How Taking A Break and Getting Back to Basics Boosted My Business!

by Jayne Kopp on July 2, 2012

 

getting back to basics and taking a break

A Break Does You Good!

These last couple of  months, I decided to focus more on things that matter and getting back to basics, hence my brief hiatus from my blog.

 

There have been a few changes in my life as of late, if you read my post “Would the Real Me Please Stand Up”, and the post I wrote about  “putting you first”… you  may have gathered something was ‘up’.

 

Now please notice I said something was ‘up’ … but I didn’t say something was ‘wrong’… just wanted to make that clear.

 

You see, I’ve intentionally made some changes as of late.  I guess you could say I’ve been going through a transition.  A few of these changes are experimental and I’m still not sure how things will pan out, but there are a few that have already made a positive difference.

 

You see, I looked back on the last 4 -5 years of working online and realized I’ve allowed myself to be pulled in different directions.  Some directions I chose, but others I seemed to somehow get drawn into.  The result was I was working my ‘hiney’ off and though I have been ‘steady’ I’m not seeing the results I ultimately set out to achieve.

 

Admittedly I’ve been somewhat busy with the coaching end, I haven’t done a lot with my business opportunity which is really a shame, not only for me but for those who could have hopped on board and created some changes of their own had I given it the attention it deserves.

 

My personal life has been… well… ok-“ish”, but as some of you may know I’ve had a bit of a ride through hell for the last seven years with a bitter ex, and although I’ve chosen not to focus on it too much… (and done a pretty good job to be honest), there are always fragments of disappointment that creep in from time to time.

 

I guess at the end of the day I just took a good look at myself and realized I had lost focus on things that matter… AND things that produce results and let bits and pieces fragment my clear thinking.  The bottom line was I needed to re evaluate and start living in the moment a little more than I have been.

 

I realized that if I wanted to grow my empowerment coaching business  even more yet maintain balance with all the other things I do, I needed to make some changes and put things back in perspective.

 

To begin with I had to pin point what wasn’t feeling right and I had some pretty heavy questions to ask of myself which went something like this:

 

  • Am I taking my own advice and simplifying life the way I had intended when I first came online?

 

  • Am I focusing on things that matter and produce the results I initially aimed for?

 

  • Am I working harder and not smarter?

 

  • Am I truly enjoying everything I do or do I always feel behind the 8-ball?

 

  • Am I living simply or should I look at ways to ‘uncomplicate life’?

 

  • Is what I am doing what I should be doing and could my time be better spent otherwise?

 

The answers to these questions were not as positive as I had hoped so I consciously chose to take a step back and decide on how to take the quickest and most effective steps from Point A to Point B. and pear down to change them.

 

I have to say although this took some getting used to, the results have been greater than the habit of  busting my proverbial backside blogging almost every day and going through the same old routine

 

Don’t get my wrong, I love blogging… and I LOVE my blogging friends even more… but at the end of the day, my blog was merely intended for those who wanted to get a better feel for who Jayne is… not solely to gain new partners or socialize.

 

The problem is (or maybe it’s not a problem at all), my blog isn’t where my income is derived.  Whilst I have many friends who have monetized their blogs successfully to earn a full time living, my successes have always been from alternate marketing strategies.

 

With all of this said, bowing out of blogging for a few weeks allowed me to complete a labour of love (that has been in the works for some time) and taking the time to complete it has gleaned great results.  I’ll share more about that in an upcoming post.

 

For now however,   my purpose of writing this post is for a few reasons. 

 

1)      To check in and say ‘hello’ and state I haven’t disappeared from the face of the earth.

2)      To suggest to you that if you find you’re flying around like a fart in a wind tunnel, spending countess hours blogging…. that you might also ask yourself… is this where my time is best spent?

3)      To suggest that if you you’re getting nowhere fast (or not as fast as you first envisioned) that you take a step back, breath deep and perhaps change things up a bit and consider getting back to basics.

 

You know, it doesn’t matter who you are, your age, location, or current situation, sometimes life just needs tweaking along the way!

 

I have found this little rest has given me more clarity, helped me to focus on what matters; the main focus being my children and being more present for them when they need me. Funnily with less on my plate and being more streamlined, I’ve still managed to achieve a few major accomplishments and attract a few new clients!

 

I’m looking forward to spending a little more time here now and can’t wait to share a few discoveries and light bulb moments that have helped my business grow and might be just the ticket for you if you feel to be spinning your wheels as I was.

 

In the meantime, I hope my fellow Canadians have enjoyed the July 1 weekend and I wish my America friends a wonderful July 4!

 

It might be a great time for you to take a break, cleanse your mind and get back to basics in order to evaluate your progress and propel you forward!

 

What do you think?  Have you ever taken time out to get organized and noticed you were better able to produce for having done so?

 

I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments!  See you soon!

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Ilka Flood August 8, 2012 at 3:08 pm

Hi Jayne,

Glad to see you back blogging. We all missed you, but I for one am glad you took a break and stepped back for a little while. You get a whole new perspective if you do that, don’t you?

I can so relate. I too feel sometimes being pulled in too many directions but I’m pretty good at making adjustments along the way. That’s one reason I am only blogging once a week now. At least for the time being. There’s a lot of work involved in blogging if you want to do it right …as you very well know yourself.

You got me curious and I’m very much looking forward to your upcoming blog posts to find out what you are up to.

Be blessed,

Ilka

Reply

Oliver Tausend August 6, 2012 at 12:38 pm

Hi Jayne,

good to see you back on the scene. As you know, I am going to make some changes to make my blog and my approach to business too, which is always a good thing. It’s amazing how much time it costs to delete old stuff, entire blog posts and removing links you’ve put out there. But it’s also freeing, is it not ?

I love the questions you asked yourself. Doing so proves that you are a leader because most people would continue muddling through rather than having a good hard look at their lives and businesses.

Keep up your great work !

Take care

Oliver

Reply

William Veasley July 21, 2012 at 3:54 am

Jayne: As I was reading, I could relate to a lot of what you said. I had to take a year an do a lot of meditation, but eventually I realised who I was an what I really wanted.
It’s nice to have blogging friends and all, but this time around I am going to focus on meeting people face to face, hand to hand. I want to drive people to my site online, but more so from the real world.
I know that if I do that then there is a lot that I will learn in the process.
Anyhow, I have been bad about spending all my day online so here is my plan. I cannot and will not set aside my dreams, but I also cannot live my life day to day without enjoying it, at least to some degree. I am going to spend my days with friends, family and people that make me happy. On the other hand, I will spend my nights pursuing my dreams and if I have to sacrafice sleep then so be it. I don’t have a girlfriend so I do not have anyone I need to comfort at night. I would rather die pursuing my dreams than not give my all and never turn them into reality.

Reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post: