Hey Circle!

Welcome to this month’s member-exclusive episode.

In it, I’m getting a little philosophical with you.

I want to introduce you to the concept of the Circle of Control (also known as the Sphere of Control).

The diagram below gives you a basic idea.

In this episode I outline what the 3 circles are, and how spending too much time in the wrong ones can lead to overwhelm, exhaustion, and even… giving up.

I reference a past workshop in this episode: How to Challenge Negative Self-Talk and a Lack of Confidence.

If you’ve ever felt worried or stressed by things that are actually outside of your control (hint: that’s pretty much everything you’ve ever worried or stressed about) then this episode is for you. 

This month, my challenge to you is: when things start to worry you, categorise them. Which circle do they belong in? How much actual influence or control do you have over them? What CAN you actually do… and what do you need to let go of?

Our hashtag for discussion in the FB group is: #CircleofControl

Quotes & Highlights

• Concept From 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• This has a lot in common with both stoic philosophy and buddhist philosophy.
• From Epicitus: “Some things are within our power, while others are not. Within our power are opinion, motivation, desire, aversion, and in a word, whatever is of our own doing; not within our power are our body, our property, reputation, office, and in a word, whatever is not of our own doing.”
• Buddhism teaches that we need to cultivate mindfulness – to recognise the gap between our thoughts and our consciousness. That we don’t control our thoughts, or the world around us, so we must cultivate a mind-state that can cope with this and avoid suffering due to external circumstances.
• What can we control?
• How we respond to our thoughts
• How we respond to stimuli
• Our actions
• Of course, we don’t even have complete control over these, because we are influenced by our habits, our society, and our education.
• What can we influence?
• Our health
• Our happiness
• Our relationships
• What is in our circle of concern
• Health of family members
• Global economy and climate
• War overseas
• Weather
• However, what you can actually DO about these things is in your circle of influence. You can recycle, you can donate to causes, you can try to help and educate your family on their health.
• You cannot control a customer’s reaction or opinion of you. But you can influence it.
• You cannot control your thoughts about your business or self, but you can influence them and try to direct them in a different direction in future through things like exercise (spark), meditation and mindfulness, affirmations etc.
• You cannot control how many people respond to an ad, but you can influence it by good use of images, copy, and targeting.
• You cannot control how many people buy from you, but you can influence it by good photography, copy, titles, seo, marketing etc.
• Do you spend too much time in the ‘circle of concern’ rather than the circles of influence and control? If you feel overwhelmed about things that are out of your control – probably.
• We have finite energy. If you are stretched too thin because you are always worrying about things that are outside of your control and influence, you won’t have energy for those things that are.

My guest today is the inspirational Erin Dollar.

Erin is a textile and surface pattern designer who specialises in minimalist designs with an eco-friendly focus.

She creates boldly patterned home decor for Cotton & Flax, which she founded in 2012.

In this episode, we have an in-depth chat about her business journey, her thoughts on social media, time management, business direction, and much more.

BONUS: Erin is going to be joining me and the Thriver Circle community for a live chat on Tuesday the 24th of April at 10am, AEST (the time in Brisbane, Australia). If you’d like to join us for that, click here for the event in the Circle FB group.

Quotes and Highlights in this episode:

• The focus of Erin’s business has evolved over the years.
• “There is something really interesting in looking at the micro-level of your business and making a plan to shift and pivot to follow what is successful.” {Erin}
• Moving into design allows for artworks to become more accessible at a lower price point and can open up avenue for collaboration.
• Your business focus will ebb and flow over the years with periods of higher and lower creativity.
• “It’s okay to have seasons of fluctuation.” {Jess}
• As your business grows moderation is important to avoid burnout.
• Setting clear boundaries and maintaining a work/life balance create a sustainable business.
• “Build some boundaries into your workflow where you can early in the process.” {Erin}
• Social media can be a powerful business tool but be wary of comparing yourself to others.
• Create authentic connections and build a community for the long haul.
• “Your website and your mailing list are the two tools you can really control.” {Jess}
• “Don’t rush. There is going to be time for all the amazing things you want to put out into the world.” {Erin}

Welcome to this month’s member-exclusive podcast ep!

This month, to fit in with our #PinterestChallenge project, I’ve done an episode on the power of Pinterest.

In it, I outline why Pinterest is an excellent choice of marketing tool – especially for handmade business – and share some stats for how much it is growing, and the reach it has.

My goal was to inspire you to dive into the world of Pinterest, and see what impact it can have on your business.

If you aren’t a big fan of social media – THIS is your best choice for getting traffic to your website, without having to share much of your personal life or self online.

Quotes and highlights from this Episode:

• Pinterest is a great way to dip your toe into social media as the focus is on content rather than your personal story.
• “If you are not a super-extroverted person and like to keep your privacy intact a little more I highly recommend Pinterest.” 
• This platform continues to grow its user base with a young, female demographic heavily represented.
• Pinterest is well used for shopping and is great way for you to engage with your customers.
• “As a handmade business you are perfectly placed to take advantage of this enormous engaged market that is on Pinterest.” 
• Pins are now searchable by key words making it easier for potential customers to find your work.
• “Pinterest generates you long term traffic in a way that Facebook and Instagram do not.” 
• The life cycle of pins is lengthy and they can be shown for months and even years.
• You are able to verify your own website to create “rich pins” for Pinterest. This means when someone comes across one of your pins your business bio becomes visible.
• Jess finds Pinterest a significant driver of traffic to her website.
• To get a stronger result pin all of your products with a variety of photos for each object.
• Join group boards as people are more likely to see and repin your images.
• You can find suitable boards by visiting pingroupie.com or start with the Thriver Circle board.
• If you have a personal account transition to a business account for additional capabilities.
• Promoted pins have recently been introduced and are looking promising for advertising.

Hey Circle!

In this member-exclusive podcast episode, I outline a whole bunch of do’s and don’ts for goal setting.

I hope this helps you think about the process of setting goals for your business, so that you can set goals that are actionable, achieveable, and realistic.

Please share your thoughts below in the comments, or, better yet, over in the Facebook Group – just use the hashtag #goalsetting

Jess x

Quotes and highlights from this episode:

• Don’t set a goal based on false expectations.
• Consider if you goal is both possible AND likely.
• Don’t expect it to be easy.
• Go into the process being aware that it will be challenging.
• Don’t let the past stop you.
• But look to the past for lessons to assist you with your current challenge.
• Don’t be rigid.
• If we set goals too rigidly you may be disheartened if your path changes or shifts.
• “Deviations and flexibility are a natural part of a goal structure”
• Don’t let setbacks stop you.
• Consider the Cycle of Change and if you come off track slip back into Maintenance mode.
• “You are not a failure for changing the parameters of a goal”
• Don’t aim too high.
• Be realistic about the time you have available and how much can be achieved.
• Don’t too many things at once.
• Using the top three priorities system can assist with focusing your efforts.
• Do set SMART goals.
• Do set three levels of goals – easy, moderate and stretch.
• Do set positive goals.
• Do remove temptations from your environment.
• Do leave room for setbacks.
• Do celebrate your wins and milestones.