In the short span of a week, I had two reminders of the powerful dynamic of paying attention to where your head goes and eyes look. Your head and eyes determine where you will go, how well aligned you’ll be, and whether you’ll fall flat on your face (or not).
That can be a pretty important insight for your business, right?
The first time I was reminded of this I was in yoga class. As we were in a flowing sequence the invitation to look forward and out (vs down) even while lowering to the floor was an interesting one. After all, usually I look where I want to go and if the floor is where I want to go, that would be looking downward. And yet – if you cast your neck and gaze ever so slightly out and forward you not only get where you want to go, you do it oh so much more gracefully and aligned. I might also add with less effort (of the crunched up kind) as well.
As we humans are apt to do I left class and promptly forgot all about it until I went to my physical therapy appointment.
While deconstructing my squats and lunges with a fine tooth comb, the PT assistant suggested I keep my shoulders back and head looking up and out a bit more. Sound familiar? I did what he said and once again it made all the difference – stronger, more aligned, less struggle.
This got me thinking once again about how these simple principles can be applied both practically and metaphorically every day in our businesses for better results.
Here are a few suggestions I know work. Try them on for size.
Stand Taller
Physical posture matters even if you’re working from home and in hermit mode. Standing (or sitting) taller and looking out and slightly up will transform your confidence and boost your mindset. You don’t have to be stiff, forced, or fake about it. Just be proudly you and own the fact that you have knowledge and expertise worth sharing. (Side benefit – it’ll help your physical well being too.)
[clickToTweet tweet=”Don’t be stiff, forced, or fake. Just be proudly YOU & own the fact you have expertise worth sharing. ” quote=”Don’t be stiff, forced, or fake. Just be proudly YOU & own the fact you have expertise worth sharing. “]
Focus on Where You Want to Go
During the day to day and especially when business is decidedly not fun, it can be easy to lose sight of where you actually want to go. Metaphorically you are in heads down mode seeing only what is right at your feet. Maybe you’re feeling so down that you have adopted an Eeyore posture or have succumbed to just holding your head in your hands (it’s on, its part of the entrepreneurial roller coaster). The problem with this is if you go where your head goes, your future is going to be stuck right where you are standing at this very moment. The antidote is to look out and up, even if it is only energetically at any given moment. Keep the desired path in mind and keep walking forward.
Take Time to Deconstruct and Re-Align
We all get into habits with the things we do regularly. Habits are powerful but if you don’t take a moment to assess and re-adjust from time to time you may just reinforce something you really don’t want. I do yoga and squats regularly but it was not until these moments when I was forced to stop and get expert advice that a shift happened. Without that impetus I would have gladly kept looking down, struggling more than I needed to, and ultimately doing more harm than good. In your business you need to take conscious pauses to deconstruct your strategy, habits, and numbers so you can adjust, align, and continue.
This sort of teaching is subtle. It is about refining what you’re already doing, not recreating from scratch. I find most people miss it entirely in the busy schedules we lead. That is why it is so very important. Small shifts lead to big results. It’s not always about massive action.
If you’re ready to create big gains from small steps and take some of the struggle out of the journey, contact me. Clients tell me all the time that my insights open new doors and income for them all the time.