The Power of Daily Habits for Personal and Business Growth

Welcome to episode 105 of Dawn of a New Era with myself, Dawn McGruer, the Business Growth Coach. And in today's episode, we're going to be talking about the power of daily habits for business growth. So as entrepreneurs and business owners, we're always focused on growth and expansion. But have you ever stopped to consider how your habits impact the success of your business?

Let's first define what we mean by habits. Now, habits are the small, often unconscious behaviors that we do repetitively, usually daily. They can be positive or negative and contributing to our success or even hindering it. So how do daily habits impact business growth?

Well, the truth is, small daily habits can make a big difference in our overall success. They can help us build momentum, maintain focus, and ultimately achieve our goals. So what are some of the daily habits that can help us achieve business success? The first habit is about setting goals.

Now, this is something that I talk a lot about in the Growth Coach app. For some of you, you may have already downloaded our brand new app, but for you guys who are listening who haven't done it yet, go and do it now. It is in all of the app stores, so iOS and Android, and you just simply type in the Growth Coach app. Now, it's absolutely free to download, but there is an option for you to upgrade to accelerate your result.

So, as part of the app, there are lots of free resources, all dedicated around growth. This covers your life and business, but we've also built in a very unique 30-day growth challenge. Now, the reason it's so unique is that you will get a skills assessment, first of all. Now, this is actually looking at your growth and success, and you're being scored across 10 pillars of success.

These are things that balance across your life and business all of the time, the things that have to be in balance to really make you feel contented and happy. And this is all part of, obviously, the daily habits. Now, in conjunction with this podcast episode, take some of the tips that I'm going to leave with you, and also go and download the Growth Coach app. As I say, it's free.

There's lots of free resources. You do have the opportunity to upgrade to get access to the full 30-day challenge. Let me give you a little bit of a tip here. It's an insider secret.

We have been using the 30-day challenge for many, many years, and we've been honing it, developing it, to the point now that we know that on average, once someone has completed the challenge, they have actually seen boosts and uplift of around about 20% minimum across these 10 pillars of success. So let's get cracking, and let's get into the— The first habit, which is setting daily goals. Now, taking the time each day to set small achievable goals contributes to our sense of accomplishment and helps us maintain focus and motivation. Now, these daily goals can contribute to our long-term objectives and ultimately lead to business growth.

And this is why I am so passionate about implementing these habits into your day-to-day activities. And the great thing is, is that when we developed the challenge, we actually decided that this is not just a one-off thing. Imagine what it would be like if you could catapult your growth, if you could start to really understand and recognize what your true potential was, and in fact, start achieving limitless growth. So this kind of brings me on to the second habit, which is mindfulness.

In the fast-paced world of business, we can often lose sight of the present moment and become consumed with future objectives. And all too often, I myself have fallen into this trap by using the app myself and by really embedding and getting involved and being conscious and mindful of my daily habits, using these bite-sized videos just to kind of reconnect with my focus. It's a game changer because when you practice mindfulness, even just for a few minutes each day, you can reduce stress, improve focus, and increase productivity. So you can imagine that when you start to get into this on a regular basis, you're doing these micro actions that are taking just a few minutes a day, that it's a complete different way of life.

When we think about contentment, of course, you know, this all adds into it because this is not just about traditional growth. This is about your own personal development. How you feel about your life, how you're connecting with other people, and indeed, yes, of course, how your business is impacting. But is it aligned to your why?

Is it achieving your dreams and goals? So this habit can have a direct impact not just on your business growth, but it can absolutely change the way that we live. The third habit is commitment to learning. So whether it's reading industry news, attending webinars, or participating in training sessions, okay, think about dedicating time each day to learning new skills or expanding knowledge.

Now this can have a direct impact on your business growth and obviously life. And the thing is here is you start to see that these micro shifts, these small steady steps, they build momentum, almost like a ripple effect across your life and business. Now this causes, in turn, huge, huge changes. And often these changes are at such a deep level that we would never be able to connect with it if we just did it as a one-off.

Now imagine as you build each month, redoing things like the 30-day challenge, we have seen people do the challenge, you know, once, twice, three times, and they've gone from someone who was maybe less content with their day-to-day life, they've redesigned their whole life. And that has happened very, very quickly. And this is one of the fascinating things, that when you look at the neuroscience behind daily habits, it's all about just getting something done. And it's all too easy, isn't it, to get stuck in the whole procrastination, the perfectionism, the self-sabotage around it because it feels overwhelming to change one big thing.

But when you attack it and you start looking at handling it on a daily level, these are little tasks that once you complete them, you're one step closer, okay? So the fourth habit is consistent. And consistent networking. I don't mean just the traditional networking of going to a BNI event or something like that.

I'm talking about networking, which is essential for expanding your contacts and gaining new opportunities, as well as growing your brand. But it's also important at a base level. This is about connecting with friends and families and colleagues, building people into your lives that are having a positive impact. We often get caught up in the speed of life whereby you say to someone, you know, I'll catch up with you in a few weeks' time, and it never happens.

And we're not just into months, we're into years. So taking the time each day to reach out to potential clients, attend industry events, or participate in some sort of online event or forum, it creates this domino effect of opportunities and growth across life and business. And just by having this, it could be five, 10, 15 minutes of time just reconnecting with someone, we start to see the joy in relationships. Now, the fifth one and final habit is self-care.

And I think we can all agree, absolutely here, that there has been times that our self-care goes to the bottom of a list, and sometimes more often than anything else. Our business success is directly related to our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. But why is it so hard? Because often we create such a focus on our loved ones and other things that we put them up in a higher level of importance.

If we are not right, if we're not performing, then our businesses won't go forward, but nor will our lives. And actually, it will impact more negatively on other things we're doing, even relationships that we will not be mindful or present or committed to because we don't feel good. This is one that I feel very passionate about, and I urge you to really take stock and look at where is, you know, your CEO self-care in your diary. If we start to treat it like a business objective, like an activity, like something that is so important, we'll get it done.

So taking time each day to care for ourselves, whether it's exercise or meditation or enjoying a hobby, promotes an overall sense of well-being that contributes to our ability to focus on achieving our goals and growing our business. So the power of daily habits for business growth and for our lives cannot be underestimated. And this is why I dedicated so much time to Creating and developing an app, and the Growth Coach app was born. You know, it was no small feat.

It wasn't easy to create all of the videos that went with the challenge and the activities. We wanted to implement a community and trackers, so it's taken time.

But we handled this in small bite-sized actions. And as we were doing this, I was really kind of feeling into and connecting with the daily habits myself. And I'm pleased to say that it's had a huge impact, a massive shift in the way that I work, the way that I live, the way that I feel. And these small habits done consistently over time can contribute to explosive life and business growth.

So whether it's setting daily goals, practicing mindfulness, committing to learning, or consistent networking and seeing friends, family and loved ones too, or self-care, incorporating positive habits into our daily routines can have significant impact on our businesses. And the thing is, is that we're here to live life once. And one of the things that I really want to talk about on this podcast is that I have just run the most amazing retreat in Marrakesh. I cannot tell you the joy that I feel.

I came back and I feel so inspired and just so lucky to have met these women who have changed how I feel, but also collaborated on a level that they've made lifelong friends. But while we were there, one of the things that actually happened is we experienced the earthquakes in Marrakesh. And, you know, being in Morocco when that happened, when there hasn't been an earthquake in, what, like 50 years, it was a shock. It definitely was.

But one of the things it did is it definitely bonded our group. We came together. If that can't shake us, you know, excuse the pun, then what can? And I think the thing here is, is that it scared the living daylights out of us, and it changed the way we focused, and we really showed up in a different way in gratitude, mindfulness, putting our energy into things that we could influence, as well as obviously donating to help the villages, the people that have been impacted by it.

And I think one of the things that was important for us is that People see it's happened, it's devastating, but don't stop going to Marrakesh. Don't stop, you know, feeding the tourism. We often think, you know, when these awful things happen, that it's disrespectful or to avoid these places. But, you know, the opposite is true.

They need help and support. And for me, it definitely will be a retreat I will never forget for so many reasons. But as much as that adversity hits us, we came together as such a solid community, and we started to really view what we were there for differently. You know, we were there to work on our businesses, to grow as individuals, to really connect with our mindfulness and our motivation, and share an act of kindness.

And one of the commitments we made on the retreat is that we were all going to do a random act of kindness. And for me, one of the things I'm going to be doing is I'm going to do one random act of kindness every day, but I'm going to switch it. I'm going to do one for other people, and because self-care often goes to the bottom of my list, I'm going to do one for me. And these daily habits are game changers.

This was born out of adversity, but I guarantee it will change my joy and it will change others. So let's just take a minute in this podcast to remember the people and the things around us that are important, and to practice gratitude, because you are important. You deserve the absolute joy and success in life. So do one thing today that's changing things for you, okay?

And, you know, if that's the Growth Coach app or implementing any of the actions from today's podcast, or just a random act of kindness for the next 30 days, come and let me know and share your wins and your stories and your success in terms of your growth. And any feedback from today's podcast, please let me know. Connect on all the normal channels, and don't forget to follow the podcast and make sure that you tell other people if you've enjoyed it. So have an amazing week and take care, and I will see you on the next podcast.

Thank you for listening to Dawn of a New Era podcast, and for your free checklist to find out how to boost your business for growth, profit, and success, and join our community, go to dawnmcgruer.com.