Mindset Matters- 3 Eye-Opening Tips to Unlocking Hidden Patterns -15

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Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:00:02

What if I told you the biggest obstacle standing between you and your next business breakthrough is not the strategy. It's not your skills. It's not even the marketplace. It's a set of invisible patterns that are running on autopilot in your mind. Today, we're going to crack open the playbook of successful solopreneurs to reveal 3 game changing mindset shifts to truly transform your business. And let me tell you, the third one is probably the exact opposite of what you've been told about entrepreneurial success and what you should focus on. So stay tuned because by the end of this episode, you'll have the tools to spot these hidden patterns in your own business and finally break free from the cycles that are holding you back. Whether you're wrapping at 2024, wondering why some goals stayed just out of reach, or you're planning to take over 2025.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:00:53

This episode will be the wake up call you need to get your business set on the right track. I'm Shawn Rodrigues, community builder by calling founder by design and serial possibility creator for purpose driven entrepreneurs. Welcome to Authenticity Amplified Welcome to Authenticity Amplified, your resource for attracting and connecting to your ideal client, the go to podcast for entrepreneurs on the go to grow their business. I am your host Shawna Rodriguez, podcast strategist and the founder of the Solopreneur Sisterhood. I am here to bring community to the entrepreneurial journey and learn alongside you as we tap into knowledge and insights from experts to help you grow your business. I know how much effort you put into your business, and this is useful and practical information coming straight to you wherever you are, whenever you have the time to listen. Today, we are going to talk about the importance of patterns. After all, that's the key thing we're going to be looking at.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:01:54

Do you feel like you're always putting out fires? I coach some folks, and that's definitely something they talk about. Always chasing after things and always putting out fires. One thing we talk about a lot is the importance of noticing what the patterns are. And the patterns are what us help us recognize what are things that happened once that we chase and put a lot of energy into instead of recognizing they happen once and we just take care of them and move on, Or what things are patterns, the things that keep happening that we need to get to the root cause of and create systems or methods or ways of thinking to help us look at them differently and help prevent them and address them? So first thing we're gonna do is talk about pattern recognition and business cycles. So as we're closing out 2024, it's the perfect time to do this. Right? How can we look at our patterns from 2024 to inform us for 2025? We're not just talking about our income, but that's also helpful way to look at things. You can look at things like our peak performance. When during 2024, do you look back and recognize that you were on top of your game and feeling that you were able to jump in there, get the most done, be the most energized, have the best focus, and be what you wanted to be in your business.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:03:12

When was that? Was it right after you took a vacation? For me, that's definitely part of the formula. Is after I rested, I can have the best performances. And it's helpful to see it as a pattern so that I give that credit and recognize that. It's when I step away that I'm able to refresh and be creative and be able to think about things differently and see things differently. So it's helpful to look at the course of the year and see when was a really good time my business, a good time energy wise, a good time fiscally wise. When did money come in, when were things really productive and things flowing really well for me, and then look at some of the other pieces that surround that. Was it because you took time off? Was it because of staffing patterns you had? Was it because of other planning that you did? Was it just after you rehaul the system and things flowed better? What are the keys that make things work and flow well in your business? Find those patterns. So look at the calendar.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:04:09

If you keep a physical cam calendar, flip through that, flip through your digital calendar, or just spend some quiet time reflecting about each of the months. And thinking back, it can take a little while to shift that gear, to January, February, March, that Q1, what worked well, what went well, what didn't go well, what were some of the factors, and look to April, May, June, what worked well, but didn't go well, and do that for the entire year and start to notice what those things were. Certain staffing, certain products, launches, How many hours were you working? Did you take time off? Was there certain things that you implemented that made things easier? Did you limit how much you were working? Did you have somebody especially helpful in a certain area that really took a lot off of your plate? Is there certain people you worked with, either clients or other individuals? So those patterns are what you wanna recognize, because those are the things you want to replicate and do more of in 2025 and build off of, right? Was it a slower season with staff, and you were working really hard, but things weren't going anywhere. So maybe that's the time that maybe that's the time you take off in 2025 because it's just a slower season. You've been in business for more than 1 year. Is that a pattern? So as you look at this to leverage those insights about your time management and your energy allocation and where you see these patterns. Because a lot of times, we just, like, shrug things off as happening once, or we give a lot of attention to something that only happens once instead of trying to find those bigger picture patterns. Because the bigger picture patterns are gonna be the bigger indicators of where we should put more time and energy, take away time and energy, and should recognize what really does work for us and doesn't work for us.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:05:57

Right? So as solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, we need to figure out where the patterns are and have that be in our business where we put more or less time and do that. So do that with a calendar either mentally or physically to be able to look at the revenue and the energy that you had and try to spot those trends and see how that works out. The other big patterns we wanna look at is with our mindset. Oftentimes, as solopreneurs, we hit a limit with things because of what is happening with us in our mind on subconscious levels on ways that we aren't connecting and we aren't seeing. And those are hard things to spot. And sometimes, those things can be caught because of the pattern. So if we see that we always tend to, like, top out at $5,000 a month, that that seems to be, like, our top limit, there's a pattern with that, That's important for us to stop and look at that pattern and figure out what about $5,000 What about that marker is something that we might have a belief, a mindset, a prior relationship with that is part of what is slowing us down or stopping us. If it comes to us hiring help and we get to the same place in the process and we get tripped up every single time, what about that place in the process? What about hiring somebody that we aren't finishing it? What is the pattern? So we find the patterns because a lot of times when we have our limiting beliefs and that's why it's valuable to have a coach, to have a community, to have other folks that we can reflect with because they can help see the patterns that we don't see so easily.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:07:41

But if we're stopping and pausing, right, to find those things, like, this is the same place that I trip up. This is the same place that I do. Like, I get ready to do a launch, but then I never actually advertise a launch or share any of the information. So what is that pattern about? Why am I not sharing the information and putting myself out there? Why do I stop myself? What about that? What do I have potential fear around? What about that is in my past is something that I trip over? And so as you recognize the pattern of where you get stuck, whether it's with revenue, whether it's with your systems, whether it's with your hiring, whether it's with putting things out there and trying new things, that pattern can be your indicator. Because if it happens once, right, we've all had something we were gonna do and then a family member gets sick or something big comes up and we have to be able to have grace and put it aside and let it go. Right? So we've all had that happen once, and that's a one off. Those things happen. However, if it keeps happening again and again, even though every time there's a reason because we're our brains are great with comfort reasons.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:08:48

There's a reason every single time. But if it's the same thing that keeps happening, we're the common denominator. Right? We are the ones that's the common thing that's in there. Like, I keep not taking this chance. I keep not doing this thing. Why am I not doing this? Like, something always happens, but I'm the common denominator because there's a pattern. And that's why patterns help us recognize when we're stuck, when there's something outside of us that's preventing us from going to that next level and doing that next thing and to realize what it's about. Like, are we afraid of being seen? Are we afraid that someone from our past gave us this message about who we are and what we are? And if we put ourselves out there too much, that that that's gonna be reflected back at us and that was painful for us, and so we can't handle that message again.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:09:36

And that's what we're scared of, is that message. Or is that a matter that we have something we think of people that make so much money and that we're gonna become that person if we make so much money? Like, what is the thing that's getting us stuck? And to have that reflection to be able to figure out that place where we get stuck and then to pull back to be able to address what that might be. And so once we find the pattern, we can start to reflect on the pattern and be able to untie it and take apart the pieces to be able to see what it is. And then once we take out the knots, we can undo it and get rid of it. But if as long as we keep it all knotted up and we don't mean knowledge is a pattern, we we have reasons, this keeps happening, then we don't get to the bottom of it and we don't ever resolve it and we aren't able to move forward and we keep getting ourselves locked up. So we need to see the patterns. Right? So sometimes if we get ourselves around that, we can try to act as if we've already got around something and we're on the other side of a decision to have that perspective where we want to be and see if we can see clearly past it, to see if it's a pattern. It can help us if we still can't go there.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:10:40

But the reason we can't go there is because there is something else hold holding us back. So doing that reflection to try and see where the patterns are can help us see what we need to untie, what we need to get a little bit deeper on, and what we need to try to see beyond a little bit. That can be helpful for us. For our Apple Podcast subscribers, we're actually going to write out our December 2025 success story from the future perspective, and that's gonna be how we're gonna try and get ourselves in this bigger place to look back past our patterns to kinda see how we can take that to a different level of moving forward and looking back at, where we've been and what we've done. So if you're an Apple Podcast subscribers, make sure you check out that that part of this episode that kind of continues that conversation around that. So our third thing, our third pattern piece, our 3rd tip that we're going to be giving is around strategic incompetence. You did hear that right. It's a strategic incompetence.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:11:38

What do I mean by strategic incompetence? So this is when you're looking for the pattern of the things that are slowing you down. So the things that you're tripping over and aren't letting you move forward. And you get strategic about them. You start to embrace that. You start to look at incompetence as something that you can work with instead of fighting against all the time. So it's a very counterintuitive idea because we've always been taught, like, if you're not good at something, you just work harder at it. Right? If you're bad at something, you just exhaust yourself until you get better at it. And this is the idea for successful solopreneurs to actually choose not to master certain things, to let go of them and keep building on what they're great at and put their energy into things they're amazing at and to be strategic, to be like, okay.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:12:25

I'm this is not my area of competence, and I'm going to let this go. I'm not going to use this to be able to say, like, one of the things that I am not good at. And if you are somebody who's tried to connect me via social media, you'll know that we try to connect maybe social media. It might be a week. It might be 5 months. I do not check the extra folders, the extra places. Like, I don't get that much time in the chat functions of social media. Things get lost there.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:12:51

And so I think there might be this cool tool I have that might help me with that and put things into one place so I don't have to track them in multiple places. Or I might just strategically say, like, this is not my place. This is not where people are gonna find me, and I don't have to be available to everybody in every different social platform in direct messages. And that's just not gonna be where I am. And I'm gonna embrace that incompetence and stop trying to show up there and stops trusting myself out about that and free myself up to be more present with organizing my email inbox and so that I'm not distracted there because I'm also trying to track all these other conversations I'm not doing a good job of tracking. And just let go of that and work around that. And just like, this is just not a place I'm going to be available. And that's fine.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:13:36

So to embrace, like, what you're not good at and double down on what you are good at and to say, like, this is what I'm great at. So I'm great at podcasting. I'm gonna focus on the podcasting, and this is gonna be my way of communicating and connecting. And people want to reach me. I'll make sure they have a way to get into my inbox and my email. And if there's a way to message me that goes into my email from doing this so that they go to my LinkedIn bio. My LinkedIn bio, there's a way to send me a message. It goes into my email and then they go through my LinkedIn bio to message me.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:14:05

And I'm very clear that that's how you reach me. So we let go of the things that we're not good at instead of trying to work around them and master them. Funny, I say all of this, and then I might have a program that actually helps me organize all the messages from all the other social media. So this is just an example. But for you to figure out, like, what you're not good at and to actually let go of it and find a way to work around it instead of continually trying to fix it and get better at it to find out, like, how else can I do this that I don't need to master this? Like, if you're terrible at cooking, for instance, for the home environment, right, that I don't have to be good at cooking, somebody else can do this. Or I can I have friends? I've lived in cities, so this is very common. Folks live in cities. They don't buy groceries, and they don't cook at home, and they do eat out, and they do buy things strategically so that they buy food, and then they take the leftovers to lunch, and that's just how they operate.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:14:59

And that's just the way it is. And so if you're not good at cooking, you don't need to master and go to cooking. You can find a way to feed yourself and work around it. And there's other programs to deliver food and make that so you have options to be able to work around that. So you figure out maybe you're not good at keeping your books, so you hire somebody that is good and you have the 10%, 80%, 10%. So you have the first 10% that you know enough to get them what they need to do and to check the work at the end. And that's the part you need to master. Right? So that you have the confidence as a entrepreneur, as a solopreneur that you know the beginning and the end.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:15:33

So you can do checks and balances piece because you don't wanna completely abdicate things. You want to delegate them. Right? So you have those 2 pieces at the beginning and the end, but the middle piece, you just let go of completely. Right? Yeah. You didn't think that I was gonna tell you to just, like, embrace incompetence. But that's exactly what I'm telling you to to find the patterns of what is draining your energy and then find a way to be able to delegate that and eliminate that stress and to be able to free yourself up to do things you are good at. Because that that is amazing. That makes a big difference.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:16:06

Right? And so as we're looking at 2025, I'm the implementation tool I'm going to recommend for you is to actually create a not to do list and things that you're not going to do and not spend your energy on in 2025 and to find a way to source them out or find a way to just eliminate them. Like I said, that if I don't want to do social media chatting, that I'm clear in my messaging, that I do not check my DMs. So go to my link in bio and send me a message there if you wanna reach me because I don't do that. And I'll just be clear in my messaging and clear on how to reach me, and we'll figure it out because I'm great at connecting other ways. You wanna talk to me anyways. You don't wanna be sending me messages. That's the best way to connect with me. And I'll up my in person events because that is where I shine, and I'll up my podcast because that is where I shine.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:16:59

So you turn up the things you're good at by turning down the things that you aren't, and that's what makes it work. So that's your implementation for today, is that you're going to create a not to do list for 2025 and the things that you are going to reduce and or eliminate by delegating or find a way to work around them. Because that is our shocking number 3 is that if things you're less competent at, it's okay. You don't have to be brilliant at everything. I know as a solopreneur, you feel like you have to do everything and you have to be amazed at everything. That is the pressure and the feeling that we have about things, and that is partly what stresses us out. And that's the story we're telling ourselves. So let's give ourselves a new narrative.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:17:51

Let's insert strategic, so it sounds good. And we're going to be strategically incompetent, and we're going to let go of things. The things are slowing us down. And we're gonna take this counterintuitive idea and we are going to be successful by having a not to do list and figure out the things that we're going to let go of. So you can have greater success in 2025 by doubling down on the things you are great at because we notice our patterns, and we make strategic decisions based on them. That's what's gonna make you more successful in 2025, and I'm here for it. Isn't there so much to learn on our entrepreneurial journey? Thanks for spending time with me here on Authenticity Amplified. Be sure to hit that button to follow or subscribe so you'll be alerted as new episodes are released.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:18:43

Here in this 1st month, they are coming out frequently. If you are a solopreneur and want to get to part of this podcast launch, we are doing a fun activity with authentic business voices. Go check it out on YouTube. The link is in the show notes. And if you go to bit.ly/authenticdv, capital a for authentic, capital b, capital v as in business voice, You can grab a quick time to record your video with me and be part of this fun event as our launch. I'd love to meet you. Entrepreneurship can feel like an isolating journey. After all, 80% of small businesses are solopreneurs.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:19:18

That doesn't mean you had to do it alone, though. We're here every week to be part of this adventure with you. Until next time.