Use the standstill to choose change and realize your dreams

Everything feels pretty overwhelming right now. It was not until the COVID crisis that I asked myself ‘how can I make the most of my time?’. I realized I wanted and needed to get more clear on my vision for different areas of my life; my professional situation was at the top of my list.

The crisis forced me to think about my impact.

I realized more than ever that now is the time to review one’s own role in this world and to decide how each individual wants to contribute to shaping the future.

The opportunity during this time is to not just ask yourself ‘when will this all be over?’, but ‘what would I like to contribute to creating a better world for all living beings?’

Not only society but also its individuals can use a crisis for (hopefully positive) change.

“The sudden stop by the virus takes our freedom of choice out of our hands and will bring things back to a more moderate, perhaps frighteningly slow pace at first. […] To improvise and be creative will be the most important skill in the future. ” – Li Edelkoort

Perhaps you too had the experience of finding out what it is you really want. Perhaps your passions lie in a completely different field than you always thought they did.

If you have been thinking about starting your own business and turning your heart project into a business, now is the right time for it.

Are you currently considering shifting from working to following your purpose?

If so, and if you dream of enriching other people’s lives with your work, today is the day for a business check. Self-employed often fail to really define their idea but, the more clarity you have about your dream business, the easier it will be to put it into practice.

That’s why I have put together a step-by-step guide for you to get absolute clarity on your future business.

Create clarity about your heart project!

Often my clients tell me: I want to work as a full-time yoga teacher or I want to be self-employed as a nutritionist. While everyone will understand what you want to do, such positions are pretty general. But if you are a nutritionist for intermittent fasting or an Ayurveda expert in women’s health, it is much easier for you to achieve expert status.

A specialty helps you to achieve a higher recognition value and makes you stand out from the crowd.

Think about what your absolute favorite topic is in the branch of your future business. On which topic are you currently most consulted? Which part of your dream business would you never outsource?

With this sentence you can summarize what defines you and your project and describes it briefly and concisely:

I offer [service] to [dream clients] with/by [specialty]!

My personal example:

“I offer social media coaching to help experts in the health and mindfulness sector to build an authentic and profitable business with the help of social media, by compiling the most important knowledge and breaking down complex dynamics into simple steps!”

Who is your dream client?

It often happens that business beginners want to address everyone, often out of the fear that they are not worth working with their dream customers. Or they fear that there aren’t enough dream customers. This can result in the offer and communication becoming too broad.

The better you know your ideal clients, the more likely it is that you will discover each other. Trust yourself and be confident.

You are worth working with exactly these people.

Create a vision

This is my absolute favorite tip. I personally do this on a monthly basis to increase clarity and focus. As I also explain in my free vision roadmap guide, I usually ask myself ‘where am I right now’, and ‘where do I want to go’. I note down the desired state in one sentence.

I formulate this sentence so strongly that the thought of it makes me want to dance with joy.

I focus on how I feel when this all comes into effect, and I phrase the sentence as if the state already exists in my current reality.

You can supplement your vision with a realistic financial plan. There you can write down all of your expenses (e.g. taxes, rent, insurance, savings) and thus understand what you have to earn each month to get by with your business. This will help you find out exactly how many customers you need, what prices you have to ask, etc.

Having a vision finally is incredibly powerful to directly formulate concrete steps that will bring you closer to realization. Define these so-called action steps for the next month and provide them with deadlines so that you don’t get bogged down.

Sometimes you will think of something that you need to do without it being directly related to your vision. I would recommend you listen to your intuition and go do it. For your personal energy, it can be important that you buy a nice, new notebook, for example, to plan your 1: 1 session in, and thus to open the doors for new customers.

Why not use the current standstill to bring something new into the world?!

I hope that these steps will support you to finally start the project of your dreams. I would be incredibly happy if you would let me participate in your process and message me on my Instagram where you’re at currently, what your vision is, or what your action steps look like.

Do you have any questions or are you stuck on one of the steps? Feel free to message me on Instagram as well!

Happy creating,

Anna Zimmerman

About Anna: As a yoga teacher and Holistic Business Guide it is her mission to see you and your business transforming, growing, and thriving, so you can spread your passion and uplift others.
She is there to support you in leveling up your Holistic Business and create a roadmap to success that serves and uplifts you and your clients just to the same extent.