Are you pursuing a lost cause?

SUNDAY SASS from SOUL HEART ENTERTAINMENT

“Are You Pursuing A Lost Cause?"
by Jamie Allen Bishop, MA

Everyone knows there are some pursuits not worth our time, effort and energy, but while on the quest, how do we know which pursuits are worth it?

Honestly, the answer to this question is to innately trust our intuition and know (without a doubt) our intuition is NEVER wrong.

That said, spending time wisely is the most important spending one can do in life and in business. There is a subtle difference in the definition comparing a challenge to a lost cause. The small difference between the two perspectives makes a HUGE difference in a business bank account. 

By my definition, a challenge is something that takes effort and (perhaps) time but won't take me off track from my goal(s), while a lost cause is something that takes more time than it is worth.

How do we tell the difference between the two when we are trying to succeed in business? 

For me, it comes down to a matter of how time is spent on my business AND whether that time is income-producing.

When I think of my early experience as an entrepreneur, I remember all too well the 80+% of my time spent preparing - putting my goals in the future and pursuing activities that allowed my business to remain just outside the parameters of success. I spent a lot of time preparing things - calendars, to-do lists, contact lists, etc. I also spent a lot of time avoiding the very activity that I knew would make a huge difference to my income - inviting the people I enjoy to become my client.

All my time spent on preparation falls into the “lost cause” category of my business, not because the tasks aren’t important or necessary, but rather because the tasks are not income-producing activities. Indeed what I spent time on is what my business gave me - all preparation (along with a whole lot of expectation) and almost zero income. 

Now, I spend 80% of my time on income-producing activities, 10% of my time preparing, and 10% of my time educating myself on the latest and greatest ways to pursue my business venture. After all, William S. Burroughs said, “When you stop growing you start dying.” 

This may seem counterintuitive, spending only 10% preparing, but the truth is, I have spent a great deal of time preparing just to be disappointed by the event or the program not going according to plan. When I spend my time gaining clients, my business earns an income that helps me create jobs for others and helps me elevate the world - one soul at a time... my business mission.

My goal this year or Soul Heart Entertainment is to elevate a minimum of 1,000,000 (one million) souls. That means Soul Heart Entertainment provides entertainment for approximately 1,700 parties every week across the United States and Canada. That's about 34 parties per state/province each week.

If I spend most of my time preparing, then preparation is what's most important to my business. If I'm not spending at least 50% of my time meeting new potential clients, building relationships in my community, and (most importantly) contacting my potential customers, my business will remain stagnant, underachieving, and underproducing.

I am so excited to pursue such a lofty goal, and the only way to achieve it is through action. I am focusing on spreading the word about Soul Heart Entertainment, booking parties, and hiring the ideal talent to entertain at those parties. 

Be certain to avoid lost causes in your business ventures, but challenges are worth your time. What are your goals (in life and/or in business) and what actions are you taking to achieve them?