Feeling crazy on an ordinary day? How to get out of overwhelm and stay on track as your own boss

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I have a vivid memory of feeling frustrated in the employment world. It drove me crazy when it seemed there were no consequences for people not keeping their commitments, offloading work to others, and scattering when “it” hit the fan.

Being a very strategic person, I could never understand why my higher ups appeared to be willing to get caught up in fighting fires instead of preventing them.

One day, my supervisor saw this was causing me stress and pulled me aside and gave me a piece of advice. He said “Sherri, you can’t care more than the boss cares”.

That was over 15 years ago but his words have stuck. I knew he was just following the chain of command, and even though it bothered him too, he’d learned there was no point in trying to swim against the current. Instead of feeling frustrated, he resigned himself to play it safe and forego the headache.

That was one of many moments when I knew I just didn’t think like everyone else. I could not play it safe or turn the other cheek.

Fast forward to today, I am the boss, and I can set my standards just as high as I want. But dreaming of being the boss, and becoming one are two different things. I have had to learn to make decisions carefully and to care deeply but not lose objectivity in my business.

Participating in mastermind groups, working with coaches of different sorts and taking the time to reflect on what I want and where I am going have all been critical to keeping me on track.

Here are some tips for your peace of mind:

Bring your vision to life – there are two components to this – taking the time to define the vision and mission of your company, and bringing it to life. Take a look at the way you operate and communicate with clients and make sure that your actions are in sync with your vision.

Hold yourself accountable – this is really hard to do when you are the boss, but you need to set goals and performance standards for yourself, and monitor them. The key here is being realistic in raising the bar high enough to stretch you, but not so high as to be completely unrealistic. One trick that has worked for me is to set 90-day goals and to divide the steps I need to take into smaller weekly actions. The upfront planning takes a bit of time but keeps me focused and assured on a weekly basis.

Recognize your chinks – the biggest obstacle most of us face is our own mind. We all have issues of some kind, that’s a given. Don’t measure yourself against others. Just be honest about your own weaknesses. Tune in to them but don’t let them rule you. And if it’s skills you need, that’s easy, either learn them, or hire someone to do them for you.

Build carefully – wouldn’t you rather be a rainmaker than a firestarter? So many times we rush around and create disaster. If you’ve set realistic goals, and you stick to them, stay on the course and don’t second guess yourself. Make decisions based on your vision and what fits you. A big mistake many driven, corporate fugitives make is to chase every bright shiny object. This just doesn’t work in the long term. To make the rain fall, you need to create the right conditions.

Filter information – the biggest complaint I hear from other corporate fugitives in that they are totally overwhelmed at the need to keep up.  All the material in the world is no good to you unless you can do something with it. Focus on what you need to get done, weekly, monthly, and only actively focus your attention on that.

Stop comparing yourself to everyone else – one of the worst things you can do is try to keep up with what you think your standard should be, based on everyone else! This is especially true for the solo business owner following others on the internet. You will be quickly discouraged, if you are looking at the “overnight” successes out there.

I hope these strategies will help you stop the insanity!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:  Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success System^TM for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and  unlock their business potential for greater  personal freedom and prosperity. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful entrepreneurial adventure. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for free tips on how to unlock the business in you.