Accomplishment = contentment. Those who have grown a business from infancy to success can attest to that fact and they will also tell you that it took every ounce of energy they had to get there. They learned to have faith in themselves, knowing that they could complete the necessary steps to accomplish their goal. What advice do they have for others?
Use your self motivation to take on extra work or even multiple jobs if that is what is needed. Sometimes working extra hard is healthy, it keeps your mind off troubles that you can’t do anything about at the present time and helps you to focus on what is important. Overcoming what seem like insurmountable obstacles gives you the confidence to take giant leaps forward in your business and reach goals that you thought were unattainable.
Sometimes gratitude needs to be directed toward inward. Never forget to appreciate yourself. Recognizing your abilities and strengths that you are especially good at is what got you this far in the first place.
Be conscious of where you spend your time. Using a time tracker for a week or two will show you where you waste precious minutes on the unimportant. Living a life of your own choosing, while being able to provide financially for yourself and your family, is not an opportunity that everyone has.
Reduce or eliminate distractions that keep you from working at your best. These could be demands from others, social events or just a noisy neighbourhood. Being able to concentrate on your work is of utmost importance if you wish to succeed. Running a business isn’t just about passion. If it was, more people would be doing it. Realizing that the hard work comes first and is the most important step means you’re way ahead of most small business owners. Many new business owners hire members of a virtual team to take care of any tasks that are getting in the way of getting ahead of their competitors.
Don’t get in the way of your own success by not taking care of your physical and emotional needs. It is up to you to decide whether or not you have the ability and the focus to do what needs to be done to balance out your life, one that includes your own business.
Keep in mind that in order to maintain your strength you also need to maintain a healthy body, both physically and emotionally. Don’t over schedule your life to the point of exhaustion. Productivity and relaxation go hand in hand to create physical well being and less stress. Prioritizing your day so the essentials come first (and this includes relaxation) makes for a balanced lifestyle and improved health. Mix up your day to include work and fun.
Include your social life in your schedule. Since some people need more time alone than others, this will vary from person to person. There are many who need a certain amount of solitude every day to be at their best and get stressed out when that time isn’t available.
Take advantage of the opportunities that running a business brings – the social contacts, the information about new businesses that may work well with yours and at the same time, identify those things which don’t work well for you and eliminate them if possible.
Identify your personal strengths: communication skills, good judgement, adaptability, integrity. Are you a good listener? Persuasive? Able to juggle multiple priorities? Take into consideration your leadership abilities, your excellent work ethic, positive outlook and well known integrity. Maybe you are great at negotiating, imaginative, innovative. These are all traits that a business owner needs to succeed.
The things in life worth having are rarely easy to attain. Self-discipline and the strength to make the right choices, and work hard for them, can be the way to happiness and contentment in running your own business.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc 2013
