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Subject: Are you being patient, or just lazy? š¬
Brace yourself for a WILD idea…
What ifĀ being patientĀ could help you achieve your goals faster (and with more ease) than being productive?
“Maegan, you’re being ridiculous! No one ever achieved a big goal in their business by sitting back and doing NOTHING.”
I respectfully disagree, imaginary internet friend.
The truth is, we’re BOMBARDED with messages telling us to be more productiveĀ every single day.Ā We’ve been conditioned to believe that working hard is the only way to succeed as a business owner.
Ever heard the term “sweat equity”?
It’s the idea that you need toĀ exert yourselfĀ to make your business grow ā especially if you don’t have a mountain of money at your disposal to outsource all of the necessary tasks to someone else.
And because we’re ambitious individuals who really want (and often need) our businesses to succeed, we unconsciously play into the story that constant productivity is a requirement of being a good business owner.
In other words, we avoid patience like the plague because weāre afraid that being patient means weāre being lazy. We’re afraid that patience is a ruse we hide behind because we just donāt want to work.
Of course, this isnāt true!
As business owners, our livelihoods depend on our ability to take action, to sell our offerings, and deliver our services. We have to work, but that doesnāt mean that we have to be constantly pushing.
Knowing when to stop, when to pause, when to wait is a difficult but crucial skill to master if you want to be a deeply rested entrepreneur.
But first, we have to release the fear that being patient means we’re not taking any action at all. That’s ridiculous. Patience does NOT mean we’re being passive, and it definitely doesn’t mean we’re being lazy.
In a well-balanced business, a period of patience typically follows a period of action. By pausing and being patient, we’re simply giving our actions time to take root. It’s this pause that allows your work to flourish!
I know it feels counterintuitive, but the truth is, pausingĀ afterĀ taking action supports the sustainable growth of our goals.
Farmers and gardeners are masters of this rhythm ā they plant, and then they wait. They don’t keep digging up the seeds to check on them. This week, I’m taking you out to a real plot of farmland to show you exactly what active patience looks like, and how to bring that same rhythm into your business. š
If I had to boil this down to three things:
- Patience and passivity are not the same thing.Ā Patience is an active choice to trust the process after you’ve done the work. Passivity is opting out of the work altogether. Small business owners constantly confuse the two, and it costs them inner peace.
ā - The belief that you must always be doing in order to succeed is a feature of hustle culture, not a law of nature. Farmers plant, then wait.Ā Growth requires both action and rest.
ā - Aligning your business with natural cycles is a legitimate path to success.Ā It may be slower than the exploit-and-grind model, but it is more sustainable, more peaceful, and more aligned with who you actually want to be.
ā
How does this land for you?
Is there a place in your business right now where you’d benefit from practicing a little more patience?
Hit reply and tell me what’s on your mind.
Warmly,
Maegan
