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Hey Sunshine!

Welcome to the 47th Issue of the Brave YES Biz Playbook, a weekly newsletter by me, Shawn Fink, with musings on courage, business strategy and having the capacity to play bigger and live your best life. I am SO glad you are here. You may want to allow for images to show up in this edition for a better reading experience.

OK, so the sun starting staying around later last week and it's GIVING ME LIFE.

Taking a walk after all my Zoom calls has been the self-care I needed since things went dark.

I'm assuming you're also experiencing some changes in the light ... and hoping you are coping well with those changes.

Vitamin Sunshine is very important to my wellbeing.

Speaking of wellbeing ...

The year prior to the pandemic, I made the choice to study and become certified in positive psychology, the science of human flourishing.

It wasn’t lost on me that I had prepared for the hardest couple of years of our lifetime by mastering wellbeing and even choosing to focus on a mastery of Unshakable Resilience.

It amazes me how a founder's wellbeing can impact their business but I see it unfolding in real time every day.

Not only does wellbeing increase capacity to show up and be amazing on the daily -- it's also vital to being able to take risks in your business so you can make more money and be more visible.

Capacity and Resilience are the scaffolding for a thriving business. Period.

During the pandemic, Adam Grant brought to light the term languishing -- which is an awkward phase between human flourishing and depression.

But, guess what?

Languishing is not just something YOU experience.

Your business -- or parts of it -- can be languishing as well.

If parts of you or your business are surviving on life support, I can guarantee it’s impacting your bottom line.

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It may be time to revive some things in your business -- or your life.

“Languishing is the neglected middle child of mental health. It’s the void between depression and flourishing — the absence of well-being. You don’t have symptoms of mental illness, but you’re not the picture of mental health either. You’re not functioning at full capacity. Languishing dulls your motivation, disrupts your ability to focus, and triples the odds that you’ll cut back on work.” — Adam Grant

In a business, flourishing means you're feeling energized, passionate and flow around the work you are doing.

But, when your business is languishing you will experience a lack of momentum, sales, boredom and eventually end up in what I call The Land of Bitter and Sour. This impacts your bottom line and your whole wellbeing and business operations.

Let’s take a moment to look at all the core areas of your business wellbeing.

Ask yourself if any of these parts of your business are feeling lifeless and in need of serious action to start thriving:

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:: Marketing and Visibility

:: Client attraction

:: Client Interactions

:: Networking

:: Systems and Operations

:: Revenue

:: Confidence

:: Organization

:: Passion for the work you do

:: Authenticity

:: Speaking your truth

:: Taking risks

:: Creativity

:: Your Wellbeing

:: Your identity

I know what it feels like to experience a languishing business. Sometimes it's your business practices and routines. Sometimes it's your business model. Sometimes it's the fact that you've outgrown your business entirely and a shift or pivot is needed.

When my clients come to me, it's almost always because some part of their business -- or creativity -- is languishing and they are ready to move beyond it. This is a powerful awareness practice.

No one deserves to sit on the sidelines and languish in life or work.

This week, take some time to get real about what's NOT flourishing in your life and business and own your responsibility in it. Then, create a plan of ACTIONS to get that area of your business -- or life -- off life support and into a thriving state of goodness and abundance.

It takes courage to agree to no longer languish, to no longer suffer through or wallow along. It takes courage to say enough. I'm not going to settle or suffer anymore.

I'd love to hear from you about this! Have you ever experienced languishing as a creative or a business owner?

-- Shawn

P.S. Need help with creating a game plan to move from languishing to flourishing? I have ONE coaching space left in my calendar before I raise my coaching rates. Book a call with me now to see if coaching is what you need to start reviving your business now. Your Brave YES intentions will add the kind of spice and pazazz you need to meet your goals. Let's chat! ​

P.P.S. "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." ― Maya Angelou

If you like this weekly email, please pay it forward by ...

1. Forward this email to a fave entrepreneur you know could use a weekly courage boost ... suggest they sign up to receive these emails each week by signing up here.​

2. Refer a business bestie to my private, customized business coaching. I offer business design strategy & courage coaching and am holding coaching exploratory calls for March start dates as my calendar is full this month. Learn more here. (Deep gratitude)

3. SAY HELLO --> HIT REPLY and say hello and tell me which B.R.A.V.E step you want to take this year in your business! Are you clear on what it is or do you need help figuring it out? Or, just hit reply and say HI and let me know you are here and that I am not speaking into the void. :)