Katy and I work with a lot of successful Recruitment Business Owners and Directors, and one of the things we notice is that even when they’re achieving great results, they never seem to be able to feel truly happy and enjoy their achievements.
Take Tom and Marcus, for instance.
Tom Hit £900k in His Business but Still Wasn’t Happy
Last year, Tom set himself a target of £1M GP and hit £900k (which was still a significant increase on what he achieved the year before). Tom was disappointed with himself even though he had significantly overachieved. He focused on the GAP. He focussed on the £100K instead of what he had achieved – £900k!
Marcus Achieved his £1M Target Yet It Still Wasn’t Enough
Even though Marcus achieved his £1M target, do you know what he said to himself in reflection?
“Well, we could have done so much more than that if we’d have done X, Y and Z…”
Neither Tom nor Marcus were happy about their achievements. Rather than celebrating their business growth and success, they were focusing and living in the GAP; and that is not a helpful or healthy place to be.
Re-Flect, Re-Set and Re-New Vs Living In THE GAP
Download your 2020 Business Planning Worksheet for Recruiters.
What’s the GAP and Why Driven Business Owners Need to Know About It?
Driven people are always trying to get better at what they do.
But, the problem with this is because they’re always focused on driving towards the future, they never stop to enjoy the journey and still feel like they’ve never quite achieved, they’re never quite there, and generally feel unsatisfied.
There’s a great book called “Learning How to Avoid the Gap” by Dan Sullivan, who owns and operates a great business named Strategic Coach that helps entrepreneurs.
What Dan Sullivan says in his book is that you can’t have the horizon. The horizon is the place where the land and the sky connect. It’s that vision of the future that we as business owners have, that we are continually driving towards.
The problem is that the horizon is a mental construct; it’s not real….
It’s a bit like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – you can’t ever reach it, because it doesn’t exist.
The frustrating thing for a recruitment business owner or anyone that has any drive is that we’re always looking towards this ideal that exists a way out in the future – and as soon as we appear to be reaching it, it moves ahead of us again.
So, we’re left feeling that we haven’t entirely made it, and for those of you that have experienced this, you know it can leave you feeling unfulfilled – never quite good enough and de-motivated.
Re-Flect, Re-Set and Re-New Vs Living In THE GAP
Download your 2020 Business Planning Worksheet for Recruiters.
How to Get Happy in Your Business by Living in the NOW
It’s quite simple. It’s just a matter of stepping back and recognising where you were and where you are now in relationship to the horizon.
When we look at where we were and where we are now, we can enjoy that we’ve made progress, and celebrate how far we have come. Properly enjoy the journey!
Every year Katy and I close the year by answering a set of questions that reflect on our past year – both personally and professionally. This gives us valuable insights and learnings from our experiences. Our emotional, professional and personal reflections help us to step more confidently into the new year with renewed energy and focus.
Taking time to properly reflect on what’s worked and also what hasn’t worked allows you to release any frustration, overwhelm or sadness and offers you the opportunity to make a change, to re-orient yourself and to conjure a new aspect of yourself and your life into being.
Re-Flect, Re-Set and Re-New Vs Living In THE GAP
Download your 2020 Business Planning Worksheet for Recruiters.
Questions to Help You Reflect, Reset, Renew
Katy and I have created a workbook with the exact questions we use. In addition to the questions, we have included reflection prompts and a template for you to create your vision for 2020.
We have used these very same exercises for several years now, and it is always interesting to read over what we struggled with three years ago, but don’t anymore. As well as to get clarity on what I want to create in the coming year.
This Reflect, Refresh and Refocus Workbook is our gift to you. Download it here. Then take some quiet, reflective time out to spend deep in thought as you answer the questions.
I hope you find this tool helpful. Download your copy here.
