Your Recipe for Entrepreneurial Success: Action + Accountability

Tell me if this sounds familiar: An idea sparks in your mind, your passion ignites, and you spend hours, weeks, even months planning how you’ll transform it into a reality. But when the time comes to take the big leap, you falter. Mired in details and fearing failure, you head back to the drawing board and re-immerse yourself in dreaming and planning.

No? How about this: “Action” is your middle name, which means you’re constantly scrambling to keep up with your mile-long to-do list. As you buzz from client to client, meeting to meeting, you realize you should dedicate some time to working on your larger goals and planning for the future of your business … but your calendar beckons, and off you run.

These two cycles are simultaneously the same and polar opposites. Endless Planner is avoiding action and Overwhelmed Do-er is immersed in action … but both are engaging in cycles that subtly sabotage their endeavors. Both need goal clarification and goal support, and both could use some help moving themselves toward goal achievement.

If these Endless Planner and Overwhelmed Do-er are ever going to move beyond their self-erected roadblocks, they’ve gotta embrace two of the biggest growth-drivers in business: Action and accountability. Think you might need a little of both in your own work life? Let’s talk about how to get there.

Intentional Action Centers Us

Now, before we discuss the rewards of bold, decisive action, let’s take a knee to talk intention. Because plunging into doing without first contemplating can lead to 15 kinds of disaster. Intention before action keeps us centered in the Why, the huge, soul-centric reasons we do what we do as entrepreneurs. When we tap into the power of that mission-driven motivation, it keeps us on track when we face challenges or consider giving up. It also keeps us from acting for the sake of acting without considering how our choices might impact larger goals.

So yes, I’m urging you toward action. But with a gentle reminder that intention is an essential warm-up activity before a marathon of momentous activity.

Action itself? SO essential for entrepreneurs, especially women in business. It can be tempting to stall out in that place of intention—just keep planning endlessly and dreaming wistfully—but forging ahead is vital. Intention should become the sword of discernment that slices through ineffective or unproductive action, and separates it out from truly potent and progressive action. Moving from thinking to doing can seem like taking a flying leap, and that can be scary. Force it to feel more like a step than a leap by ramping up, tackling small bite-sized tasks first before throwing yourself into the massive ones, and the process will be less daunting.

And if you get sucked into the doubts, the fears, the procrastination, and the overwhelm, you must find a way to get support. Promise me you will, OK? (And if you’re not sure how, stick with me and I’ll tell you!)

Now let’s talk accountability.

Mindful Accountability Keeps Us On Track

We healers, helpers, and heart-centered entrepreneurs are a contradictory bunch. We often get so focused on healing and helping as many people as possible, that we burn ourselves out, drown in overwhelm, and avoid taking essential steps to grow our business footprints. We heal and help until we’ve got nothing left to give. And then we collapse into groaning heaps and wonder what the hell went wrong.

Lack of accountability is what went wrong. And I don’t mean accountability to clients or team members. I mean accountability to ourselves and to our businesses.

Putting the needs of others first in all cases, avoiding achievement because of fear of success, subtle self-sabotage, endless procrastination, weak or poor boundaries, and shiny-object syndrome all screw us over in the end. Because in the end, we’re tapped out and useless. And again, this is especially true for women entrepreneurs since we’re culturally conditioned to see ourselves as givers and caretakers, and fall so easily into the trap of zero accountability.

Accountability keeps us on track, hyper-focused on the goals and actions that will catalyze business success. Accountability protects us from burnout and over-extension. Accountability helps us build healthy, thriving, efficient business models that are truly sustainable.

So think long and hard about what is truly necessary to keep your practice going. Can you cut two tasks from each day? Add a chunk of time each week for outreach, marketing, and brainstorming? What do YOU need to do to change your tendency toward endless, draining activity?

You are NOT alone

I bet all of this sounds totally possible and completely fabulous … in theory. But putting it into practice might feel more challenging. So here’s your friendly nudge toward the Kula, a phenomenally friendly Facebook group where community support is the name of the game! Embracing action and establishing accountability can be a million times easier when tackled with open, supportive, knowledgeable colleagues.

Won’t you join us? We can help you get “straight A’s” in business without pulling ANY all-nighters. Scout’s honor.

Join us!

Accountability sells.

The power of accountability is undeniable.  Psychologists use it. Universities use it. Large organizations use it.

So now the real question is, are you using accountability to grow your business?

As far as I see it, there are two types of accountability—personal accountability and peer accountability. When you're a consciousprenurial spirit like yourself, you need both.

Personality accountability is your own sense of responsibility.

Successful entrepreneurs don't just own a business, they actually Own It. The success of your business doesn't depend on the wholesale supplier, the summertime slump or the new-years-resolution crowd.

The success of your business depends on your strategy and your actions.

If you truly believe this deep down in your core, you already have a strong foundation for your business success.

But don't get too excited, there's more.

Peer accountability is where things get challenging. As entrepreneurs, we are so guilty of creating this little bubble for ourselves. I myself am guilty of not seeing daylight for days on end. Projects, launches, client calls...who has time for a community?

@@Truth is, your business can't succeed without community. @kellie_adkins  #consciousbusiness @@

Community promotes growth by holding you accountable. If you've read a single book or article on goal setting, you've read about the power of writing things down. There are entire books dedicated to preaching the gospel of putting your goals in ink as a path to achieving them.

But a list of goals in your diary pales in comparison to telling your kula that you're going to launch your next program by January 20th, 2015.

I am all for stress reduction in life–I am, after all, a yoga therapist. But, we get by with a little pressure from our friends. (That is how that one goes, right?)

I've been an entrepreneur for over a decade. I have read every goal-setting book out there. I have prayed and meditated on business success.

I've written more Dear Diary letters about my business dreams than I care to admit. But nothing is as powerful as telling a group of like-minded people what you want to accomplish.

Well, that may not be entirely true.

The only thing more powerful than telling them, is them being there to support you, share their knowledge and check in with you regularly.

But it's not easy to find these people.

It's challenging enough to make regular friends once you graduate from college. (Why do you think I went back to college? Ok, that's maybe only part of the reason.) But finding friends who have chosen the uncharted path of consciouspreneurship? It can feel impossible.

It's taken me most of my career to create a network of women who are determined to be wildly successful at doing amazing work in the world.

But I found them.

And now I'm inviting you all together so that we can hold each other accountable. But I couldn't stop there. (I mean, have you ever known me to be the type to invite you over just for appetizers? I think not!)

I want to support all of you— I want to give you all of the resources that I've spent time creating over the last several years. And I want to give you information on the topics that are of most importance to you—the topics that are going to help you get shit done.

So what exactly am I calling this secret society of conscious entrepreneurs committed to whole health, mindful wealth + balanced business?

Conscious Entrepreneurs (kula).

If you're ready for the accountability necessary to grow your business mindfully, just click on over here.

Kick the Productivity Addiction to Prevent Burnout

Productivity has an essential place in the world.

But in a culture as obsessed with check-offables and massive To-Do lists, productivity is becoming (dare I say) an addiction.

Letting go of the habit of overachieving is (still) my biggest personal and professional challenge. For many years, I wore the cloak of my industrious super power like a mantel of personal protection. Instead of questioning the need to keep going, to work harder, to be the best, I kept going, I worked harder, I pushed myself to be the best. I never stopped long enough to question for whom I was producing, or why I was achieving, or what happened after I achieved it. I became my own worst enemy —and my own nightmarish boss. I have pushed myself to exhaustion, overwhelm and physical breakdown more than once. Chronic conditions — health issues that have plagued me from childhood —crop up when I push past my energy limits. The body always knows when to say no.

Can you relate?

Recovering from burnout is one thing —preventing burnout is another story entirely.

I believe life gives us the lessons we need to learn in order to grow. To prevent burnout, I needed to learn the lesson of efficiency and ease: and to learn that lesson, I had to let go of my productivity addiction.

I had the opportunity to let go of my obsession to productivity when I recently lost a principal member of my team. I took a hard look at the responsibilities now resting squarely in my lap (again). After a year of delegating, streamlining and strategizing in my business(es), I felt like I was back to square one. In reality, the situation wasn’t nearly that dramatic. I was able to outsource some tasks and fit others into my weekly schedule with ease. I did have to revisit my annual intentions, now absent a significant support source.

Two significant revelations came during this process, however: first, many of the things I’d been doing (or outsourcing) no longer served my business but I was sticking with them out of my own un-investigated expectations of “good business.” Next, I was holding on to a belief that my productivity defined my worth.

I re-evaluated my responsibilities then I let some things go (my desire to be part of the conversation on every social platform), pared back on others (newsletter mailings are now less frequent) and streamlined others (chunked writing tasks into one day and changed blog schedule).

Quitting the productivity addiction looked a lot like pausing to retire or revision certain elements of my business in service to continued growth.

So far, so good. The growth process unfolds over time and you may have noticed some of those internal shifts over the last couple months. You will continue to observe blossoming as the transformation unfolds, but it’s my hope that you’ll still be around for the Big Reveal.

In the meantime and as always, I’m committed to elevating, empowering, educating women in bringing more flourishing to business and life. 

Beginning with these powerful questions for times of transition of your own: whether you're quitting the productivity addiction, recovering from burnout or tackling overwhelm through strategic focus.

Answer these for more alignment and ease in business and in life:

:: Is your business reflecting your soul’s work?

My soul’s work is to use my life as a light for others: bringing order and harmony into daily living, seeing the magical in the mundane, and empowering other women to find that for themselves. Everything that didn’t fit that vision in my own business got sliced.

What is your unique work in the world? Once you find that, everything that can go, does go. If you're still working another job, or building your business on the side, remain hyper-focused on the actions to truly leverage your success. No chasing butterflies —unless you’re also a lepidopterist…in which case, happy chasing! :)

:: What do you want your soul’s work to represent in the world?

I wanted more richness, radiance, and depth in my work with women; more insight and inspiration in my work.

Do you want your work to represent something larger than you? Your work is meaningful —and the world needs it! Identify the shifts —internal and external—that need to accompany growth and long-term expansion. Maybe you need to strengthen your focus in service to long-term success. Perhaps you need an outside eye on your business (and big business vision) and some insight on next steps. Be honest about your needs and find the support necessary to catapult you to the next level.

:: What do you want less of (in life and business)?

This list should come easily!  

:: What do you want more of (in life and business)?

No censoring. Name it to claim it.

:: What elements of business (or life) need to shift for you to do more of your soul’s work?

Here's when the magical meets the practical. Be realistic and radiant.

:: What are you afraid of?

Fear factor dump list. Write them all down. Every fear. Worst-case scenario bonanza.

:: What are you really afraid of?

Deep down, as you wrote that list, you discovered THIS ….This is the root reason behind the above fear(s). Dig deep.

:: What is the antidote to that specific fear?

Is it …courage? connection? self-love? acknowledging your own wisdom?

How will you need to believe or behave differently to challenge this fear?

Sometimes, you need to change how you are approaching an aspect of your business: social media, for example. Social media represented a huge challenge for me because it felt misaligned with my yoga ethics; however, when I emphasized a sacred approach to social media emphasizing connection, empowerment and education, I was able to take my marketing (and my business growth) to the next level. Also: engaging on social media became easier and more enjoyable. Sweet bonus!

Need more? Head over to the Kula to get your daily dose of support.

xo,