While those around us are indulging in holiday-season nostalgia, we heart-centered entrepreneurs tend to look forward instead of back. And while I encourage all business owners to make the most of the current year before it ends, I also know that we’re neck-deep in prime planning time.

I launched my business as holistic business mentor to make waves. I wanted to empower my clients to empower their clients to live happier, healthier lives using the principles of conscious lifestyle. And I’ve dedicated the last 10 years of my life to that mission. I believe in change. I believe in the power of a tribe, a dedicated and motivated group of people on a shared mission to transform the world in actionable, concrete, lasting ways.

We holistic entrepreneurs and small business owners know that the winter holiday season can be rough. Hectic. Overwhelming and incredibly hard to manage. It’s meant to be a time of celebration and relaxation, but many of us opt for worry and stress instead. We get anxious over year-end numbers, scramble to throw together customer appreciation events, pressure ourselves to add new offerings, and gradually pile more items onto our already-full plates until we’re ready to keel over.

Have you started changing your “what ifs” to “what thens” yet? I know it might sound like a laughably miniscule shift, but take it from me: changing your internal monologue can totally transform your mindset. Even though we take them for granted almost every day, words are powerful. Language is life-changing. Just ask Susan B. Anthony or Martin Luther King, Brene Brown or Malala Yousafzai. The right words can change the world for the better. And that includes the inner world of your personal aspirations and ambitions.

So, we've talked about how "doing it all" is overrated. And it absolutely is! Focusing your efforts on strategic, key tasks is the only way to fly.

Buuuuuut ... let's take a moment to acknowledge that honing in on those key tasks and letting go of schedule-clogging, energy-sapping activities can be daunting. After all, some of those schedule-clogging, energy-sapping activities are the ones you could do in your sleep, and others yield instant positive feedback. Work like this sometimes FEELS more productive than big-picture work because it's done in the moment and we see results in the moment.