May is often cited as Mental Health awareness Month or even week. We believe that whilst this is a good idea Mental Wellbeing is an all year round focus.
At The Agency Adventure one of our core pillars is ‘Wellbeing not burnout’.
Within the agency world there seems to be some sort of right of passage that as an agency owner you need to push yourself to the limit to achieve your goals in the fastest way possible. I would even go so far as to say that in some quarters burnout is seen as a badge of honour.
This is unacceptable and this attitude needs to change. I get that running an agency is not a simple choice - believe me I have been there! The pressures that this brings are huge. These are often compounded if you:
have, or are building a team
the pressure to develop and grow the business
the pressure of finding the next sale; building that pipeline
Making payroll
Paying the tax man
Getting customers to pay
Hiring / firing
Creating the right culture
Getting people to follow your vision
The list goes on and on……
Often things are compounded by life at home. Young children, the other half, work life balance, not paying yourself enough again a long list here. This just adds to the feeling of despair and woe. Things are collapsing on all fronts.
You are the most important person in your business
Don’t you forget this.
Most agencies I talk to are founder-led businesses. The vast majority on their own, some with co founders. Many are on a journey to becoming a more brand led agency so it is not as reliant on you. This is often the dream.
For now though the business is reliant on you. You feel that. You are vital to the success of the business. This is exactly why you need to be on top form, to be fit, mentally and physically so that you can deliver the best results … all the time.
You are the most important person in your agency - so succumbing to pressure, letting this take you down a dark hole does no one any favours least of all you. The initial spark and passion that you had when you started seems a distant memory as you lurch from one set of pressures to the next. It’s not just the specific worries, it's what your mind does with them that does the real damage. The uncertainty of each situation, the doubt and the fear. Most of all it is the voices in your head scaremongering all the time - making you question what you do and why you do it. This is the worst. What should I do? Am I doing the right thing? Making the right decisions? Then the imposter syndrome kicks in and all you want to do is crawl away into a darkened room.
The truth is you are not alone.
The stats below provide a clear indication that you are not the only one feeling like this.
Yet, we still don’t talk about it. We try and brush it under the carpet and pretend that everything is ok - all rosy in the garden. This simply suppresses the negative feelings and pressures and makes them worse.
I challenge you
If you relate to any of the above in any way - now is the time to get fit. Mentally fit.
I challenge you to get mentally fit starting today. If you were to run a marathon then you would train, you would get fit, get strong to compete. The agency owner's journey is longer than a marathon and to succeed you need to be mentally fit and strong to survive.
Now here lies the problem. You would most likely know what to do if you wanted to get fit to run a marathon. Do you really know what you need to do / what it takes to get yourself mentally fit? I would doubt it. How do you grow your confidence?
How do you become more resilience?
How do you build your perseverance?
If this was easy everyone would be doing it. It’s not easy. What I do know is that there is truth in saying that the definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.
Now is the time to try something different. Reconnect Weekends
Reconnect WeekendsTo help you find some of the answers I am delighted that we have partnered with Reconnect Weekends who are experts in helping you find yourself, return to the real you, To refuel you for the journey ahead. These weekends provide space to think, to connect and reconnect with yourself. They will provide tools and techniques to manage yourself in a better way (training regime). You will go away with a better understanding of how the brain works and you can take charge.
Overall they will provide a new perspective on how you lead your life
The weekends will be led by the powerhouse that is Emma Davis https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaclairedavis/ along with her sister Joanna.
Emma is a transformative coach and after coaching people for a few years, Emma realised that sometimes the best intentions and willpower are not enough. There are times when we just need time out. We need to have the chance to have those same, meaningful reflections and conversations in a completely different environment.
So my challenge to you is get mentally fit for your Adventure ahead in any way you can. A Reconnect weekend could be just the answer you're looking for.
Next Reconnect Weekend? June 7 -10 - Booking now! If you cant make this one then don't worry Reconnect Weekends are run on a regular basis.
Please email chris@agency-adventure.com if you would like to know more.
Or
Arrange a 121 with Emma to meet her and discuss how Reconnect works
Or
Come to a Friday drop-in Q&A Sessions at 11am each Fridayhttps://emscdavis.ac-page.com/reconnect-weekly-qa-sessions
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