Sometimes You Just Need To Trust Your Gut!
We have all been there before, that client who doesn’t respect your boundaries or that manager who gives you the ick. These are just a couple of examples of red flags that our gut tries to warn us about.
Did you know that your gut has more than 100 million nerve cells and is directly connected to your brain, which is why when you get nervous your stomach seems to flip or when you are in love you get butterflies! The two are so closely connected that they play off each other and are literally transferring emotions.
In the last few months, I have found myself in a couple of situations where I haven’t listened to my intuition and ignored the signs, even though I knew what I was doing wasn’t the right path for me. The thing is when it comes to work, we are so blinded by the financial prospect or the idea that things will get better, that we tend to ignore what is staring us straight in the face
When it comes to our businesses, which are ultimately our livelihood, for some reason we sometimes tend to sacrifice our own happiness and fulfillment chasing a dream without truly looking at the overall prospect.
There are certain questions that I would advise you to consider when taking on a new client. Is this a good fit? Does this person match my energy? Can we both work to each other’s expectations? Does this job bring me joy? Will this role be detrimental to my other tasks? To be honest, I could go on, but these seem to cover the most important areas.
I ignored the early warning signs and ended up putting myself under unnecessary stress and felt unappreciated and unrewarded. A tip that I can offer to avoid situations such as this, is to add a trial period to your contract, where you review the workload, connection, and boundaries after a couple of weeks. However, it is so important to seriously think about how you feel after this time! If the subject isn’t working for you and your business, then be honest and say this to the client. This isn’t the easiest thing to do but it is a far better option than wasting your time and theirs!
The fear is that by turning down certain clients, you may be missing out on a business opportunity but on the flip side of this, it may be that something much better is round the corner. I really believe that when one door closes, another opens, and let’s be honest if you are consistent with your marketing practices and proactive in looking for new work, something better will definitely come along!