In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey cites habit seven as “Sharpen the Saw.” The world is rapidly progressing and our businesses are expected to keep up, whether we like it or not. With so much daily information to process and critical decisions to make, it’s easy to end each day feeling burned out and depleted.
Success in the decade ahead requires alignment of our brainpower and willpower. Sharpening your saw makes 
this possible as it includes physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. You can’t be productive if you’re constantly tired. And productivity is essential to having the concentration and clarity needed to accomplish your goals.
Here’s a fun fact – did you know January is named after the ancient Greek god, Janus? He’s depicted as having two heads – one facing the past and the other facing forward. Reflecting on the past helps us identify historical patterns and trends, but harping on negative experiences can only weigh us down and rob us of the opportunity to show up in life and business whole.
Free Meditation Tools
One thing I’ve learned after interviewing over 70 guests on my Business Infrastructure podcast is the importance of meditation. If there are some negative experiences (and people) that you need to let go in order to grow, then you may find the following resources helpful. They were recommended by Silke Glaab (Psychologist & Executive Coach), Marco Champion (Influencer Consultant), and Chitra Lele (Software Consultant)– all guests on the Business Infrastructure podcast.
- The Pomodoro Technique & FREE apps: this article explains the Pomodoro technique for increasing productivity and lists 10 free apps you can use to practice this technique.
- Brain Focus: a FREE app designed to help you time your work for maximum productivity and stress reduction based on the Pomodoro technique.
- The Honest Guys: a YouTube channel offering free high-quality meditations and relaxation experiences.
Seek Professional Guidance
As great as free tools are, it’s always helpful when you can work with someone one-on-one. Certified 
Professional Coach, Latarsha Horne (also a guest on the Business Infrastructure podcast) and Silke Glaab both offer a way for you to experience them and their coaching styles before engaging them to help release any mental blocks preventing you from scaling your business.
- Online Master Class– request a session and experience Silke’s Rapid Transformation Therapy technique.
- Emotional Intelligence: Master Your Emotions: Latarsha’s class that is available on Udemy.
Reclaim What’s Rightfully Yours
You’ve worked hard to get where you are professionally. When we cling to the hurts and letdowns of the past, it stifles growth. Listen to the stories of these CEOs – each of whom pressed the proverbial reset button to overcome serious obstacles and ultimately reclaimed and scaled their businesses.
“Life is like a bleep,” explains Karla Nelson. When the market crashed in 2008, she sprang into action and shifted careers. A year later her husband, and the CFO of their three businesses, was diagnosed with cancer. Together, and undeterred, they continued running operations from his hospital room. In Episode 78, Karla details her courageous decision to scale despite losing her husband and while raising an infant and a toddler. Now her WHO-DO productivity model is used in 25 of the Fortune 100 companies! Listen to the full story below.
When Dr. Lewena Bayer and her friend worked in hospitality, they complained to each other about how rude people were. They never imagined they would start a company to teach civility in the workplace. But nearly 10 years into the business, their partnership ended when Lew learned of her partner’s illegal actions. To make matters worse, she was also diagnosed with cancer. In Episode 79, Lew explains how she retained most of the rights to the company since she had documented the majority of the I.P. Now her company includes over 400 affiliates in 46 countries! Listen to the full story below.
Marco Champion thought he’d have to forfeit his dream of being a professional skateboarder when he was struck and run over by a car during his teens. Told he’d never walk again, Marco decided rather than feeling sorry for himself, he’d train his mind to focus on walking again – and succeeded! In Episode 80, Marco shares how his personal story of triumph led him to create and scale two successful businesses and how, at just 23-years-old, he guides other highly motivated people in moving past obscurity into influencer positions. Listen to the full story below.
Crystal Ball Not Included
Though this is a diversion from normal topics covered in this blog, I simply could not ignore the importance of mental health and its impact on our ability to scale our businesses.
We may not be able to see into the future like Janus, nor do we have a crystal ball to foretell which goals are worth pursuing, but we can structure our businesses for success by preparing and planning for the best performance possible.
By resetting our mental health, we can show up for families, teams, customers, and ourselves fully recharged and ready to reclaim what we’ve worked so hard to build.
