An Antidote for Self-Employed August Panic

roller-coasterAugust is a strange month for the self-employed. In July you can still say you’re only half-way through the year, but by August you begin to feel the year ebbing away already.

There are goals you had hoped to be much further toward. Plus, it’s holiday time for many people, and so depending on your industry, clients can be a little thinner on the ground than usual.

Maybe “panic” is too strong a word- that probably won’t set in until October or November when you realize the year really is drawing to a close. But some anxiety, some hint of unsettledness… wow, are things ever going to change?

In our culture we are so addicted to breakthroughs and quantum leaps. Progress needs to be measured with a meter stick, anything less we tend to ignore.

Speed has a certain allure. With the windows down and The Clash (requested by my 4 1/2 year old son- raising ’em right!) blaring from the speakers, the wind in your hair is exhilarating. For awhile.

Then the noise of the road gets to you. You wonder, do I really need to travel this fast? What is an organic rate of growth?

Our tomato plants have grown tremendously huge, large numbers of tomatoes all over them… all of them green. Not one red or yellow ripe tomato yet. Still waiting. It’s been months.

I’ve been working with a client for over a year. Given where he started you’d think results would have happened a lot faster for him.

Yet the work we did at first was the same work I did in the garden early this spring. I double dug garden beds, loaded in lots of compost. Planted small plants with lots of room.

He had had an exhausting experience with a high-octane coaching program. It took time to recover. It took time to regain his sense of himself. It took time to bring healing to his business.

Wisely he chose, and I supported him, to move slowly, to not push, to not go into exhaustion. Slowly, being compassionate with his tender heart he took steps into strength and clarity.

Now things are moving more quickly. Now results are happening. But the preparation took time.

In Sufism it is said that sincerity is the most necessary quality for the seeker. It is a precious gift of the heart that allows you to seek only the truth, to cut through story, drama, fears. It is sincerity, not cleverness, that will ultimately bring us to our most yearned-for destinations.

It’s never too late to slow down. It’s never too late to rest. It’s never too late to let your heart turn away from the noise of the road and toward the tender garden of your soul.

I invite you to allow the sincerity of your love and desire to serve to slow you down, even bring you to a full stop, so that you can take careful stock this month.

You may not have seen the results you had hoped to yet this year. Question: Are you trying to move quickly and ending up paralyzed or with scorched earth syndrome in your soul? Or…

Are you slowly, gently, step-by-step putting the pieces in place, double-digging your beds, gaining clarity on what you really need to do?

Take a moment now to stop. Just stop. Put it all down. Breathe in. Let go of the road you’re on. Ask: what does your heart say about this year?

There are so many messages to move quickly. But what is your organic pace? We often have to slow down to find it, to connect to our own hearts again. Then we can move from the deep sincerity we find there..

With love and appreciation,

Mark

p.s. Need an gardener at your side?

For the right person at the right time, individual hands-on coaching help is what will develop your business with grace and love. Someone you meet with regularly, who gets to know you and your business, and helps you develop it into something that both feels like you and supports you financially.

We love to help our clients make money, and to do it with integrity and heart.

If you are having the thought, “I could use some help here,” why don’t you talk to Jason or Yollana? You will explore where you are and where you can go, and get an honest evaluation of what would it would take to get you there.

To schedule a conversation, check out our Organic Business Development Program.

Spread the love
Did you find that helpful?

Let us help your business fly!

Let us help your business fly!

Subscribe so we can get you more help every week, plus youโ€™ll hear about
upcoming programs in case youโ€™re interested.

12 Responses

  1. Wow Mark, this hit the nail on the head today. I’ve been running like a rabbit recently with little sleep or rest and realized a few days ago that my burnout is not helping anyone. Thank you for reminding me that nourishment is the best way to move forward.

  2. your post brought back a memory from some years back. I was working as a massage therapist then. full tilt. then late july/early august, things would grow quieter. and i’d be staring at the phone (yes, we had phones back then, that plugged into walls w. answering machines hooked to them) wondering what the heck was going on. then it slowly dawned on me: if my clients were away, I could go away too! so I closed up shop and took what turned out to be some of the finest retreats each summer for a number of years. a great gift. also share a wonderful read about all this: “hare brain/tortoise mind”. and a final parting thought: through Remembrance I’ve learned to make the journey of life at the speed of guidance. and I’ve gotten good at creating multiple income streams so that i’m never dependent upon just one thing.

  3. As usual, Mark, you have your finger on our pulse. I have listened to my need for rest and am taking 2 weeks off. But this article has soothed the noise in my head full of worries that the clients queries have quieted down. Thank you for speaking to the natural ebb and flow of the cycles of a year and a business. Thank you for your soft murmerings that quiet our collective minds and soothes our collective souls!

    Jasmine

  4. Mark,

    This article deeply nourished my heart and was just what I needed to read this afternoon. I feel grateful to have you as a business mentor.

    When I sat with your question, what arose for me is how much I’ve defined my success this year based on numbers/sales. In 2012, I saw tremendous growth in my work. This year that growth leveled off and even declined at times.

    I felt discouraged and frustrated, because I wanted to keep growing – of course. It’s a fun place to be! But something deeper was going on, and your question helped me find clarity.

    This year has been a time of healing and unraveling in my life – a season of winter/fall (things falling away, old patterns dying) – and a necessary time in the darkness. My heart needed this healing, and yet that healing hasn’t translated into a lot of momentum or sales in my business – yet.

    In my focus on results, I stopped trusting my path and my healing itself. I was wanting to rush the process and jump right into fall – the harvest – without going through the cycles of winter, spring and summer.

    Your article helped me soften my anxiety, and recognize that I can’t rush the process. (Actually I can, but it hurts me.) My new growth is tender, holy, like a young plant with just a few leaves. It needs shelter and tenderness – support to unfold. It needs time – which I think of as a form of mercy. Not a whip (or a bag of toxic fertilizer!)

    Thank you for helping me regain my trust that I’m right where I need to be, and to trust the seasons and my own unfolding.

    In gratitude, Karly

    You reminded me that the inner work of healing is

    1. I’m so glad to hear this, Karly. We’re all so tender, and life is so interesting, isn’t it? Bright blessings on your path! May the way continue to open gracefully.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *