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Workaholics are never really workaholics.

It’s not work, which the so-called workaholic is addicted to. Instead, they’re hooked on the feelings that come from doing something they love. That passion and joy is what inspires them… all day, every day.

When you do something you love, it’s natural to want to keep doing it.

• It’s why Nile Rodgers still creates and performs. (Read this).
• It’s why Arnold Schwarzenegger is still making movies.
• It’s why Bill Gates is still making a difference.

Nile and Bill are in their 60’s – Arnie is 72. None of them need the money. What they do need, are the feelings associated with their “work”.

Conversely, someone who finds their work frustrating, boring or stressful, pays to go on vacation… to get away from work. They spend a tiny amount of time each year, doing what they love. They have the equation completely the wrong way around.

No one is addicted to meaningless work

If you get paid for doing what you love, you may be a passion-aholic. You could be a joy-aholic or even a pleasure-aholic. But you’re not a workaholic. No one is addicted to working, just for the sake of work.

• Work without meaning is a way to pay the bills.
• Work without meaning is stressful.
• Work without meaning is empty.
• Work without meaning leaves you doing things you don’t want to do, for the majority of your adult life.

If work feels like work for too many days in a row, take action. Find what you love and make that your “work”. Transform your business from something you work in, to something that fills you with joy and passion.

Can you do it?

Yes, yes you can.

I know, because I’ve helped business owners worldwide to make it happen and experienced it in my own life, every day, since 1995. All you need is the right strategy and the help required, to put it into place.

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There are 3 broad ways you can guide the direction of a business:

1. You can aim for stability.
2. You can aim for impact.
3. You can aim for stability through impact.

Here’s how those 3 options pan out, and why one of them gives you the best chance of fully achieving your maximum potential.

Primary focus on stability

Business owners with a primary focus on stability, plan and act with a safety-first mindset. This often blocks them from making the improvements they need, even when their business isn’t growing. If something ‘kind of works a little’, they’ll hold onto it tight. They do, this rather than try something new with an infinitely greater potential to help them.

They want things to improve. Of course they do. But they want things to improve, without them making any meaningful changes. Change equals risk. And risk feels scary. Too scary.

Primary focus on impact

Business owners with a primary focus on impact, plan and act with a mindset that’s driven by the desire to make a meaningful difference. They have a vision of the impact they seek to create and are motivated by the desire to see that vision become a reality.

Within this broad group are business owners who are well-prepared, with a thoroughly researched idea, which they are passionate about. However, this group also contains business owners who have a deep belief in their idea, but their idea hasn’t had the necessary rigour applied. There’s no market for it. The numbers don’t stack up.

We see this all too often, when a new business opens with an expensive launch, lots of bold claims and in no time, they’re gone. It’s heartbreaking.

Focus on stability THROUGH impact

The business owner whose primary focus is stability through impact understands something, which the vast majority of people totally miss.

They’ve figured out that a balance needs to be achieved.

They know that hunkering down, avoiding change and hoping things will magically improve is a terrible strategy. You can’t hope your way to the top. Or even the middle. At best, you’ll go broke slowly. (which is a lot more painful than going broke fast, as it traps you for years in a stressful, under-performing business).

They also know that stability is essential. If you’re only focusing on making an impact, without ensuring you have a stable foundation, you’re very likely to fail. Nothing of value can be built on flimsy foundations. You need that stability. It’s a must.

So, what do they do?

They decide what impact they want to create. In other words, they choose the thing that they want to be known for… the difference they want to make to their marketplace (or the world). Then they do the research and put a plan together. A realistic, costed and robust plan.

Then, they work the plan.

With the stability of working to a solid plan, and fuelled by the motivation of making an impact, you can fully activate your maximum potential.

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One of the best kept secrets in business, is something I call reduction. It’s a strategy I share with my clients and today, I’m going to share some of it with you.

Less can be more

Ineffective business owners strive to do more and more. They focus on productivity hacks, growth hacks, life hacks and short-cuts. As an unavoidable result, they become increasingly busy, increasingly stressed, increasingly frustrated and increasingly disappointed.

Thankfully, there’s a smarter way forward.

The most effective business owners use a very different approach. They’ve discovered that the biggest wins come from doing fewer things. Less is more.

For example:

• Fewer unfinished projects, equals more clarity.
• Fewer social media interruptions, equals more focus.
• Fewer repeated errors, equals more progress.
• Fewer dodged decisions, equals more respect.
• Fewer missed deadlines, equals more trust.
• Fewer hours wasted, equals more productivity.
• Fewer angry words, equals more happiness.
• Fewer broken promises, equals more belief.
• And fewer excuses, equals more achievement.

If you find yourself stressed, working long hours and making too little progress, don’t add even more to your workload. All it will do is create additional stress.

Instead, focus on reduction. Because with the right strategy, less can be more. So much more.

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As a business owner, the fears you have are largely the same as your competitors. This presents you with an amazing opportunity for 2020 and beyond.

Really, Jim?

Yes. Really.

You see, when you avoid doing the things you fear, you also avoid doing the things your competitors fear.

In other words, whatever you’re avoiding, they’re avoiding too.

This means whatever it is, is going to be in very short supply!

Here’s why this matters to you and your business:

• Lack of supply = scarcity.
• Scarcity = value.

If you want your business to be in demand. If you want to get your business noticed. And if you want to avoid selling based on price (and you do), learn to embrace the things you fear.

Because that feeling of fear is often your inner compass, confirming that you’re on the right track.