Have you ever found yourself a little distracted, even panicky, around your marketing? Perhaps you're careening from one marketing activity or strategy to another, all the while focusing on where your business needs to be, which, if you're honest with yourself, feels a long way from where you are now…

I see this a lot with coaches, healers or other creatives trying to market and grow their soul-led businesses.

Does any of this sound familiar?

"I have to get on social media."

Why is that?

"I have to do more to market my business online!”

Ok, why do you want to do that?

"That's where the clients are. I need clients."

Ok, and why is that important right now?

"I need to be making money. A lot of it!"

Usually, at this point, they pitch back into their story about why they're where they are now and  why they need to be getting more clients, making more money, etc.

Let me be clear, there is nothing wrong with wanting to make money or have your business support and sustain you. That's a need you want met, and I want that for you too.

Second, I'm not against business planning and consciously focusing on a goal for your business with the eye toward establishing the steps you need to take to get there. That' IS something you need to carve out time for as you grow and develop your business.

But, being pulled into a constant and incessant focus on where you need to be ("making six figures", making $5k a month!, getting a BUNCH of new clients, STAT) means you cannot effectively focus at all on where you are right now.

Living in the Future

It can be exhausting and limiting.

If you've built the stakes up so high in your mind about being at that one point in the future, it's pretty difficult to see or accept where it is that you are now. Every decision can feel fraught, incredibly important, business-changing.

And, ironically, this is often exactly what freezes a lot of business owners, stopping them from moving forward in marketing their business in an open, authentic way. It's often what makes it harder for them to connect with their potential clients.

Plus, when you see only one way forward for your business (usually the way that's being touted by the loudest or most visible forces in your industry or the thing that most recently has come into your awareness) you get blinded to other ways.

You might not see other ways to market and make connections that may feel better, allowing you to be more 'you' and opening up a whole new way of showing up and being in your business. Which, ultimately, is going to be a much more effective and enjoyable way to get what it is you ultimately want.

Refocus to Move Forward

What to do if you find yourself focusing on the future in your business like, all the time?

Here are four simple steps to get out of that loop and enable yourself to make some real progress marketing your business.

Step 1: Stop

As soon as you notice yourself focusing too much on the future of your business, stop. Find a few minutes to step away from your desk or your work. Take a few deep breaths, breathing into your body, and slowly exhaling. Try feeling your hands and your feet as a way to become more present.

Step 2: Acknowledge Your Why

Once you've stopped and taken a few breaths, remember your why . Recall why you want to build your business in the first place. Acknowledge that desire and thank it for sustaining your work and giving you energy and motivation.

Step 3: Find One Focus Area

Ask yourself what is one area of your business' marketing that needs most needs attention right now. Is it clarifying your who and your what? Your offers? Your web presence? Your content? Your visibility? If you hear "Everything!" that’s your mind talking and trying to panic you. Go back to Steps 1 and 2 and try again.

Step 4: Take One Action, Right Now

Once you have the focus area for your marketing, ask yourself what's one small step you can take in your area of focus. This could be a decision you need to make (like deciding what type of coaching programs you want to develop) or an action step you need to take (like scheduling a brainstorming session for your free opt-in).  Whatever it is, though, make sure it's a small step, easily doable in under 30-60 minutes, and that you get time scheduled for it on your calendar.

Marketing has a lot of components to it, it's so easy to get pulled into overwhelm. Plus the marketplace is full of seductive promises of the future, if you'll only buy or click this. If you find yourself distracted and panicky and spending too much time living in the future regarding your business, it's important to first stop and bring yourself back to the present.

Then, acknowledge where you're right now, why you are doing what you're doing in the first place, and find one area you can take action in. This helps make sure you're staying in the present, and makes you more effective, as you build and market your business.

 Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash