Photo credit: Xingchen Yan
‘Create Balance.’
This was the theme of our creativity and problem solving session this week in my Facebook group.
As you know, Balance is one of my favourite themes, so when I drew that card, the thoughts and ideas were flowing in thick and fast!
I normally tend to write about Balance at the time of the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, as it’s in synch with Mother Nature, thus in line with my method.
But when I read this article in the news a few days ago, I thought it illustrated perfectly the constant deployment of energy and the adjustments that are required to achieve a state of balance.
This story is from the music industry and what this band has experienced is sadly all too common.
Clean Bandit went through the growth pains of fame and reached a level at which the music label they signed with started dictating their path to repeat commercial success.
They were told to move away from pop music and focus on dance music.
They were asked to drop one of the components that is at the core of their identity as a band: the cello.
They followed the advice of their music label, and they ended up creating a flop.
Realising that they were losing their heart and soul, they decided to walk away.
They still faced other obstacles that threatened their integrity, under the false promises from an unscrupulous sponsor of having total creative freedom.
Yet the hardship they endured and signing with another, more supportive music label, got them to turn a corner. They became more independent and resourceful, experimenting with self production and collaborating with artists from South America, Jamaica and Africa.
They know now what they want to focus on and they’re enjoying making music again.
They have found their own balance, by deciding to walk away from what doesn’t ring true to them and do what energises them and what their fans love them for.
Now you can draw very clear parallels with what a business owner - and to a degree with anyone who’s part of a group (all of us that is, apart from hermits) - regularly encounters: on one hand we want to belong and be liked, on the other we want to be ourselves.
On one hand our offer has to be appealing to a certain number of customers in order to be successful, on the other hand it has to be original enough to stand out from the plethora of offers out there.
How do we that?
Firstly, and I’ll say it again, first and foremost, by knowing our true self: what makes ‘us’ us, what drives us to do what we do, what makes our heart sing.
When we reconnect with our authentic self, this happens:
*We’re grounded in our true purpose, the real reason why we’re in business
*We let our natural talents flourish, those abilities and activities that are effortless and enjoyable
*We make decisions that feel right in our bones, no more endless nights of tossing and turning
*We grow in confidence day after day, week after week, month after month
*We foster genuine connections, those that energise and lift us up
*We become more creative and agile, finding more easily solutions to our problems
In a nutshell, we truly find meaning and fulfilment in our daily work.
Then and only then, can we understand who we are best placed to serve and how.
Now that we are able to shine our own light, the people we are meant to serve will naturally gravitate towards us.
It doesn’t mean that we will see money landing in our bank account without us lifting our little finger though, there’s still some work to do at our end.
But we will be more inclined to spend time with our ideal clients, practising active listening, getting to the root of their real problems.
This will put us in a great position, as we will be able to answer their needs, formulating effective and impactful solutions to their problems.
Is this the kind of balance you’d like to create in your business?
Then why don’t you book a zoom call with me so we can get cracking?
A meaningful work leads to a meaningful life, and there’s no place you’d rather be 😊
PS - here’s one of the songs that propelled Clean Bandit to world fame, you may already have guessed which one 😉
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