Stop Doing Everything Yourself

I hate to be the one to break this to you. I know it’s a hard pill to swallow, and I’m not just saying that. As someone with an entrepreneurial spirit myself—as a mover, a shaker, and as someone who just knows where there’s a will there’s a way—I often take on way more than I should.

But here’s the hard, honest truth:

You aren’t good at everything.

Let that sink in.

You and I aren’t good at everything. No one is! So why do we try to do everything ourselves (including the things we’re not good at) when we’re just starting out?

Usually, it’s because we think we have to.

But you’re going to be your best—and your business is going to have a stronger chance at succeeding—if you just focus on leveraging your strengths. There are two parts to this:

Step #1: Identify what you’re naturally talented at.

You can do this by thinking about what types of tasks you enjoy the most because more often than not, the things we enjoy are also the things we are naturally good at. What makes you light up? What comes effortlessly to you? We don’t tend to like doing things that highlight our weaknesses!

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One of my favorite things about my job is coaching. I love coaching women in The Academy and teaching y’all on my show and at our live events, too! It fills me up and it’s something I could never delegate to someone else on our team because I love it so much.

Another example is that I love redecorating my house and everything that comes with it—even putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls! Lots of people might think of painting as a chore, but I truly enjoy it. When the dining room needs a new paint job, I just do it myself.

So in your business and in life, figure out which tasks you truly enjoy, and then spend the majority of your time doing those things.

Step #2: Get help for the stuff you’re not good at.

This is the best way to stop doing everything yourself, and it also frees you up to do more of what you are good at!

Think about all of the items on your to-do list that you don’t enjoy, that you don’t excel at, that are not effortless, and that just plain drain you. For those tasks you dread or just aren’t good at, find someone who can help in that area. Find another person who can do what you can’t. It might be a family member with a connection or a friend with a specific skill set. This will enable you to spend the majority of your time working in your strengths. It also allows other people to work in their strengths.

Cleaning your house, filing your taxes, and mowing your lawn are all tasks you can get help with or hire someone else to do for you. If cost is a concern, figure out how you can fill that time doing something that will pay for it.

For example, how many more orders could you fill this afternoon if you hired someone to come clean your bathrooms? Or, if you book that wedding you may need to hire a sitter, but you’ll make ten times that amount working the gig.

Staying in your strengths and backfilling for your weaknesses will raise the level of excellence of your business as well as keep you energized for the long haul.

So here’s my challenge to you: Do one thing this week that will take something you don’t enjoy off your plate. You don’t have to do everything yourself. You can do more of what you love and less of what you don’t!