Ep 43 Transcript: Continuous Growth Over New Year Resolutions

This transcript was auto-generated and may contain errors in spelling or inaccuracies in the spoken words.

Hello and welcome to the Real Women Real Business podcast. I am your host, Shauna Lynn Simon, and let me just start by saying Happy New Year. I think that this time of year tends to be a time of reflection. Perhaps you are setting some intentions and goals for the upcoming year, whether personal or professional. So I thought that for this episode, I want to focus on throwing out New Year's resolutions. I'm going to give you some tips for

really entering into the new year strong and powerful and in a way that will allow you to continuously improve and grow throughout the year without the heavy New Year's resolutions. New Year's is definitely a time and an opportunity to reset and create some of those new purposes and intentions. But I don't want to throw out the old ones. You've been doing some great things all year round and I want to continue to improve on those.

So let's first of all start by reflecting on how this past year went for us. What are some things that we're thinking, you know, I could have done a little bit better on that, or I had intended on doing something, but I didn't quite get to it. And what is it that I did that I am super proud of? Like, let's celebrate those wins no matter how big, no matter how small. What did you do this year that made a difference?

in your life, in somebody else's life, what made an impact for you? So when it comes to the New Year's resolutions, these grand resolutions can be just overwhelming. And studies have actually shown that most New Year's resolutions fail within the first three weeks of the new year. And why is that? Well, frankly, it's because we're trying to do too much at once. And so what we want to do instead is focus on building some

continuous habits. Small and consistent actions will lead to a lasting change as opposed to trying to make big dramatic changes instantly as of the new year. So for example, for myself, I've spoken quite openly about how much I love to run. And frankly, I love being quite active. But one thing that I found was that I wasn't getting in the strength training that I wanted to get in. I wasn't feeling as strong as I wanted to feel.

And of course, as a woman of a certain age, muscle is actually more difficult to build. So you do have to work a bit harder at it. So I came up with the idea of I'm going to do more strength training, but here's what ended up happening. I love going for my runs. So on the days that I was not doing a run and just doing strength training instead, those were super challenging for me because what ended up happening was

I would wake up in the morning and I didn't want to do the strength training and don't get me wrong. I actually love my strength training, but it doesn't get me out of bed the same way that my runs would. So I would get up and I would get distracted doing anything but my strength training. So here's how I reframed it. And I will say this is a work in progress. This is a fairly new thing for me, but I was trying to, in order to make room for the strength training, I was limiting the number of runs that I did each week when my body is, is creating these runs. So instead.

I run almost every day of the week, but a part of that is I have to get my strength training in. So depending on what time I run at, I either do a strength training workout before or after, and it's more scheduled, more structured, and I'm getting the trainings in. So this is something that, like I said, it's a work in progress, but I identified what was preventing me from being able to be successful at the habit that I was trying to build.

I regrouped a little bit. So I want you to think about that. What are some habits perhaps that you tried to build this year that didn't quite work out? How can we re-approach that? Or what's another habit maybe that you want to build? A habit that I'm currently building right now as well is meditation. And I'm focusing on just trying to meditate once or twice a week. My goal is to increase that. I'm only meditating for about five to 10 minutes a day. But my goal is to increase that because I do know that the

There's a lot of value in terms of productivity when it comes to meditation, but I'll admit I'm terrible at it. One thing I'm learning, everyone's terrible at it. So that's the other thing when it comes to building a habit is we've got to be okay with not being great at it when we first start and not allowing that to get us frustrated and get us down. So just reminding ourselves of what we're working towards and what we're building and remind ourselves that it takes small incremental changes on a daily basis. So I want you to identify maybe one habit

that you wanna either start or you want to improve on in the coming weeks, such as maybe it's dedicating 15 minutes a day to a daily task, perhaps that self-care, perhaps there's a new skill you wanna learn, maybe you wanna write a book, maybe it's just about spending more time with your family. So start off small with just 15 minutes a day. One of the biggest challenges or one of the things that I've noticed this year is that the biggest challenges that I face tend to lead to the most

growth. I wish it wasn't that way. I wish that we could get our growth and our big lessons through big and amazing things, but the reality is that it's often our personal struggles, our personal challenges that can end up leading us to the greatest growth and the greatest breakthroughs. So here's the great thing about that. When you are in a difficult situation, keep it in the back of your mind that this challenge is going to help to move you forward.

I want to talk about that resilience for a moment because I think resilience is something that most of us have within us already. But you might look at someone else and say, man, they're really resilient. I'm so impressed and in awe of how well they bounce back from things. But what you don't know is what's going on inside. And it might feel like they're doing it easier than you are.

but you're working through these things. That is resilience. It doesn't have to be pretty, but you are working through these things. My father passed away a couple of months ago and there's a lot that he taught me when it comes to resilience. He lived with MS for 30 years. He was in a wheelchair for 21 years. And that was a significant challenge for not only him, but for the rest of the family.

And it's something that, you know, there really isn't a guidebook that says, here's how to navigate this. And even if there was, everyone's journey, of course, is going to be different. But he really taught me that focusing on what you're building, what you're growing, what you can do rather than what you can't do, what is in your control rather than what's not in your control will help you to flex that resilience muscle and help you to move forward.

Focus on, as we come up to this new year, I want you to focus on prioritizing both your personal and your professional relationships. These have a critical.

impact on our lives. And this is one of the greatest lessons that I learned in 2024 is the power of my friends and my family. You know, the last few years, I'll be perfectly honest, have been difficult in a lot of ways. Each fall, I have found myself grieving. And grief is a difficult thing. I think most people have experienced some form of grief in their life. And if you know anything about grief, you know that the only way through it is through it.

And it's something that, you know, I'd love to say that you can just kind of tuck in a corner and compartmentalize, but you do have to embrace all the things that come along with the grief, the good and the bad. And it's certainly a journey. And it's something that I don't think you ever get through it per se, so much as you just learn a different way to live with it. And I'm almost grateful for the experiences that I've had over the last couple of years.

with grief because I don't think anything fully prepares you for the loss of a father, the loss of a parent, the loss of someone that close to you. And at the same time, my experience with grief these last couple of years has helped me to build some tools and keep some tools in my tool belt that are helping me to navigate the immense challenge that this has. One of the things I think, one of the reasons why I want to talk about habits today is sometimes we build habits

without even realizing it, without even being intentional about it. One of my habits was of being a caregiver because of my dad's circumstances. I've been helping my mom with his care for over 20 years. And of course that changed over time. It started off being a little less than what it was in the end. But that care included supporting my mother because she was taking on so much more and has taken on such a different role. And so with my dad gone,

That's a habit that I had that I don't quite know how to break. And it's not that I want to break it, of course, but you know I can't help but think of him and the needs that he has or had on a daily basis and almost forgetting that he's gone. And so one of the things that I'm learning, and this is one of my priorities for 2025, is to learn how to redirect some of that caregiver energy in a way that feels good to me, but also

allows me to care for myself just as much as for others, because that is one of the challenges when it comes to caregiving, is you give so much and you do have to prioritize that self-care. It's a balance that was something that was always on my mind and always something that I was working to build. And so if you are a caregiver listening to this, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm saying and exactly how this relates. And I hope that you are finding the time for yourself as well. I want to share another couple of lessons that I learned from 2024.

And some of this comes from you know, what I experienced with my dad, not just in his passing, but in his life as well. And some of this just comes from business, friendships, and living life. So one of the things I learned in 2024, or one of the lessons I should say that became very evident for me, is about the power of focusing on the good. And I kind of just touched on this just a moment ago when it comes to, when came to my dad and what he was navigating.

You know, instead of focusing on what he had lost, he focused on what he had. He loved getting together with family and friends. And those were things that just sparked so much joy for him that he didn't think about the fact that he couldn't do the things he wanted to do. He couldn't go golfing with them. He couldn't, you know, get on the ground and, and play with the kids. He couldn't do the things that he used to be able to do, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't able to.

have value, provide value, make an impact on others and just be able to enjoy those moments. So I think if we can reframe our challenges as the opportunities to learn and to grow and focus on what they're teaching us. So even when we're going through a difficult time, what is the lesson that I am learning here? How will I apply this going forward? You know, we've all made mistakes over the course of our personal and professional lives. Maybe it was,

a bad investment that you made. Maybe it was a bad hire. Maybe it was in trusting someone that ended up not being as worthy of that trust in the end. Maybe it was simply in under-pricing yourself or not structuring your services to really provide the customer care that you wanted to provide. Maybe it was a matter of a flawed product that you rushed to market. Whatever it is, what is the lesson that you learned from that?

How is that going to help you to grow going forward? What's done is done. And if there are amends to be made, make those amends, but don't stay in that place of I wish I hadn't, I wish they didn't. And especially when it's external forces, you need to release whatever anyone else is doing, whatever anyone else has done to you, you need to release that because you holding on to that only keeps you standing still. And we want you to move forward powerfully this year.

So another lesson from 2024 is to ask for what you want. This is one that I think that women especially struggle with a little bit. We're not comfortable even identifying what it is that we want because we're often so focused on helping others to achieve what they want. And so, you know, be clear, be direct in terms of what your goals and your needs are. Again, this is both personally and professionally. If things aren't going well with your partner,

Express to them what it is that you feel that you need. Don't blame them. This is not what I'm saying. I'm not telling you to say, you don't do this and you don't do that. Simply identify to them, I've realized that something that I need, something that I value is this. And I'm looking to you to help me to fulfill that. Is that something that you think that you can do? When it comes to entrepreneurship,

This means telling your team what you need. If you've got people who are working with you, make sure that they know what you need. Make sure that your clients understand what you expect of them and what you need. Make sure that the people who you're using as your support system, whether it's a business coach, an accountability partner, a support group, make sure that they understand what is it you need. But the first thing to do is you need to identify what it is that you want and what you need, and then you've got to ask for it.

And then the final lesson that I wanted to share here is just in terms of embracing those challenges. And I kind of touched on this already a little bit, but I really want you to, I really want to encourage you to see any challenges that you're facing as a natural part of your process, as a natural part of entrepreneurship. There is no avoiding any difficult struggles or challenges in entrepreneurship. And I think one thing that I have loved about the recent years

in watching influencers especially, but watching some of these strong entrepreneurs that you see out there, listening to the various guests that I've had on this show. I don't have anyone coming onto this show and saying, I've always done everything perfectly. Nothing's ever gone wrong for me. And here's how it all works perfectly. First of all, there's no such thing as perfect. So let's start with that. But the second part of this though, is that every single successful person that you see is taking some sort of risks.

So if you are not failing at things and you are not taking enough risks, and if you want your business to grow, you need to push yourself outside of that comfort zone and challenge yourself because that is where the biggest growth is going to come in. Now, I do understand when it comes to entrepreneurship that it can be lonely and especially, you know, I'm hoping that you're listening to this podcast.

and feeling like we're connected and feeling what everything that I'm saying to you, because you're not alone. You don't have to be alone either. But the reality is that entrepreneurship can be incredibly lonely. We have a lot more resources certainly available to us today than we ever have, but it can be difficult sometimes. You've got your friends circle and they ask you how business is, and you don't want to admit to all the things behind the scenes, right? It's not.

behind the scenes in our businesses is never as pretty as we make it look on the outside. And this goes for pretty much every business. It doesn't mean it's complete mess behind the scenes, but there's always gonna be some things that you're going to be reluctant to share with your personal friends, especially, because you want them to see the good, you want them to be proud of you, you want them to see the highlights of what we've been doing. And at the same time, having someone in your...

who gets a peek behind that curtain, who gets to see all the good that you're doing and really understand just how powerful all that is, but also be able to see some of the mess. know, when people come over for the holidays, you've probably got that room or that closet where you're just shoving things into it and shutting the door and you're hoping nobody peeks inside. But when it comes to entrepreneurship, it's important that we are allowing people to peek inside because they might just find some gems in there.

that you thought it was a complete mess, but they're pulling out some things that really need to see the light of day, that really need to be put on display. And so this is incredibly common to feel lonely in entrepreneurship because you're not sharing the true reality of what all you are navigating on a daily basis. And so this is where the power of connection comes in, that power of community.

Finding a community of like-minded entrepreneurs can really help to transform the journey that you're on. And this can come, of course, in many different forms. Over the years, I have been a part of various networking groups. The challenge I find with networking groups is you're trying to get business from them usually. And of course, you're trying to give them business.

And so to share with them the things that might not be going well for you, you might feel like it's going to paint you in a negative light and it's going to discourage them from sending business your way. So while it's a great community to have, it may not be the support system that you need. While friends and family are always well-meaning, if they're not entrepreneurs themselves, if they're not on a similar journey, it's going to be difficult for them to truly understand just what it feels like and looks like to be in your shoes every day. So this is where a community such as the

Real Women, Real Business Mastery Program that I offer through Shauna Lynn Simon coaching. This is where a community like that will come in. This program has been designed with that community aspect in mind. It provides a supportive environment where the members, where you can grow, you can share, and you can succeed together. We support each other. We celebrate the wins. We help each other navigate difficult situations and scenarios. If it's a matter of, you know,

you've got a new book that you're releasing and you want to get some people to pre-read it and get some reviews for it, yeah, this is a great group for doing that. Maybe you've got a client that you're about to send a proposal out for and you're really second guessing, maybe it's your pricing, maybe it's your package, maybe it's your structure. Maybe you just need a set of eyes on something to make sure that it makes sense. And so someone who's maybe not in your industry or even someone who is in your industry might be able to dissect that and help you with that.

And of course, in this community, I am a part of it as well. And I am sharing in there, not only am I there to support everyone else, but I'm also sharing everything that I'm navigating on a daily basis as well, because we really truly are a community. So The Real Women Real Business Mastery Program, I think would be a great fit for you coming into the new year, if you're looking to build some of those healthy habits, you wanna get really clear on what your vision is. So one things that we work on in the first 30 days is we get clarity on what it is that we're building.

As women, we are often pulled in so many different directions. And I want to help to ensure that you are focusing on the tasks that really demand your attention, that really merit your attention. And that's where spending those first 30 days, we're going to dig deep into what it is that you're building, why you're building it, and what goals we want to set for the upcoming year. And then we're going to put a system in place, a proven framework that's going to help you to work towards those goals in increments as opposed to the

big massive resolutions, we're gonna build some healthy habits and help you to build on those to create the business that you have always wanted. Having that support of like-minded women in the group is just the icing on the cake, of course. So a few just benefits of the program, we're gonna help you to eliminate up to like 80% of the tasks that are gonna be draining your time and your energy. This will free you to focus on the things that really matter.

So that's why those first 30 days are so critical. You'll be amazed at how much clarity you will have after just 30 days. And I want you to be able to achieve more of what you love to do. So what is it that you're working towards? What is it that you're building in your business? Are you the doer? So maybe you're an interior designer, for example, and you just want to be designing more homes and you want the phone to ring more. Maybe you see yourself in more of a leadership role and you want to have the ability to step back from your team and allow them to really shine.

whatever it is that you're working towards, we can help with that. You want to achieve more money, you want more time, and you want more of the things that you love. Maybe those things that you love are more of a personal thing. You want more time to travel. You want more freedom. You want more time with your family. Those are all things that this program can help you to have. And while we're doing all of that, we're going to reignite your passion for your business. Do you remember the excitement that you felt when you first started your business, when you first launched it and everything felt?

new and exciting and even the mundane of registering the business seemed like the super exciting task that we're taking on. And now those mundane tasks just feel like they're a weight that's weighing you down. This program is going to help you to rediscover that spark that you had in the beginning while creating a thriving and balanced business. So if you're feeling overwhelmed, if you're feeling stuck, if you're feeling like you're unsure of the next steps, if you really want to make 2025 your best year yet,

This program has been designed for you. So I'd love for you to come and join us and help you to create the business and the life that you truly want, you truly deserve. So going back to this episode and what we've covered here, we've talked about healthy habits, about embracing growth. I want you to take some time to reflect on some of the lessons that you've learned in 2024 and how you're going to apply them in 2025. And then I want you to set some goals for yourself for 2025. What is it that you would like to achieve?

and what are some of the habits that you can create and you can build on that will help you to get there. One of the great things about the program that we offer is it's a 12 month program and it comes with a whole library of trainings and the idea is that these are all broken down into bite-sized lessons. So if you can build a habit for reviewing these lessons consistently, it doesn't take a lot of time each day and you don't even have to do it every single day. But if you create a bit of a habit, whether you're doing it once a week or a couple of times a week,

to ensure that you are spending that time and building your business and focusing on your business. You're gonna find that you're going to have healthier boundaries. You're going to find that you're going to have more money, more revenue. You're going to have more energy. All the things that you want more of this, this program is gonna help you to do that. So as we move into the new year, just remember that you are not alone in this journey. Together, we can achieve incredible things and...

Even if you decide that The Real Women Real Business Mastery program is not for you, I want you to find your community of like-minded people who can help to support you throughout this year because I promise you that is such a big part of successful businesses is they have those like-minded people in their corner rooting for them and those people that they can also share their expertise with and help them as well. So if you are interested in learning more about the Real Women Real Business Mastery program, let's set up a call. Let's talk.

simply go to aboutshaunalynn.com/Plan. There's a link in the show notes for you, of course, as well, but about shauna lynn. Shauna Lynn spelled S-H-A-U-N-A-L-Y-N-N dot com forward slash plan, P-L-A-N. Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope that you've enjoyed this episode. I hope that you've enjoyed this podcast throughout this year. This was one of the things that was on my to-do list of things that I really wanted to accomplish in 2024. And I am so thrilled

that you have helped me to make it the success that it is. So please don't forget to like our podcast and subscribe to it and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. And if this message is resonating with you, I'd love for you to share it with a fellow female entrepreneur that you know can benefit from all the value and goodness that's in here today. I am wishing you a safe and healthy New Year's Eve and I hope to see you doing amazing things in the coming 2025 year. Until next time.

Keep thriving.