The 7 things that made you successful but are holding you back now

To move to the next level, you must become a new person. The next version of you. To do this, you must detach yourself from the old you. They served you well, they brought you here, but they have no place in your future. Taking the next step, leveling up in your life and work, requires an upgraded and improved approach. You have earned the right to do so.

If you feel like the methods you used to rely on just don't work anymore, you probably need to change them. Here are the 7 things you've done before to be successful, and what you need to do now to move forward.

ADVERTISING Before: default action Now: defaults to delegation

In the beginning, everything was fine. You made your plan and set out to do it. Execution, every day. Your to-do list was made up of things to do, people to follow, proposals to write, work to complete. Every idea that popped into your head meant another line on the list. You create your art and deliver personally. In the field, doing things.

To unlock the next phase, the approach must change. For anything that needs to be done, the answer is a “who” not a “what”. Who should do this? instead of What should I do? The top level requires you to complete someone else's to-do list, leaving the yours empty. Take advantage, not sweat. Default is delegation, have the right people in place to deliver, but don't do it yourself.

ADVERTISING Before: rest to recharge Now: rest to reflect

Rest plays a different role depending on where you are in your business. In your execution phase, it's just you, so you rest to recharge your batteries and start again. You rest before you need it. You rest to avoid burnout. You can't afford to burn out because you are the linchpin.

But with the resources you have now, you shouldn't need rest to recharge yourself. Your people are in place, the plan is being followed, and your business is growing. Now rest to reflect. Relaxation time is reserved and taken ad hoc, according to your wishes. You can visit cafes with just a notebook, you can meditate in the park in the middle of the day. Follow your natural impulses and scour the burrows of thought to find the insights and insights you just needed space to find.

ADVERTISING Before: in detail Now: in the helicopter

Before, you knew and monitored every detail. You were in the weeds, checking the nuts and bolts, ticking every I and crossing every T. You created the standards on the fly, rolling them out on a case-by-case basis and inventing them as you go. First in, last out, you checked everything for quality and liaised with team members and clients hourly.

Now your Sharp Eye should be surplus to requirements. Your head of operations manages quality control. Your standards are documented and adhered to much more formally than at the start. With that in mind, zoom in and board a metaphorical helicopter. Imagine your business from afar and note its place in the world. Why it exists, who it helps, how effectively its mission is fulfilled. You can't do this while answering emails, only with distance and perspective.

ADVERTISING Before: rush Now: patient and serene

You wanted it all done and you wanted it yesterday. And because you had the energy, you made it happen at lightning speed. Your deadlines were self-administered in an ambitious way, you were taken on the heels of appointments and rushed to navigate your way through them. Fast and responsive and gets things done.

Rushing is now unnecessary and of no use to you on your journey. Balance and patience will become your friends. Instead of throwing yourself into a task, idea, or obligation, you hang back and think. You sit patiently waiting for the answers and you trust that they will come. Your subconscious won't let you...