What are your non-negotiables?
I was on LinkedIn and came across this post from my friend Trenia where she talks about what happens after you recover from burnout and the things you lose that you never get back (spoiler alert: it's a good thing).
She brings up a great point about working at a slower pace, especially after coming from crisis management mode. "There was something about the way in which you were working and living that needed to change, and now that it has, do you really want to go back?" she said.
Which brought me to think about non-negotiables.
Non-negotiables are the things that you consider to be vitally important and on which you are unwilling to compromise.
It may be easy enough to figure out non-negotiables when they have to do with your personal practices & rituals. Things like creating a morning practice to kick-start your day, scheduling time to workout regularly or making space to travel often.
When it comes to your brand and business, the thought process is not so different.
Looking back at past clients (both favorite clients 🥰 and those who had you tearing your hair out 😵💫) can help you find common traits your best-fit clients share as well as identify red flags to ensure you're not working with people who aren't a good fit.
Evaluating past engagements can help inform your process, how you structure your offer, create a work schedule and even get clear your Minimum Level of Engagement (MLE).
And of course, taking an objective look at who you are, what you stand for and what you're looking to create will help you gain clarity on your message, how you show up in the world and how to deliver your message to your audience.
Here are a few things you can consider:
Do you have any personal practices that help you do your best work (with ease and alignment)?
Do you work better with short, intensive engagements or slower paced, high-touch engagements?
What are your values and what do they mean to you? How do you apply them to your brand and business?
How do you want to show up, is there language you would never use? Do you drop the occasional F-Bomb or do you keep things PG?
What would you love your work schedule to look like (both week to week and looking at the year as a whole)?
Who are you willing and not willing to work with? A personality trait, an industry or a type of offer...
So, what are your non-negotiables? There are many things to consider, but of course, you have to know what's important to you.
Ps. You may have some non-negotiables in mind, but do you have them written down? It may sound unnecessary, but having them physically somewhere you can access regularly can help you make decisions with those non-negotiables in mind (kinda like a checklist).
