Sustainable Foundations | Business Operations & Sustainable Growth for Christian Women Entrepreneurs

How Christians are Called to be like God

Ephesians 5:1-2 calls us to be imitators of God. It emphasizes the importance of embodying God's love, compassion, and selflessness in our actions and interactions with others.

1 Peter 1:15-16 underscores that we are called to live in a manner that reflects God's purity, righteousness, and moral excellence.

Matthew 5:48 speaks to the idea of aligning our lives with God's character and striving for spiritual maturity and integrity.

Godly Attributes We Can Never Obtain While we are called to imitate, reflect, and align our lives with certain attributes that mirror the divine, there are some qualities we were never meant to obtain. Much like the temptation that led Adam and Eve astray, seeking to obtain certain attributes can lure us down a treacherous path. They yearned for the knowledge of good and evil. Our modern desire is for qualities such as omnipresence (being everywhere at one time), omniscient (all-knowing), and self-sufficiency that can ensnare us. In today's episode, we are going to talk about the desire to be everywhere at one time. Something in reality that only God can do. How do you know if you are unknowingly attempting to be everywhere at one time? The Need to Prioritize Purposefully Those who struggle with this are constantly packing their schedule with meetings, events, and tasks, often double-booking themselves while trying to be in multiple places at once. Their calendar is a hectic maze of meetings, tasks, and commitments. They are constantly racing against time to be everywhere at once and feel stretched thin. Instead of trying to be everywhere at once, what if you took a step back and turned to God for wisdom in prioritizing your time according to His purpose? Then identify what truly aligns with your purpose and allocate your time accordingly. If you desire to learn how to prioritize what truly matters for your family and business and desire to reclaim your calendar. Join my Free Gain Control of Your Day Challenge and unlock a more purposeful and balanced life. I'll link the challenge in the show notes below. Another way someone could unknowingly be attempting to be everywhere at one time is through a lack of delegation.

https://ashleighfoy.com/gain-control-of-your-day

The Need to Delegate with Trust The word that leaves a pit in every business owner's stomach. I get it, our businesses are our babies, How can anyone else be trusted to provide the same level of support that I can? What if they ruin my business's reputation... Here's a thought… What if by not... YOU ARE ruining it... Those who struggle with this often refuse to delegate tasks either to other people or by implementing technology. They and insistent on overseeing every detail of every project. They lack the trust in other people or technology to handle the task the way they would. Struggling with letting go and delegating tasks to others is a common challenge amongst Christian business owners and often leads to burnout. So, how can we break free from this cycle? You don't want to just start delegating tasks. No one wins when you do that. You need to have a system in place that allows you to properly hand over the task. This means that the person who is responsible for this task has complete ownership... not you piecemealing them each step along the way. How do I do that Ashleigh? You need a way to be able to show the big picture so that your team understands how they fit in and then provide step-by-step instructions so they know that they are doing it right and you have confidence that it is being accomplished how you would do it. WITHOUT YOU DRIVING IT. Again, Ashleigh How do I do that? First, you need to understand your process inside and out and you need to be able to relay that to your team. This is called a Process Map and I have a guide that walks you through exactly how to do this. It's all about getting a clear picture of your business processes and making them work smarter. Once you've got the processes mapped out you'll see tasks and responsibilities with crystal clarity. You then take those tasks and milestones (phases) and apply them to a task Management system such as Click Up (my fav). This allows you to track where each client is without having to tag in with the team constantly or do a deep dive into your inbox if you are a solopreneur. With these two things in place, you'll become a delegation ninja, confidently assigning tasks, setting expectations, and giving clear directions. Your workload? Lighter. Your team? Empowered. Don't have a team? No worries, this guide is a great tool to help you identify what you can automate and what only you can do. With the power of automation technology taking care of routine tasks, you have more time for big strategic moves within your business. Check out the link to my Process Mapping Guide below in the show notes. https://ashleighfoy.com/process-mapping-guide Another way you could unknowingly be attempting to be everywhere at one time is through a lack of boundaries. The Need to Set Digital Boundaries Those who suffer from a lack of boundaries have a need to be always available. They feel pressured to respond to every email, message, or notification instantly, even if it's outside regular working hours. Does this sound like you? When you are constantly responding to emails and messages it leaves little room for focused work. We didn't start businesses to be our own VA. In order for your business and life to thrive, you have to get off your phone and out of your inbox. We need to be purposeful with our time. Setting boundaries around your digital communications allows you to be present where it truly matters without constant distractions. A few ideas for boundaries would be:

• Set specific times during the day when you check and respond to emails and messages. Communicate these windows to your team, clients, or contacts so they know when to expect your response. Outside of these windows, focus on deep work and tasks that require your full attention.
• Utilize auto-response messages during non-communication hours or when you're engaged in focused work. Let people know that you'll respond during your designated communication windows and provide an alternative point of contact for urgent matters.
• Adjust your notification settings to only receive alerts for truly urgent matters. Mute non-essential notifications during work hours to minimize distractions and maintain your focus. This allows you to manage your responses more intentionally. I recently adjusted the notifications to my social media and it was a game-changer but that's for another episode.

By implementing these boundaries, you can create a healthier balance between staying responsive and dedicating time to focused, meaningful work. Another way you could unknowingly be attempting to be everywhere at one time is through a need to select quality over quantity. The Need to Select Quality over Quantity Those who suffer from this are trying to maintain a strong presence on all marketing platforms simultaneously, and attempting to engage with every comment and post in real-time. We are told that we have to be on every platform doing all the things, responding to every comment, and sharing in real time or we won't be successful. My friend, that is the furthest thing from the truth. When it comes to marketing your business, quality and consistency matter more than quantity.

• Start by seeking God's guidance, when looking to identify the platforms that align with your purpose. Start with one. Master a solid strategy and then move on to another.
• Purposefully plan out and create content in advance to minimize the daily stress of having to come up with what to post that day.
• Create content in advance utilizing batch tasking so that you can maintain consistency without having to be on the platform every day all day long.
• Use scheduling tools to plan and automate posts, giving you more time for meaningful engagement.
• This allows you the opportunity to jump on once or twice a day to respond to comments and engage with followers.

If you are like me, No feels like a dirty word when you know that you can help someone. But let's be real, we are only one person. We need to practice discerning and prioritizing our commitments. This leads me to the last way you could unknowingly be attempting to be everywhere at one time is through overcommitting. The Need to Discern and Prioritize Your Commitments Those who suffer from this often agree to take on too many responsibilities, they say yes to every opportunity that comes their way, and subsequently spread themselves too thin. While it might feel like proving your worth, taking on more and more often leads to burnout. It's a trap many of us fall into, but there's a way to say yes with intention and purpose.

• Seeking God's wisdom, you can discern between opportunities that align with His plan for you and those that may distract from it.
• Pray for the courage to graciously decline what doesn't serve your purpose.
• Be selective and deliberate in your commitments, ensuring you can give your best to the ventures that matter most.

These are real struggles that many of us face, myself included. The need to be everywhere at the same time in our lives and businesses can lead us down a path of burnout and frustration. It's a journey of realizing that being everywhere at once isn't sustainable or necessary for our success. In the end, constantly trying to be in multiple places at once can lead to less growth, more exhaustion, and missing out on opportunities. This can hold us back from fully realizing our potential in both our personal and professional lives. Purposeful Strategies These solutions offer a way out of the omnipresence trap guided by seeking God's wisdom and relying on His strength. By intentionally allocating your time, trusting your systems and team, setting boundaries, and focusing on meaningful commitments with His guidance, you're not just escaping the frenzy – you're carving space for purposeful growth and impactful endeavors, with God at the center of it all. Thank you for joining me in Part One of this enlightening three-part series. We've dived deep into the idea of letting go of the unattainable attribute of omnipresence, recognizing our human limits, and discovering guided solutions. If you found value in this exploration, get ready for what's coming next. In parts two and three, we'll uncover two more ways we often attempt to mimic qualities of God that were never intended for us. We'll delve into their impact on our families and businesses, and most importantly, I'll equip you with insights and strategies to break free from these patterns. I'll see you in Part Two!

Loved this episode? Come hang out with me on Instagram at @sustainable_foundations where I share behind-the-scenes rhythms, encouragement, and practical ways to build your business God's way.

And if you're looking for a resource I mentioned, you can find everything waiting for you here: https://ashleighfoy.com/resources