Are you a multi-passionate entrepreneur?

Many of the students who come through my course are multi-passionate business owners who have a wide range of interests and skills they want to pursue. 

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being interested in a lot of different things. It’s one of the things that helps you connect with your students and clients!

But being multi-passionate also has its challenges. Many of the yoga teachers, massage therapists, body workers, and other wellness practitioners I work with have trouble focusing their energy so they can get a bigger ROI (return on investment) in their businesses.

I invite you to check out a video I made explaining how you can focus your energy if you’re spreading yourself too thin as a multi-passionate entrepreneur. Here are the timestamps for some of the biggest takeaways:  

• 0:29 — Narrowing down your focus is one of the biggest challenges for multi-passionate entrepreneurs.
• 2:11 — Right now, you may have a bunch of big projects you’re passionate about…but I recommend choosing just one to focus on this year.
• 1:17 — A simple analogy that will help you understand why focusing your effort is so important.
• 3:20 — Dharna, one of the eight limbs of yoga, is all about focusing our attention on a single point, rather than spreading your energy out over a wider field.
• 4:00 — What happens to a rushing river that doesn’t have banks, and what you can do to direct the flow of your Prana Shakti (creative life force).

The Best Way to Move the Ball Down the Field

I was listening to Rachel Hollis recently, and she shared a wonderful analogy about why focus is so important for your business. 

Let’s imagine you’ve got six soccer balls, and there’s a goal a hundred yards down the field from where you’re standing. If you’re only allowed to take six kicks total, which one of these approaches will enable you to score a goal?

1. Kicking each soccer ball one time and inching each one down the field by a small amount? 
2. Choosing one ball and kicking it six times, so you cover all one hundred yards?

Here’s the business lesson in this story: By focusing your efforts on one thing, you can make a bigger impact and have a better chance of achieving your dreams.

We’ve all got lots of “soccer balls” to choose from. I have a friend who’s a belly dancer, but she’s also an incredible chocolatier and a gifted herbalist. She’s great at lots of things, but needs to make choices each day so she can move herself forward and reach her biggest life goals. 

Right now, you may have two, three, or even four big projects that you’re really passionate about – and you know you could succeed with any of them. 

You can and will succeed – but to get to your goal, you need to make a choice.

The Power of Focus

Justin Michael Williams, a yoga teacher and the founder of The Business of Yoga, once gave me some great advice. 

He told me to choose one project for the upcoming year, and go fully and deeply into that project. Master every single facet of that product or service. Make the offering impeccable. Master your marketing efforts for that project. Build content around that offering and get crystal clear on how you’ll communicate its benefits to your audience.

There are many aspects of every business offering or project – and all of those aspects require time and energy. When we spread ourselves too thin by trying to work on too many things at once, none of our projects get the time, energy, and attention they need for success. 

Here’s my recommendation: Choose one thing to focus on for the next year, and give it all of your time and attention. If another project or opportunity arises during the next twelve months, and it doesn’t funnel back directly into your top priority, say no to it. 

Then refocus your efforts on the project you’ve chosen for the year. 

After this year has passed, you can choose a different project if you want to do that.

Embracing this focused approach is the most liberating action I’ve taken in my business in the last five years, and it is super powerful when you embrace it wholeheartedly. 

Practicing Dharna in Your Business

In yoga practice, Dharna is one of the eight limbs of yoga, along with the Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dhyana, and Samadhi. 

Dharna is concentration and focus. When we meditate, we build concentration by flexing our focus muscles and narrowing down our attention by slowing down and focusing on our breath, or a mantra, or a sensation. Dharna is all about focusing our attention on a single point, rather than spreading out our energy over a wider field.

When you can use the same approach with your business, you will see an enormous difference in the quality of your results.

As a soulful entrepreneur, your Prana Shakti (creative life force) is like a river. If a rushing river doesn’t have banks to contain it, the water will just dissipate and get absorbed into the earth. When you put banks on the river, you can direct the flow and create a more powerful flow. 

Then imagine how powerfully you can direct the flow when you place a dam on the river. What comes out the other side of that dam will be laser-focused and highly potent. 

Just for one year, focus your Prana Shakti and hone in on just one project. Maybe it’s a yoga retreat, or opening a new studio – or perhaps you’re creating and marketing a brand new coaching package. No matter what industry you’re in, choose your product, service, or project for the year and direct all of your energy into that effort.

When you embrace this approach to building your business, it’s incredibly empowering. It will give you clarity, help you make decisions all year long, and allow you to say “no” to the things that won’t move your business forward.

What is the one creative or professional project, product, or service you will focus on this year? Put it in the comments so we can support you and hold your intention in this powerful space.