I got a little (or big) secret to share with you…
January 14, 2010 by Christiane
Filed under Our Blog
People who you think are doing so well may be barely squeaking by (or even on the verge of a complete business collapse).
They may look like they have it all. Their social media presence is great, they have a fabulous looking website or blog, they spend all this time talking in their newsletter about all the wonderful things they’re doing.
But, when you look past the façade, what you’ll see is a business built on smoke and mirrors. There’s nothing solid or real about it. It’s what she calls an “imaginary” business.
(Perhaps you have one of these too. More on that in a moment.)
The worst part about this is no one is talking about it. No one. In fact, it’s become the last of the taboo subjects.
And if that wasn’t enough, this taboo subject has the potential of crippling your business and your life too. (Yes, this has the potential of spilling into your personal and family life, and destroying it as well.)
But, this is all about to change. You see, Alexis (and I in the background) are on a mission to pull back the curtain and shine the light on these dark, hidden corners of entrepreneurship. In fact she is SO committed to this mission she has put together an entire manifesto about it.
And please, do your friends, associates, clients and more a favor and tell them about it and have them go download their own copy. This is life-changing information. And my mission is to share it with every single entrepreneur out there so you too know what it really takes to create your meaningful AND profitable business.
Distraction: The Silent Business Killer
As I was helping my daughter with her math yesterday, she was thinking about the school play, her upcoming birthday party and playing a game of Sequence with her grandparents. In other words, her mind was on anything but making a chart to plot the coordinates on the graph paper. The end result was total frustration for her and using up most afternoon doing math rather than having time to play outside.
Are you staring at your computer screen wishing you were outdoors or at the beach? Are you zipping from task to task without finishing any of your goals for the week? Are you feeling internally frustrated that your hard work is not coming through in your business?
In this noisy world of ours, focusing and concentrating are very challenging tasks! It is so tempting to answer email while writing an article or answering the phone whenever it rings. Facebook, Ning and Twitter give us immediate information gratification but they are like a black hole in terms of our time management.
Having the discipline to stay focused on the path is critical to business growth. When we are sidetracked mediocre work results and business stagnates. Mediocre work does not attract new clients, inspire creativity or lead to focused business growth and an internal feeling of satisfaction.
In order to know where you are getting stuck, answer the following questions:
1. Where are you losing focus?
2. What gets you sidetracked?
3. How do you refocus?
4. What good focusing habits do you do now and how can you strengthen those?
Think of your favorite actor before and during an amazing performance in a play or movie. They are striving for excellence and have a laser focus during the performance. I believe Anthony Hopkins in “Silence of The Lambs” as Hannibal Lector is a perfect illustration. He embodied a serial killer with each movement and his focus was palpable. Now, sustaining that intensity is not realistic for hours on end but at the critical points in your day extreme focus may be necessary.
Commit to observing yourself for a few days and if you feel inspired, recording when you are most distracted. Also, pay closest attention to when you are very focused and accomplish a great deal. Plan your work accordingly; whatever requires intense focus such as writing an article needs to be done during the focused time of the day.
Next, challenge yourself to pick 3 things for business growth that happen first in the day before anything else gets done. What about finding a new joint venture partner or co-sponsoring an event with another business? It is exciting because you are visualizing the future for your business and trying something you have never done before. Business growth and stategy won’t get lost in the mix of a busy day when they are done first.
I wish laser focus as your business blossoms,
Lydia
Are You Naturally Curious?
Curiosity is critical for an entrepreneur. With increasing competition and tight financial times, it is the unique character trait of curiosity that allows a leader to shift as the world shifts and to keep her business fresh and exciting to the consumer.
My family has many curious individuals and natural leaders. My Dad is one of the most curious people I know who taught me to question everything. He was an Episcopal priest who burned every sermon after giving it to avoid the temptation of recycling one and becoming stale. Currently, I am married to a curious man who creates a unique and fresh look for each film he shoots. However, the most curious individuals that I know are young children. They consistently question the world and wonder why things are a certain way.
Taking time to nourish curiosity is important for business growth. How do you nourish your curiosity? What fresh ideas do you have? What new paths for your business do you plan to explore?
Here are 5 ideas for boosting your natural curiosity:
1. Read. It challenges you to think and gives you new ideas to try for your business.
2. Travel. Meeting new people and getting out of your workspace immediately breeds fresh curiosity.
3. Meditate. Listen to your intuition and inner voice of curiosity without your brain talking you out of it!
4. Write. Free flow writing or journaling will help you to get the many ideas in your head in a more logical form on paper.
5. Spend time with and observe young children. They are free from self-imposed rules and innately curious about the world. Think of Tom Hanks in the movie “Big.”
“Curious is the key word…It has to do with a desire to understand, a desire to try, a desire to push whatever envelope is interesting. Leaders are curious because they can’t wait to find out what the group is going to do next.” Seth Godin, Tribes.
May you feel inspired to question,
Lydia
Walk Through The Fire To Grow Your Business
This blog is a combination of marketing tool reviews and entrepreneurial lifecoaching. It is our desire to guide you through the sea of marketing overwhelm – not just saving you money, time and effort – but also keeping you sane and mindful so that you can grow your business with integrity, reliance and joy, freeing you from feeling stuck, under-inspired or overwhelmed.
