May I have this dance?

Whether you are a fan of 'Strictly' or not, it's clear that dancing for several hours a day makes you stronger and fitter. I know from personal experience that it's also a great stress buster, because, when you are learning a dance, it is impossible to think of work, the kids, the mortgage or anything else that might be keeping you awake at night.

Since I got back from holiday in Crete 2 weeks ago (heaven!), I feel like I have been dancing the Viennese Waltz non stop, I've been spinning around at a ridiculous speed and quite frankly I feel dizzy!
It's good that I am so busy and even better that I love what I do, but I definitely need to change the dance........

Shall I slow right down and waltz gracefully? Nope - I might miss some business that someone else reaches before me doing the quickstep.

Shall I lock my frame and tango with assertiveness? No - because locking your focus on something and driving after it, only looking forwards, means you might miss opportunities, or worse still, warnings coming up alongside.

Shall I throw everything into advertising, dress up my business like a samba or mamba? Get everything on show, never mind the cost of the costume? Not a good move. The key to showing your business off is research, marketing strategy and advertising campaigns designed specifically for your target market, not shaking your bootie all over in the hope that some of the 'right' customers might notice.

I know exactly what my dance should be. It's a Foxtrot.

Why? Because the footwork is 'slow, slow, quick quick slow'. In business, there are times when we have to step up the pace, do those 'quick' steps; maybe a deadline for an important tender, or, as in my case over the last two weeks, an intense period of both selling and delivering training. But it is vitally important to build in those 'slow' steps too. Times of reflection, planning, consolidation. Plus times when you work shorter days or take a long weekend to slow yourself down and reduce those stress levels.
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The first thing we do when we work with a new client is make them STOP. Attending one of our ‘Away Days’ getting into the fresh air and doing something really different for a full day really clears some head room and gets clients ready for the task ahead - the task of learning a new way to dance.