Get Off the Rat Wheel and Find the Diamonds in Your Back Yard
Get off the rat wheel, slow down and look for the diamonds in your own back yard. If you tend to be a workaholic, this article is for you.
Those of us with a strong work ethic often believe that if we just work harder and longer hours we’ll solve our money problems. In my experience it is more about tuning into inspiration. One small inspired adjustment in HOW you’re doing what you’re doing can produce drastically improved results that would never be produced by adding more hours or more brawn.
More isn’t always better. It’s just more. And if you become a rat on a wheel, you are working with blinders on and not seeing the diamonds in your own back yard.
The best solutions I’ve found have come by praying and asking God to show me the diamonds in my own back yard, to help me see my situation through His eyes and to see the opportunities all around me.
Many times the inspired idea that comes is just a small adjustment. Have you ever seen the movie Contact with Jodie Foster? Her father is teaching her how to use a ham radio. His advice works in so many areas of life, “Small moves, Ellie, Small moves.”
Here’s a quick example of what I mean by small moves. Several years ago when I ran a popular content directory, I made good revenue each month from Google Adsense ads – in the 4 figures a month range. I knew there were more revenues in that site so I often prayed, “Help me see the opportunities all around me.”
One day I stumbled on an article about how to position my Google Adsense ads and how to blend them in with content. It took about 15 minutes to change my article template page on my web site to implement the suggestions. That simple change took the site up to 5-figure/month in ad revenues.
Often the solutions we seek are in our own back yards. We’re just blind to them. It’s less about working longer or harder and more about working smarter. Our nature is often to work harder and longer, but the real way to get answers can be counter-intuitive. Step away for a bit and soon you’ll be seeing with fresh eyes.
So the next time you’re working long hours and not seeing the monetary results you want, don’t dig in harder and work longer. Try stepping back, take a break, get quiet. Seek inspiration and then open your eyes to ideas you’ve never considered or that you’ve resisted in the past.
Featured Image Copyright: Elnur / BigStockPhoto.com
Marnie Pehrson Kuhns is a best-selling author and musician who helps subject matter experts leverage their wisdom and stories to create visibility, education, influence and sales in the marketplace. Whether she’s helping you distill your wisdom into books and information products or create visibility for your company, Marnie focuses on creating connection and loyalty.
Marnie helps her clients lead with their stories, connect from the heart, educate their market, and create loyal customers who send word-of-mouth referrals.
