Why Emotional Mastery for the small business owner is important
The small business owner is important, so you need to look after yourself. Setting your work hours, picking your projects and being your own boss may sound fantastic. But, as a business owner, no boss is handling your deadlines, and no manager is setting goals. That is all down to you.
As a result, it is essential to recognise your strengths and weaknesses and work with your emotions. Without this, you will likely find your business going backwards, not forwards.
Emotions have an impact on us, whether we like it or not. I'm sure you've had a day where you just can't get motivated or when a bad mood has impacted your productivity. As a small business owner, days like those can knock on your business, especially if they happen often. Working harder and longer on your business can also mean your family or hobbies are neglected.
As a result, it is essential that, as a small business owner, you learn to master your emotions. That is not to say that you should suppress your emotions or turn off your feelings. Instead, you should pay close attention to them and use them to guide you.
By practising emotional mastery, you will:
- Begin to understand patterns in your work. When motivated, do your most important work and save mundane tasks for lower energy periods.
- Learn to control your emotions. This will help you develop techniques to create a more positive mindset. It will also help you use your feelings to drive your business forward by not letting difficult situations or setbacks get you down.
- Be able to change your emotional state. This will help you reset when things are not going to plan by switching to a more productive emotional state.
- Work better with employees and partners. With emotional mastery, you can control your own emotions but also recognise emotions in others. You will also be better equipped to deal with them.
Manage your emotions and keep your motivation high with these tips
The biggest challenge faced by many small business owners is motivation. Emotional mastery can help by pushing you through procrastination and slow days. Here are a few tips to keep your emotions balanced.
Have a plan: Most companies you worked for probably had a mission statement or a business plan. Do the same for your small business - even if you are a sole trader. Consider where you would like to be in 2, 5 or 10 years and plan how to get there.
Review: Take some time each day, week and month to review what you have done. Think about what has gone well and what could have been better. As Walter Chen says in his article The Science Behind What Motivates Us to Get Up for Work Each Day:
“A regular practice of reflection helps you recognise patterns, gain insight about your work and work relationships, celebrate and appreciate achievements and gestures, and puzzle out what helps and hinders progress. Journaling itself will improve your inner work life, lifting your emotions and aiding cognitive processing and adaptation. Take ten minutes out of your day to reflect, vent, and celebrate.”
Celebrate success: Set your incentives. Maybe you'll buy something when you hit a revenue goal or a client number or have a holiday.
Keep learning and being inspired: Make time to learn about business and things that interest you. Practice a musical instrument, knit or paint or learn a language. Or learn something that benefits your business, such as social media management. Read blogs or articles or watch TED talks for inspiration.
Remember self-care: When you are immersed in your business, it can be hard to remember to take care of yourself. But self-care is essential. Exercise can help release feel-good endorphins and keep your body in shape. A good night's sleep makes all the difference, as does some time for a shower or coffee.
Don't try to do everything. Remember, as a small business owner, doing everything may not be wise. Before you hire permanent staff, you might find contracting freelancers is a cost-effective alternative to completing some of your tasks. Finding your website stressful or want to improve its performance? I'm here to help.
Want to learn more about Emotional Mastery for the small business owner?
If you want to learn more about emotional mastery and using your emotions to the best effect, I recommend Fred Kofman. Kofman is vice president and philosopher of leadership at LinkedIn. He has many years of experience in leadership and personal mastery. His book Conscious Business: How to Build Value through Value is often cited as a must-read for executives and entrepreneurs. He also has some courses on LinkedIn Learning. You can get free access to this site with an Auckland library card. If not, you can sign up for a free trial.
Looking for more advice? Read Life Lessons from an SEO Expert
