Recognising the Repeating Patterns in Your Business
Have you ever found yourself thinking, “How am I back here again?”
Another difficult relationship. Another unfinished project. Another week where you still feel guilty about taking time off.
You work through one problem, move on, and then find yourself facing something remarkably similar.
Different people. Different circumstances. The same familiar feelings.
What keeps bringing you back to the same place?
One of the things I'm particularly good at is recognising patterns, and it's a big part of the work I do with my clients.
Because your business reflects more than your strategy and systems. It can also reveal your beliefs, your experiences and the way you respond to the world around you.
I've seen this show up in different ways.
You find yourself working with people who repeatedly cross your boundaries, take advantage of your generosity or leave you feeling betrayed. Their behaviour is their responsibility, of course. But importantly you’ve got to recognise the part you play in recreating these patterns.
Do you speak up? Do you say what you need? Or do you keep the peace, give people another chance and hope things will change?
The way we handle relationships often has roots in earlier experiences. If speaking up once led to criticism, you learned to stay quiet. If keeping everyone happy earned you approval, you become used to putting other people's needs ahead of your own.
Those responses can follow us into business, even when they're no longer serving us.
I've also worked with people who have plenty of ideas and enthusiasm, but struggle to finish what they start. A new opportunity comes along, another priority takes over, or a project gets close to completion and suddenly feels much harder to finish.
It's worth asking yourself what happens at that point. Are you worried about being judged? Are you concerned your work won't be recognised? Does starting something new feel easier than putting the finished work out into the world?
What's getting in the way isn't a lack of discipline. There's something underneath the behaviour that needs to be understood.
And then there's the difficulty of switching off.
You started your business because you wanted more freedom. You wanted to have more control over your time and create a life that worked for you.
Yet, even when business is going well, you struggle to take time off. You find more work to do, feel uncomfortable taking a break and measure your worth by how much you get done.
When did being busy become how you measure your value?
If you've learned to feel valued by being useful, helping others or meeting everyone's expectations, rest can feel surprisingly uncomfortable. You can build a successful business and still struggle to give yourself permission to enjoy the life it provides.
But your value extends far beyond your productivity. You can grow your business, earn well and make room for the things that matter outside work.
The first step is recognising what's happening.
When you notice a familiar situation unfolding, pause for a moment. What are you feeling? What are you telling yourself? How are you responding, and is that response helping you get the outcome you want?
You don't need to blame yourself for what other people do or for every challenge that comes your way. The point is to understand what you can influence, so you have more choice in how you move forward.
Some patterns have deep roots in our childhood experiences and unmet needs. Understanding those connections can take time, and having the right support can make a real difference.
This is a big part of the work I do through The Turning Point to help people understand recurring patterns and work through what's underneath them.
Because once you recognise a pattern, you can start making different choices. And those choices can change how you experience your relationships, how you approach your work and how you build your business.
The next time you catch yourself thinking, “Here we go again,” take a closer look.
What is this situation showing you, and what could you do differently this time?
That's the conversation I'm exploring in Episode 161 of The Coaching Circle.
If you keep finding yourself in familiar situations with people, projects or the way you spend your time, I'd love you to listen.
🎧 Listen to Episode 161: Recognising the Repeating Patterns in Your Business
As you listen, consider this:
What keeps showing up in your business, and what could change if you understood the pattern behind it?
