PJS #015: 💥 5 Steps from STUCK to SOLUTION Simply!

In this week’s issue of Profit & Joy Simplified, I’ll share a simple method I use to help me (and my clients) move from STUCK to SOLUTION.

• Have you been trying to figure out what the missing piece of your sales funnel is?

• Do you wish you could optimize profit but just can’t quite see what the issue is?

• Are you trying to figure out a way to productively plan out your work schedule?

• Or or or…so many problems we have to solve as business owners & CEOs.

Good news - the answer is simple.

Better news - the answer is not to try harder!

Best news - you can implement this simple strategy right away!

If you follow these 5 simple steps, you can move from stuck in a problem to picking a solution in no time. And it’s a repeatable process you can implement with any problem.

Unfortunately, most of us skip crucial step 3 of this 5-step process.

Let’s break it down into 5 Ps:

Step 1: Problem that’s got ya Stuck

Obviously, it all starts with an issue you’re trying to solve. I know we all have several. Just think of one. Use the list above to help prompt ideas if you’re struggling to come up with one.

• Define the problem.

• Write it down.

• Say it aloud.
  

Step 2: Ponder

Create an “idea soup” - a technique I learned in business coaching with Rachel Hollis years ago. This works so well that I teach it to every client!

• On a blank paper, write the problem at the top.

• Now braindump every possible solution you can think of to solve the problem. We are just brainstorming, so there’s no need to evaluate whether these are good ideas. Just write them down.

• You can even enlist the help of a teammate, coach, CFO (😉), spouse, or whomever to throw in their ideas.

• Let the ideas flow. Fill that paper up with as many ideas as you can until you feel stuck.
  

Step 3: Pause & Play

THIS is the secret step most of us skip. We go straight from idea to implementing - because we are entrepreneurs so we are get it done peeps.

But the pause & play is key!

Now put the problem you’re stuck trying to solve out of your mind.

Go for a walk; take a shower; wander around Target; play a game of Crazy 8s with your kids. Just do something else and DON’T think about your problem.

I know this seems counterintuitive, but believe me that it’s not.

In fact, Dan Lok, multi-million dollar business owner & author of F.U. Money, calls business an intellectual sport. Sports are both physical & mental. In the same way, you’ll go from stuck to solution by including this important step.

Step 4: Process

You may have taken a 15-minute pause or perhaps overnight or a few days….

State the problem again.

And now see what ideas come to mind. You'll be surprised at all the new ideas that come up.

This is the power of your subconscious mind!

We need to use our whole minds to tap into creativity beyond what we can think up intellectually and analytically. I read many articles explaining the science of this. Google it & you’ll see all the research too.

Step 5: Pick your Solution

Read through all your ideas. You may have an obvious stand-out solution.

Or you may now have several new possibilities.

Either way, your mind subconscious mind will still be working in the background trying to solve the problem you presented to it.

Now's the time to pick a solution.

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Now What? Put it in Action (bonus step!)

Even if this concept of the science of the power of the subconscious mind in problem-solving is new to you, I bet you’ve seen this play out in your life before.

Have you gone on a walk and then magically realized you had come up with the idea you’d been trying to solve? Happens to me in the shower or when I’m driving all the time.

But now that I know, I don’t just hope for inspiration, I plan for it by putting these steps into action.

I know you’re doubting…

Because? I don’t know.

• Because it’s too simple.

• Because it’s not logical.

While I can’t explain all the science in detail behind this, what I can tell you is that I have seen this strategy used successfully by business owners for over 2 decades.

Try it! It could be just what you need to solve that business dilemma that’s been making you crazy.

TL: DR

1. Trying harder isn’t the solution to solving your problems.

2. Define the Problem that’s got you stuck.

3. Ponder solutions.

4. Pause to play - let it go. Really.

5. Process all the new ideas.

6. Pick your solution from your new ideas!

7. Put it in action!

It works.

Why not give it a try?

That’s all for this week, my friend. Hope you’ve found this helpful.

See ya again next week!

Whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Interested in a 2023 planning session or cash flow forecast system? Schedule here.

2. Want to chat about how you can gain peace of mind & confidence with a fractional CFO by your side & on your team? Schedule a call to see if we'd be a good fit to work together.

3. I post on LinkedIn every weekday at 7:15a CST. I'm responding to questions in my DMs from 7:15- 8. I'd love to connect. Find me here,

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