I am Still Learning

 I am a Business Coach/Consultant (www.reneestribbell.ca), a Broker/Owner and I host an Elite Membership for Mortgage Brokers (www.limitlessbroker.com). I am also the creator of the Successful Broker CRM (a custom client journey). I am a mom to a very busy sports kid and a wife to the most amazing man.

I work 9-5pm, Monday to Friday, and very rarely look at work outside of those hours. If I do it is more to create than to work. I absolutely love what I do and I love who I am.

I am not telling you this to brag even though it totally sounds like it. This was the first time I actually typed that list out and it shocked me. I'm actually taking a minute right now to take it all in…….

Now, the reason that I am sharing this with you is to share some of the things that I have learned over the years-because getting to this point wasn't always pretty. Burnout, health issues, marriage breakdown, feeling like a failure as a parent, wife and entrepreneur. I could go on.

Here are some of things that I have learned over the years that I thought I would share with you:

1. Detach yourself from the success or failure of your business. Your self worth is not tied to this and if you do not detach it, it will break you. It will also lead you to make emotional decisions instead of business decisions. Which leads me to my second tip….
2. View your business as a business. Even if you are a solopreneur, you still need to run your business like a business. What does that mean? Having a plan with key measures. When things go wrong evaluate, correct and move on. Know your business values and work within them. Do not compromise these-ever. You will regret it.
3. Always take care of yourself first. If you do not, your body and mind will do it for you and it can be a devastating, life changing blow. It will force you to stop and re-evaluate, and begin to take care of yourself. You can avoid all of this if you prioritize self care now.
4. The word “Hustle” has become a bad word. It is usually combined with “Sacrifice”. In my mind that is bullshit. You know why? Because when we sacrifice it is usually the following: Our family, our relationships, our health, our time and our values. To Hustle means “to hurriedly push it along”. It does not mean to die trying to do it. Here is what it means to me to “Hustle”: "To work effectively and efficiently towards a my goals with a clearly defined plan of action." I can tell you with my whole heart that giving everything I had to my business while sacrificing all that really mattered was not worth it in any way.
5. And finally, my favorite word…..Boundaries. I like to think of them as goal posts. What are your goal posts? Boundaries are limits that you place on what you are willing to do. It's not a hard line in the sand but it should be your guide on whether you say Yes, No or Negotiate. If you say No, how the person reacts tells you more about them than you (thank-you Shonda Rhymes). Simon Sinek explains boundaries swimmingly here

The moment you shift your mindset into one of a Business Owner as opposed to a commission salesperson is the moment you change everything. Your business is built on you injecting your ideas, your personality and your flare into it. That is what will make it unique and successful. However your business is not your identity. 

I probably have hundreds of tips that I could share but I figured I would start with 5! If you like these tips let me know. If you disagree let me know too! I am always open for a healthy discussion!

Have the best week!