Have you ever felt this gut feeling that something is not right in your work life? A feeling of not wanting to work on that project or activity, or with that person or in that environment?

That is your intuition telling you that what you value is not being honored. If you do not heed your own heart, then those feelings will build and build up in pressure until something happens that will pivot you into another direction and it may not be pretty!

Before that happens, take a time to reflect using these steps so that your values lead the way in your business planning!

Listen to your intuition.

Your inner wisdom has something to teach you about how to live a life of joy, abundance and ease. If your values are being challenged in your work, it is time to take action to make a shift.

Clarify your resonating values.

You can find out what your top 5-10 values are by using taking this assessment: Your Resonating Values

Reflect on what it feels like when you are honoring your values.

Once you have a clear picture of your values, reflect on how you feel when you are resonating in your values. One way to do this is to reflect on times when you have felt in the flow, working with energy, peace and taking inspired action. You will usually feel motivated then and are able to put forth efficient effort to get things done. You will feel a general sense of contentment, while being able to operate freely within the boundaries of your resources, both energetically and emotionally. You will feel good about your work all the way around and look forward to the time you spend serving in this way. You will actually feel refreshed instead of drained when you are in your tasks.

Reflect on projects, people, environments that may not be resonating with your values.

Now it is time to reflect on the things that may not be resonating with your values. You can tell these by noticing how you feel when you are working with or in them. You will most likely feel anxious when you think about them, tired and drained when you are working in or with them. You will also notice the inner critic making a lot of noise in your head. You will feel generally off your game and not looking forward to doing the work. You will feel resistance, frustration, and sometimes anger.

Consider why this is resistance is happening

In your reflecting, see if you can pinpoint just what value or values that are not being honored and why. For instance, if one of your values is connection, and you are spending too much time alone working on a project, then you may become mildly depressed in general. You may notice dissatisfaction with your progress on this project, or you find yourself procrastinating getting your project done. Here is where you need to consider making some shifts.

Consider making a shift.

It is so important to your business planning as well as your general satisfaction with your work for you to shift to meet your values. There are times you have to work some outside your values, however if you do this for too long, you will begin to operate with resistance, defensiveness, possibly leading you to give up on your project or business. If you recognize this, first start with asking yourself some important questions:

How can I make my work more fun? easier? and simpler?

If the shifts you make by following your own advice here do not bring about some satisfaction, then you may have a bigger problem on your hands. It may be time for a larger shift in your work. You will need to take your time to make that shift, and figure out how to proceed in small steps.

Take inspired action with creative business planning.

Shifts in your business can bring about the needed structure for you to develop the business you really desire. Instead of a cookie cutter approach to business planning, why not allow your values to inspire you into action.

I remember when I realized how important it was to have spaciousness in my life so I could make more art. I began to eliminate things that were taking up so much of my time, the things I did not like doing. I hired someone to manage more of the administrative things that were not resonating with my values of creativity, authenticity, freedom and healing, and which bogged me down. I also allowed for more time in between my clients, saw less clients in one day less days a week, defined the type of client I really wanted to see, opened up a studio day for me to make art, and got out from under projects, people, environments that were not resonating with my values. I had to do this slowly so I could at the same time afford to make these changes. Business planning strategies were essential here, but my values were dictating these shifts so I was confident that this had to happen to bring more joy and freedom in my life.

I continually re-visit my values and reflect on how things are going in my business and life. If I don’t, I may fall prey to that busy-ness that keeps me from hearing my own intuition, my inner wisdom that tells me what is best for me. I have found that by doing this, it can pivot my business into a more ease-filled way of working, allowing for more freedom and joy. That is the definition of business success for me!

Heart-Centered Business Planning Resources

 

Check out my video below on the Business Planning Tips and Business Values