Thanks for sticking with me. Here are the last three saboteurs to watch out for...
Hidden Saboteur #7: Lying to yourself
Have you ever said, “I’m going to make 60 calls to prospects today,” and only end up making a handful of those calls? Or swear to yourself that you’ll start that project to write your book, or quit smoking, or change your diet, or countless other promises that have not been kept.
Lying to ourselves is really pretty common. I can tell you that the successful people I talk to are head and shoulders more truthful with themselves than those who are struggling to find success. When a million-dollar business owner says they are going to do something, they do it.
I wonder what would happen to your business if you became a master of integrity? What if you were they type of person who, when you said you were going to do something, you made it happen, every time? What would you have to change in your life to make that shift really stick?
I’ll give you one strategy that I have found to be an absolute must to stop the lies. It everyone’s favorite word in the world, ACCOUNTABILITY! I know you will be successful if you set up a good accountability structure. Surround yourself with people who really, truly, believe you when you say you’re going to be great. Find people to put into your life who will support you, encourage you, and never let you be less than your best.
Give it a shot and see what happens.
Hidden Saboteur #8: Failure to Play
I was writing this section and in the three times I typed in the heading, I wrote “Failure to Play.” What I was intending to write was “Failure to Plan.” I figured this must be a sign. So, here’s the failure to plan part. I work with many business owners and I can pretty much tell you with great certainty that the majority of small businesses do not do nearly enough planning and strategizing. With that said, 1) Do more planning 2) Call me if you need help. And that’s all I’m going to say about that…for now. :)
Failure to play, is way too awesome to leave off the list. I hear all the time how people are “working like a dog.” My observation is we work too hard, then we get tired, then we keep working, and pretty soon we’re grouchy and productivity has decreased dramatically. Too often I see small business owners getting mentally fatigued. It’s not as easy to notice as being physically fatigued which causes us to need to literally rest. Mental fatigue occurs more in the form of being indecisive, less crisp with thoughts and ideas, agitation, and an overall decline in productivity. Typically I see people trying to power through the mental fatigue, which rarely works well and usually leads to a increased stress, physical illness, and a crash.
That’s where play comes in. When I was a kid and I was struggling to get a school project done, or finish some important homework, my mom would send me out to play. “Get out of the house,” she’d say. And being a kid I was always looking for a good reason to go play. The reality was that when I’d go take a break, do something fun that I truly enjoyed, then I’d come back in and crank out that homework in no time. I would probably get ten times the amount of work done in half the time when I was coming from a state of play and a light energy.
Take a look to see where you can add some more play and light energy to your daily routine and kick the “failure to play” saboteur. With that said, 1) Play more 2) Call me if you need help…playing. :)
Hidden Saboteur #9: Analysis Paralysis
The trick to overcoming the analysis paralysis saboteur is to develop a system for speed,
The greatest piece of advice I’ve yet to master is the concept of GSDF, Get Stuff Done Fast!! Speed is king when it comes to business development. I’m definitely not saying that you need to do your job fast. I’m saying when it comes to developing your business, "Git ‘r done!" FAST.
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to who tell me they are not ready to start a coaching program because they want to get certain stuff done first. Then I speak with them three months later and they’re still not any farther along. Had they invested in coaching, which is just like investing in speed for your business, they would likely be done with those projects that have been lingering AND moved on to even better ones that produce even bigger results.
To cure the analysis paralysis focus on speed and GSDF!!!
Saboteur #10: Passion Procrastination
I used to wonder how the masters of success were able to get so much done in their lifetime. I
wondered how I was going to be able to get all the stuff done that I wanted. Then I learned the power of passion.
With passion, there is no time clock. There is no feeling of being tired. There is no experience of frustration or disappointment. There is only the pure desire and will to learn, grow, and be a little better today than yesterday.
Putting off being passionate is the worst saboteur of all. The secret lies in these two important words, “BE PASSIONATE.” This was my biggest lesson. I used to think that passion was something that happened to me. That I had to seek it, find it, and that one day it would become clear what my passion was. The truth is that passion is not something to find it is something to become. It’s a choice not a treasure.
Try it this week. Commit to being passionate. Pick something that you really truly want for your life and light the burning flame of desire. Spend every waking moment stoking the fire. Then just watch and see what kind of results you begin producing. Watch and see how people begin responding to you differently. And watch and see what opportunities begin to just fall into your lap completely out of the blue.