For many of us, deciding to go ‘full time’ as a Yoga teacher is our first foray into small business, being self-employed and being our own boss. Unlike working for someone else (or a paycheck!) as ‘Yogipreneurs’ we are the ones to keep ourselves motivated, even when we don’t feel like it.

 

In this article I’m sharing four tips that made a REAL difference for me at the start of my Yoga business journey when I realized I was ‘underperforming’ as my own employee.

 

 

1.    Get Clear on The Goal: You Must Have a Destination

 

 

Alright, I know this might not be rocket science. Not a divine insight. Probably something you’ve heard so many times before that you might overlook it. But it is really important, and so please indulge me a moment to consider how and why.

 

I remember teaching an immersion a few years ago. On the day a Yoga teacher was sharing with me that she taught six classes a week and that over the previous six months she estimated she’d made $2500 in total. The math just didn't make sense to me. How can you be teaching six classes a week and have only earned $2500 in six months?

 

I suspected that what was going on was that all of her classes were undersubscribed. Working this hard for such little financial exchange is really demotivating in the medium to long term. Worse, we can become accustomed to it. Without clear, quantifiable goals we can settle for less than we are meant for. We can become used to underearning, serving fewer students than we desire and falling short of our dharma.

 

Goals—while perhaps not new and exciting—are still critical.

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2.    Create an Accountability System: Who Else Are You Answerable To?

 

 

When you have a boss it’s likely they take an interest in your progress. Perhaps they help you set ‘key performance indicators’ or ‘quarterly targets’. Perhaps you have sales or clearance goals. All of these things are known by you AND at least one other person. And that someone else helps you stay accountable.

 

So what happens when you work for yourself? Who else is aware of your goals and helping steer you towards them? Who are you telling about your progress? Who is checking in to make sure you’re sticking to your plan?

 

As a coach, I’m obsessed with accountability. I have seen again and again the difference telling someone else about your goals makes to the likelihood of achieving those goals. In my Keep Growing Mastermind I have a comprehensive accountability system to make sure everyone is clear on their targets (both weekly and overall for the month) and is reporting in on their progress at the start and end of every work week. This ‘accountability tracker’ is powerful for a number of reasons:

 

·      It gives me an up-to-date account of my clients’ progress, so we don’t have to waste time in our coaching sessions with ‘updates’

·      It ensures everyone is clear on their monthly and weekly goals and is never wondering what they should do next

·      It creates a more realistic understanding of the amount of work any one teacher is capable of over the course of a week (Too often Yoginis beat themselves up for not getting everything done, when in fact they just ‘overstuffed’ the container!)

·      It gives all of the Keep Growing Mastermind members access to each other’s workplans so they can reach out, network, share resources and ask questions when they’re working on similar projects!

 

See? I’m not kidding: I LOVE accountability!

 

Learn more about the Keep Growing Mastermind here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/keepgrowing

 

Not ready to invest in professional accountability? Find someone in the Abundant Yoga Teacher Facebook Group! Post something like this in the group:

 

“Hey, I'm looking for an accountability buddy. I want to stay motivated, and I want to support someone else staying motivated. Who's interested?”

 

Remember to connect with interested teachers for a ‘first date’ before you commit to supporting each other. Things to consider and discuss before agreeing to be an accountability buddy for someone are time zones, availability, desired meeting frequency and whether you have skills that would complement each other’s.

 

 

3.    ALWAYS Celebrate Your Wins: It’s Too Easy to Skip This Step!

 

 

When we take the leap of faith to become Yoga business owners, we also accept a full to do-list… that never seems to clear. Despite how much we get done, there is always more (which is why the accountability tracker in KGM is so amazing!)

 

One of the symptoms of a never-ending list of things to do is that we can achieve a goal or take great steps forward but because there is always something else to get done, we just keep moving ahead without taking the time to pause and congratulate ourselves.

 

Celebrating your successes is key for staying motivated.

 

Celebrate all of your successes, not just the ‘big ones’. Someone you don’t know books a casual class? Celebrate! You finally submit your last case study for your qualification? Celebrate! You land a corporate gig teaching meditation… You guessed it, CELEBRATE!

 

Celebrate in whatever way works for you. Maybe it’s taking the afternoon off, buying yourself some flowers, DMing your coach or calling your accountability buddy, just make sure you take the time to congratulate yourself for great work done.

 

Remember, you're in this by yourself and the work that you're doing is so important. The world needs you right now and if you're not taking that time to high five yourself business becomes a hard slog. It becomes the “Oh, God, not again, no! I can't post anything else on Facebook, I'm going to avoid it. I know I need to send a newsletter, but it's actually three weeks that I should have done it because I've been putting it off because I feel so demotivated in my Yoga business” etc etc.

 

You've got to celebrate your success. Make it a habit.  

 

You don't have to go buy yourself a new diamond encrusted Yoga mala each time but making a ritual of congratulating yourself for success is key. If you're only ever looking at the ‘didn't get enough of this, haven't got enough of that, don't know what to do here, frightened about that, worried that someone this, freaking out that someone that’… if you are stuck in that energy how the heck do you expect to be excited about going to work?

 

Tell your partner, “Hey, look what I did!” Tell your dog! Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate. It's not indulgent and it's not being lazy and it's not skiving off, it's actually essential for your business!

 

 

 

4.    Know The Props You Need to Shift Things Up!

 

 

 

During the first year I quit my ‘real’ job and went full out in my Yoga business, I hit Funky Town hard. Think dark chocolate, red wine and long mournful walks in the woods. I indulged in this behavior for about a month… then I started to bore myself.

 

I knew I had this one 20-minute audio recording about abundance and mindset shifts by a woman that I was following at the time. I decided to put it to work. I listened to that same recording every morning before I got up just to summon the courage to open my laptop. On days where things were particularly rotten, I’d listen to it three or four times. I remember having it on repeat ALL DAY once, when someone requested a refund I simply didn’t have the funds to cover.

 

I know if I went back and re-listened to that thing I’d cringe. I’m sure it’s full of all sorts of Prosperity Gospel and ‘The Secret’ stuff that I can’t stomach these days. But back then, when I simply didn’t have it in me to motivate myself, it was the prop I needed to get me up and going.

 

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What prop do you know will work for you when everything else seems to be failing? Do you have a TED talk, a book, a meditation or a visualisation that works for you? A girlfriend who always knows just what to say to get your mood up and your enthusiasm rekindled?

 

Importantly, don’t judge the tool! Like I said, the audio I relied on for a good month would make me either shudder or chuckle now. But then? It was golden.

 

Identify the props you know are going to be useful and keep them nearby should you need them. The sooner you can take them out and use them, the sooner you’ll shift your energy and get back to feeling motivated and meeting your goals!

 

 

Looking for my support to help you achieve your goals in 2022?

 

Check out the Keep Growing Mastermind here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/keepgrowing