Your language is a window into what your actual thoughts are.
When you say “I have to…” what you’re most often saying is “Other people expect me to … and I can’t say no”.
When you say “But people will be upset about ….” What you’re really saying is “I can’t get over maybe disappointing someone’s expectations of me so I’ll keep doing things the way I’ve always done them.”
Watching your language as a window into your thoughts is one of the final steps in really getting the right work done.
It’s usually a lie anyway
The truth is that when I stopped worrying about my inbox except for maybe Tuesday and Friday, no one complained at all. When I said to myself “You have to check email every day” I was lying to myself.
When I started forcing every client into a project management system, they all went right for it. When I said to myself “Clients just want to do email and won’t go for a PM system” I was saying I was afraid to put requirements on my clients. I figured they prefer not to become clients.
When I told a client that I was writing every Monday and not working on the project, they didn’t worry about it and did other work on Monday’s because they knew that I wasn’t going to get any notifications.
Your fears are likely unfounded, and if you can focus on the 2 or 3 things that you do which bring the most value in your business, you’re going to increase the value you bring to your clients. They’ll be happier to pay well for that value. You’ll earn more.
You’ll be indispensable.
Don’t let your language trip you up. If you will focus on your first tasks in the morning, then do it. Don’t say “I’d like to…” tell yourself that you will and then protect that time like you would a baby.
Have an awesome day!
Curtis
PS: If you’re having trouble understanding your value, I talk about that in my 8 Week Business Bootcamp