and challenging situations.
If I can do this, so can you! Don’t be afraid to try something new. Face your fears and develop mental toughness so you can remove major barriers. Do not become a prisoner and position yourself with a new perspective.
Weaponize yourself with coping mechanisms that will help you summon your fears so you may step outside your comfort zone. Are you ready to add to your arsenal? Free yourself by making a complimentary strategy session with me. Let’s see what you need in order to strengthen that character. CLICK HERE. And don’t forget to get your free guide on how to develop the right habits. CLICK HERE and sent it to me Sandy!
