Episode 74: Are you willing to get uncomfortable?

00:51 Welcome to Unfrazzle, a podcast for solo business owners with a big vision who are ready for a kinder more sustainable approach to productivity. I'm Louise Miller and each week i share bite-sized insights to help you step away from the hustle stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world Before we dive into today's episode, if you enjoy what I'm sharing here on Unfrazzle and you'd like to support the podcast. You can buy me a cuppa by going to BuyMeACoffee.com slash Louise Miller and making a one-off donation. I'll pop a link to that in the show notes. Okay grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started! One thing i know about myself is that I like time to think and whilst many of my business pals thrive on the unexpected and do their very best work in response to whatever arises in the moment

01:41 I prefer space to mull things over, to process and problem solve and form ideas slowly and thoughtfully. So imagine how I felt when in the middle of a podcast interview the host asked me a question that I wasn't expecting – a question that had never been asked before hadn't even really thought about before and wasn't entirely sure how to answer? I'm going to level with you here…I panicked! But guess what? I was able to answer her question perfectly well. And of course, naturally a few hours later i thought of all the things I could have said but that doesn't mean that what I did say was a load of old rubbish and yes I didn't have time to think but I also didn't fall to pieces and turn into an incoherent wreck! That experience got me thinking because I talk all the time about working with your own natural preferences and your own tendencies as you build your business and design your days

02:34 Getting curious about what does and doesn't work for you is so important if you want to experience more ease and more flow. But if you want to grow and evolve, you also need to be willing to stretch yourself from time-to-time. And every time I sit down with another human to record a podcast, I risk being put on the spot which goes against my natural preference for thinking time but i do it anyway because I love talking about sustainable productivity and I know that is important to the growth of my business. The more I do it, the more I trust myself to cope when someone throws me a curveball So to put it plainly, if I allowed my preference – I prefer time to think – to turn into a limitation – I can't function unless I have time to think. I'd be closing the door on all sorts of amazing experiences and opportunities! I often see this show up in those who have a really strong preference for freedom in their business and who struggle to focus because they've turned that love of freedom into a limitation that tells them that structure is bad

03:32 I've lost count of how many people reach out to me having realised that there's actually freedom in structure after all. And, of course, i'm not suggesting that you forget everything you know about yourself and run full steam ahead into excruciating discomfort. Never say never but right now it is extremely unlikely that I would ever throw my hat in the ring to be part of a panel discussion in front of a live audience where I'd have absolutely no clue what might happen and would need to think quickly on my feet And if you relate to my clients who highly value their freedom, then structuring every minute of every day is probably not a good idea for you. Instead it's about looking for just enough of a stretch that won't send you into panic mode but that will allow you to grow

04:15 So if you told me when I started my business that eventually, I would have my own podcast. I'd have laughed at you because the idea of speaking terrified me but instead of allowing that to limit me i stayed open to taking the tiny steps that eventually got me here so is any of this resonating for you? Where might you be holding yourself back by holding on too tightly to a story you've been telling yourself about what is and what isn't possible for you and are you ready to see what happens when you loosen your grip a little You're capable of more than you know, so what small action can you take this week to stretch yourself? So as always I hope that this helps and i look forward to seeing you again soon.

04:55 Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who needs a dose of calm productivity in their life and I'd love it if you could leave me a rating and review as that will help more people discover this podcast. If you would like to hear more from me to help stop faffing and take back control of your time, you'll find the link to join my mailing list in the show notes and I would really love for you to join us! So thanks so much for your support and I look forward to seeing you next time