Financial Playbook For Change

Mindfulness Mode

Colin Sanburg helps business owners discover an effective financial playbook for change in their business. Colin is a multi-business owner and Founder of FinElevate, a strategic finance firm that transforms numbers into profitable insights rather than mere expense categorization. As CEO and owner of manufacturing, distribution, and service businesses, Colin developed a passion for simplifying small business finance and empowering fellow entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams. He launched several mastermind groups, dedicating countless hours to providing advice and support. Over time, Colin became the trusted advisor for financial strategy within his network.

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• Website: www.finelevate.com

Most Influential Person

• My CPA (A Mentor)

Effect On Emotions

• I can be an intense and critical person. The best thing about mindfulness, for me, is similar to when a speaker doesn't hear themselves say “um.” The first step is to hear yourself say it, so you can eventually remove it from your vocabulary.
• Mindfulness works the same way with emotions. The first step is recognizing in the moment that you're being intense. Once you master that, you can hopefully catch it right before it happens.
• The real breakthrough comes when you start to experience the emotion and recognize that it doesn't have to be that way. I'm not there all the time, but when I am, it changes my life.
• I can decide not to get worked up, accept things as they are, and move on without wasting energy on it.

Thoughts On Breathing

• I don't know if you're familiar with it, but my favorite breathing technique is the four-sided box breathing. It might have been developed by the military or popularized through their use, but I find it really impactful.
• When I go on stage, I feel this overwhelming burst of energy. If I don't express it physically, I can't calm down, which is strange because I'm an introvert and don't usually feel this way. It's the best way I can describe the nerves of getting up there.
• What I found is that using the four-sided box breathing helps. You count a set number of seconds—four, three, five, whatever you're comfortable with—for each part of the breath. You take that time to inhale, hold the breath in, exhale, and then hold the breath out. If you take the same amount of time for each of those four sides and go through a number of cycles, it really helps.
• It gets tough when you have to hold the breath with your lungs empty. If you can't do that, it's a sign you're breathing too shallow and not getting good enough breaths.
• For me, it's both a diagnostic tool and a way to force myself to slow down and calm my breathing.

Bullying Story

• The best example of bullying I've experienced is with a former business partner, a family member whose business I bought into and ultimately bought out. This happened later in my career when I had mindfulness, but I could have handled it better. It was a controlling situation. I ran the business for several years but wasn't the majority owner at the time.
• Everyone knew it was time for me to buy the company, which both sides believed. However, there was this element of bullying because they knew how much I had invested in making the company successful and how much progress I'd made.
• The approach was bizarre and unprofessional, with talks about me buying the company but them still controlling it.
• Mindfulness has taught me a lot. Now, thanks to Chris Voss's book “Never Split the Difference,” I understand things better and don't get upset as easily.
• The biggest shift would have been to anticipate such situations, not let them visibly upset me, and instead process, plan, and work my way out of it calmly.

Suggested Resources

• Book: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss
• Book: The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday
• App: Calm / Headspace

Related Episodes

Embrace Money Mindfulness; Spencer Sherman

Reboot Your Mind So Money Will Flow; Nana Jokura

Become Money Fit With Mindfulness; Todd Christensen

Offer From Bruce

Seeking relief from stress and anxiety? As a coach and hypnotist, I'm here to help you conquer your inner critic so you can confidently thrive. Email me at [e-mail] with ‘I Am Determined' for a free coaching session. Let me help you pave the way to a fulfilling life.