What is Essentialism? And Why Should You Care?

You have probably seen photos of my "to read" stack. There are books galore! Well I also have a "to reread" stack. It's not quite as tall. But the books in that stack have impacted me and my business greatly. They have impacted me enough that I keep them at hand to go back and read them again. Sometimes I get fresh insights based on new experiences. Sometimes I am reminded of things I may have forgotten.

One of those books is Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. This book changed how I thought about my business. It helped set me on the path to actually making consistent money, not the sporadic and unpredictable income I had been earning. It taught me about eliminating the unnecessary so I could focus on my best work. It taught me about essentialism.

If you have ever felt busy but not productive or just stretched too thin, it might be time for you to embrace this concept as well. I know it sounds kind of "woo-woo" and "new-ageish", but it isn't hard or complicated. It can be practiced by anyone, seasoned entrepreneur or newbie. Either way, you will reap the benefits!

Like clarifying your message. I wasted so much valuable time trying to be everything to everyone. I was a health coach, a marketing coach, a network marketer, an agency owner. But rereading the book helped me choose to focus on creating Ninja Marketers. And my passion project, The Rebel Tribe.

And I'll be honest. I expected my business to dip as I made the transition. But it hasn't. Because I'm more focused on my overall message.

Essentialism will help you define your focus. It's tempting to believe you can do everything, isn't it? We're told that as soon as we start our business. You can do anything you put your mind to. And that may be true to some extent. But what they neglect to tell you is you can't do everything WELL! Even more importantly, you'll be distracted as you try to balance all the areas of your business.

When you define your focus, you're working on the tasks where you truly shine. You're zeroed in on projects that are within your "zone of genius"

Pursuing essentialism has another benefit. It helps create accountability. When you're trying to tackle everything by yourself, there's no time to stop and analyze what's working. You're just in survival mode, trying to keep all the balls in the air. There's no time for tracking, measuring, or analyzing. You're flying blind.

But when you embrace essentialism, you know what to focus on. You know which metrics truly matter. You can take the time to measure and analyze results.

I know. You're thinking essentialism is just another buzz word. But it's not! It's a powerful concept. I had forgotten just how powerful it can be until I reread the book. It can transform the way you look at your business and how you serve your customers.

I'm going to be talking about how to embrace essentialism in your business over the next few weeks. If the concept interests you, just keep reading my stuff!