How do I Break through the Overwhelm?

What’s up, everybody? Who is ready to get a little bit better? If so, say “YES!” Or you can just comment below!! I am so excited to bring you value, today. I am just overflowing. One of the things that I continue to do to serve you at a higher level is I am always growing. I have got to be learning and growing and stretching and challenging myself and leveling up the way that I lead so that I can grow my business, create systems, and do all the things that need to be done all the time. I can’t get stagnant. Just like you can’t get stagnant. 

The truth is I have been there and done that. I am just like all of you reading this; I am pretty sure we have all felt overwhelmed. And we have all felt stressed out, like there is too much over your head. 

How Do We Break Through Overwhelm?

And it is the question because we are all going to bump up against it because we are building our business, leading our people, living life, wanting to achieve… and all of these things will eventually lead to overwhelm. And if you cannot get through the overwhelm, you’re not going to be able to achieve that next level, grow in the way you want to, expand in the ways you need to, increase your revenue, increase your influence… all of those things will not happen if you are overwhelmed. 

When we live in a state of overwhelm, we all know we are not effective. RIGHT?!?!

How do we break through the ceiling of overwhelm? Simple. You delegate. This is not rocket science. 

This week I had the opportunity to be in my first EOS focus day with my amazing EOS implementer. My friend, Ryan Henry, is a genius and has been doing this work for 14 years. And I’ve got another really good friend, Jon Fox, who is local to Lexington, who also is an amazing implementer of EOS. What is EOS? It is the Entrepreneurial Operating System. If you’re not familiar with it, go and get the book Traction by Gino Wickham. You can thank me later because if you are a small business owner; you have aspirations, dreams, desires, and a vision to scale and grow. This book is going to show you the missing piece for many people. 

I read the book and it has been game changing learning the different mindsets and mentalities in the book. And I finally pulled the trigger because we are just at that place where we are going places and if we don’t have the right structure and systems in place, we are not going to get there. So, we need our EOS implementer. Going into that day, I was not prepared to be wow’ed. 

I knew that there is a simplicity; certain systems, processes, principles, structures that my company requires. And I knew it wasn;t rocket science. I knew, I knew. BUT the way EOS brings it together and having someone coach you through it… changes the process. I am smoking what I am selling here, I believe in coaching (sorry if you don’t like the expression). SO I got a coach to help implement this in my life. 

One of the simple things he talked about was helpful in  breaking through this ceiling of overwhelm. And that is you have got to learn to delegate. I could give you several tools but this one is just right for helping you locate yourself. This one can help you pinpoint why you are feeling this overwhelm.

First create a graph with four quadrants. They call this exercise, Delegate to Elevate. And this is an EOS tool. So not original to Mark Keene, but this could set you free. 

The top left quadrant are the things you love and that you are great at. The top right is you are good at it and you like it; so you aren’t crazy about it, you don’t love it but you like it. Quadrant three is the bottom left and that is you are good at it but you hate it. And then the last one is the stuff that you are not good at and you do not like. 

Here’s what you do: start the process by writing on a piece of paper what you are responsible for in your business (you can also do this for your personal life and home, but I am focusing specifically on your business). Write everything down that you are responsible for and don’t filter it. What do you need to make sure gets done? 

Next, you will filter everything you wrote into those four quadrants – so what is on the list that you are great at and you love? I’ve talked about this in other blogs; you have got to pay attention to what is easy for you BUT hard for everyone else. Those things are going to go into this category. You are great at it and you love it, can it get any better than that?  

And move onto the second quadrant, you are good at it (not the greatest) and you like it (you don’t love it)… so it isn’t your sweet spot. It doesn’t drain you but it doesn’t fully energize like the first quadrant. 

By the way, everything above the line is going to energize you (these are the things that make you unique 

– these are your unique abilities, your X Factor, your sweet spot). Massive energy in the first quadrant and a little bit in the second. 

The next part is where you really begin to face reality. You know, I say it all the time: the quickest way to change is to face reality. As long as something is denied, it cannot be changed. And this exercise is aimed at helping you face reality, because some of you are overwhelmed and you’re not able to articulate why. When you do this exercise, you are going to be able to articulate what you are good at and what you hate. Like, I can manage books and I am kind of good at it but I really hate it. Or, I can manage my email BUT I despise it. I get kind of grumpy every time I open up my inbox or try to schedule something on my calendar. This is the time to face reality. 

So, what is something you are responsible for but kind of hate? These are the things that can make us feel like the personification of overwhelm. If you are living in this quadrant, then you are living in a state of overwhelm. When you’ve got too many tasks on your list that you are not good at and you don’t like, those are going to drain you like leeches on your soul sucking the life out of you. They suck out the joy, the fulfillment, the satisfaction. 

If you are living below the line in those two quadrants and you don’t do something about it, you are going to die in overwhelm. I’m not a doomsdayer, I’m not a negative person… I am a positive person and I love you, I am trying to help you have the courage to face reality. BECAUSE if you don’t face reality, you’re setting yourself up for more overwhelm, perpetuating the cycle. 

Now once you do this, you are going to realize there are somethings that if you are ever going to elevate your life, YOU NEED TO DELEGATE some of those responsibilities. And hopefully you will be able to get rid of all the tasks that are below the line. 

I’ll share my own version of this story. If I would have done this exercise about five years ago, probably ¾ of the things I was doing on a daily basis would have been below the line. And some of it was because there were things that just had to get done. There were things above the line but I know where I was living.

I now live in the top boxes because I have had to navigate delegating to get stuff off my plate. One of the biggest keys for some of you to be able to do that delegation is you’re going to need to hire an assistant. I hired my first assistant about 3 years ago and made the right hire two years ago. I hired the one that was going to actually stick long term. My life has radically transformed because I got someone around me that I could delegate things to. 

Some of you are going to need to hire an assistant. By the way, there are so many ways to hire an assistant that is accessible and not expensive for where you are at. You can get help easier than you think. 

And some of you are going to have to start saying no to people on your team. When they come to you and say, Hey, I need help with this… or Could you do this? You are going to have to say, No, that’s your job. You’re going to have to say it and they need to hear it. No. Maybe you need to tell yourself, No. Every time they come up and you think, well I can just do it, it will be easier if I do it. Stop. It. Stop trying to control everything. Stop trying to do it all. BECAUSE if you keep doing that, they’re never going to step up. You’ve got to say, I’m not going to do your job for you… and to yourself, Stop trying to do everyone’s work. Stop trying to control it all. 

You’ve got to delegate. Delegate so you can elevate. 

Maybe you are going to delay some of the work because you can’t do it right now. Some things will be delegated and some things need to be destroyed. You can eradicate things off of your list. If it doesn’t need done, but you thought it needed done… that is facing reality. 

Use this exercise to face reality! Take back your power, delegate, destroy, take back your time, so that you can lead at the level you were called to lead with joy. Get into that quadrant of what is great and what you love. I want you to do things that are going to energize you. BUT if you keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, we all know that is the true definition of insanity. 

I know facing reality can suck sometimes. Sorry, but I’m not sorry because facing reality is the first step to changing your life. I hope that you have the courage and the guts to do it for yourself. Delegate to elevate your life, your quality of life, your impact and your influence. I love you guys and I hope this serves you. This is where you need to go out there and give your greatness to the world. And by the way, if you don’t delegate, you are going to hold back. Go and give it away. Have a great week!!