Eating the elephant? What on earth does this saying mean and why should every small-business owner know about it in 2023?
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “There’s only one way to eat an elephant, a bite at a time.”
I believe what he meant by that is that we should take small bites of the big things that come at us, this goes for life and for business.
But many entrepreneurs and business owners try to eat the whole damn elephant: juggling family, friends, business, second business, personal brand. That’s not just one elephant, that’s a whole damn herd.
No wonder we burn out.
One of my favourite authors and digital mentors, Arianna Huffington, collapsed from complete exhaustion in 2007. Smashing her face against her desk on the way down was the wake-up call she didn’t know she needed.
Although I’m a massive advocate of the hustle (a controversial statement, but I thrive when I’m busy). I’ve also been through fatigue and burnout before and it’s not pretty for me, my family, my business or my friends.
I blow things up, like everything in my path…so maybe I need to learn to eat the elephant more slowly and take time to thoughtfully digest it.
And like me maybe in 2023 you need to step back and review your business because the aim is to be refreshed and renewed in 2023, not exhausted and overwhelmed.
Having lived through it, I believe these are some of the warning signs that you might be eating too much of the elephant:
- Everyone tells you
Please listen to the people around you that love you. I now realise that when I’m completely overwhelmed everyone can see it, except me. My staff tell me that they don’t know how I’m still standing and managing all the things. Even my website designer told me I was trying to eat the whole elephant. If everyone around you is saying the same thing, maybe listen. - Your tolerance is a wafer-thin
If you have a very short fuse… it’s probably time have a lie down. Look, I understand sometimes it’s cathartic to get things off your chest, and most times in retrospect the person, client or thing wasn’t serving your values or goals anymore anyway. But let’s try and bid them a beige farewell instead of lighting it on fire shall we? - You’re running on empty
You get words wrong, you forget what you were saying regularly and you stop making sense. Avoid being Yoda and take that trip to Bali, your battery’s low, you need to stop and refill your tank, no one wants to see your small business implode because you’re so exhausted. - It’s not fun anymore
Is everything a chore? Does going to work bring forth existential dread? Are you doubting every single idea and choice you’re making? Fatigue, stress and burnout paint everything grey. It’s hard to feel joy when you’re in this state. It’s time for the old IT trick, turn yourself off for a while and you’ll return refreshed and reenergised. - Creativity is a long-lost friend
Without space in your brain, creativity will pack up and leave the building. Believe it or not, taking time out will make you more creative in your business, and you’ll be able to work faster too. Give yourself a break and you’ll be surprised how things start falling into place.
Like I said, I’m a massive fan of the hustle, but there are only so many glass balls you can keep in the air before you drop one and it shatters.
Instead, in 2023 let’s work on knowing our own limits and look at that as a strength.
