In a world that has become bafflingly complex, it’s easy to forget that some secrets to business success are incredibly simple.
But their very simplicity can be deceiving, causing many entrepreneurs to ignore them, instead turning to the latest shiny objects and complex new fashions of business.
One such simple but vital element of business success is good old fashioned desire.
Take this 30 second test. I want you to think about the level of desire you have to be outstanding in business and rank it out of 10. With 1 out of 10 being complete apathy about your company and 10 out of 10 indicating a full on electrifying level of lust for business greatness.
Think about that now.
Most people, if they’re honest, will put their desire at around a 6.
And there lies their number one obstacle to achieving their corporate dreams.
Because the cold, hard truth is, no matter how much you learn about marketing, the internet, management or finance, if you do not have at least 8 out of 10 desire your chances of achieving anything outstanding in business are slim.
There are several reasons why.
Business is hard. Often boring. Always challenging. And frequently exhausting.
If you don’t have intense desire to achieve then after awhile it all just becomes a little too tough. Soon you start settling for survival rather than superlatives, a consistent profit rather than riches.
At first, business life seems easier with this more sedate attitude, but because there is so much darn competition out there, soon hungrier companies start taking your customers. And the hardships begin their inexorable increase.
The other reason white hot desire is imperative for business success is a little more controversial.
I believe that human desire is a magnet. I believe that God created humans with the ability to attract many of the things they need for their business and their life by mentally focusing on them with intensity and consistency. If we really, truly , deeply desire for our business to be successful, then after awhile we begin to attract better luck and more opportunities.
You may scoff at this, but very few billionaires do. In their quiet hours most will agree that their own piercing desire helped bring in all manner of lucky breaks that helped take them to the commercial stratosphere. Most believe in the power of desire to improve both their luck and consequently their circumstances.
If you scored yourself lowly on the desire ranking, then all is not lost.
Desire can be generated. By simply choosing to desire your goals more strongly, soon your level of desire will rise. You can assist this by both thinking more often about what you want to achieve in business and thinking more longingly about the spoils of corporate excellence.
The more you think in this way the more your desire will intensify. The more it intensifies the more action you’ll take towards your dreams. The more action you take the more you’ll refine your strategy. The more you refine your strategy the quicker you develop an effective formula for sustainable profits.
Try this simple exercise over the next week:
Before you start your business day, sit and think about your business until you lift your desire up to at least an 8 out of 10 .
Then and only then start work.
Desire works. It clarifies. It eliminates. It elevates.
For many it’s the missing ingredient in business success
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
3 Reasons People Don’t Succeed in Business - Siimon Reynolds
Are you struggling to reach your goals in business? Most people are. The fact is the vast majority of business owners fall well short of their own goals. Try as they may, they just can’t seem to get the sales they need to grow their business.
The question is why.
Of course, there are a myriad of little reasons that entrepreneurs don’t succeed, but I believe there are 3 fundamental, over arching reasons for business failure. As you read them please take a moment to rank yourself a score out of ten in each of the 3 critical areas.
1. CLARITY.
Most people aren’t crystal clear about what they want from their business. Oh sure, they know they want to make more money, but very few are completely clear about precisely where they want to take their business, in how long, and in what ways. For example they are not clear on:
So, how do you rank in the area of Clarity? Now what’s one thing you could do today to improve that?
2. SELF BELIEF.
In 1960 a plastic surgeon by the name of Dr. Maxwell Maltz discovered an amazing thing. Even after Dr. Maltz had performed plastic surgery on patients who believed they had a physical flaw, many of his patients still thought they were ugly.
Maltz realised that plastic surgery was useless unless the patient also worked on their self identity and developed their feelings of self worth. He concluded that what was really needed was plastic surgery for the mind. In other words, unless we believe in ourselves, our performance in any field (and our self respect) will be low. Since then countless studies have been done that corroborate Dr Maltz’s findings.
Running a business is tough. The obstacles are never ending and escalating, the pressures immense, the challenges to our self esteem virtually continuous. In this environment it is crucial that we continually boost our self-belief so that we feel confident enough to tackle this onslaught.
Yet I know of almost no executives or entrepreneurs who do this. It only takes a few minutes a day too. If we can create a daily morning ritual of coming up with reasons why we’ll succeed, seeing ourselves succeed in our mind’s eye, and talking to ourselves in a supportive, positive manner, then our self belief will indeed strengthen.
But I believe we must do this daily. Without consistency in our mental conditioning we will drift between believing in ourselves one day and doubting ourselves the next – the mental state of most executives today.
How do you rank yourself out of ten with Self Belief? What’s one thing you could do right now to improve that score?
3. PRODUCTIVITY.
Never before in history has the business world had such time shortages and job complexity. Endless meetings, tsunami’s of emails, To Do Lists as high as Kilimanjaro – it literally never stops. But that’s only half the problem. The other half is that we were never trained at school or university for this kind of world- we simply haven’t learnt enough productivity tools to excel in this environment.
So we are both overwhelmed by the enormity of our work tasks, and feel
Ill equipped with viable strategies to tackle them. There’s only one solution of course: start devoting more time to learning how to be productive. I’m suggesting serious study in this area, not just lightly reading a tip or two on the Internet. Only a total dedication to productivity mastery will defend us from the ever-increasing deluge of data and tasks that rise even as you read this.
Set yourself a goal of not only reading about productivity, but developing a collection of 10 time management techniques that you use every day – a quiver of productivity weapons that become central to your working life. Put them on a piece of paper and laminate it, keeping it clearly in view on your desk all day long. Soon it will become a part of you.
Unless we elevate personal productivity in our lives, we risk becoming mentally and physically exhausted by the sheer quantum of what our work life throws at us. Productivity skills are a must have, not a should have.
So thinking about this, what score would you give yourself in this area? What’s one thing you could do today to lift that score up? Ok, now take a moment to evaluate all of your scores. If you scored 7 or higher, congratulations, it’s likely you’re on top of the game of work. If you’re below 7 in any area, I urge you to start designing a system today to rectify it. Pronto.
Your success in business will directly stem from your excellence in these three arenas. Focus on them. Monitor them. Act on them. And victory will be yours.
The question is why.
Of course, there are a myriad of little reasons that entrepreneurs don’t succeed, but I believe there are 3 fundamental, over arching reasons for business failure. As you read them please take a moment to rank yourself a score out of ten in each of the 3 critical areas.
1. CLARITY.
Most people aren’t crystal clear about what they want from their business. Oh sure, they know they want to make more money, but very few are completely clear about precisely where they want to take their business, in how long, and in what ways. For example they are not clear on:
- What they want their revenues to be in per month, in 12 months and in 3 years.
- What skills they need to develop to get those results.
- What lead generation systems work best for them.
- What the best competitors are doing in their industry.
- What are the 3 best uses of their time are.
- And so on…
So, how do you rank in the area of Clarity? Now what’s one thing you could do today to improve that?
2. SELF BELIEF.
In 1960 a plastic surgeon by the name of Dr. Maxwell Maltz discovered an amazing thing. Even after Dr. Maltz had performed plastic surgery on patients who believed they had a physical flaw, many of his patients still thought they were ugly.
Maltz realised that plastic surgery was useless unless the patient also worked on their self identity and developed their feelings of self worth. He concluded that what was really needed was plastic surgery for the mind. In other words, unless we believe in ourselves, our performance in any field (and our self respect) will be low. Since then countless studies have been done that corroborate Dr Maltz’s findings.
Running a business is tough. The obstacles are never ending and escalating, the pressures immense, the challenges to our self esteem virtually continuous. In this environment it is crucial that we continually boost our self-belief so that we feel confident enough to tackle this onslaught.
Yet I know of almost no executives or entrepreneurs who do this. It only takes a few minutes a day too. If we can create a daily morning ritual of coming up with reasons why we’ll succeed, seeing ourselves succeed in our mind’s eye, and talking to ourselves in a supportive, positive manner, then our self belief will indeed strengthen.
But I believe we must do this daily. Without consistency in our mental conditioning we will drift between believing in ourselves one day and doubting ourselves the next – the mental state of most executives today.
How do you rank yourself out of ten with Self Belief? What’s one thing you could do right now to improve that score?
3. PRODUCTIVITY.
Never before in history has the business world had such time shortages and job complexity. Endless meetings, tsunami’s of emails, To Do Lists as high as Kilimanjaro – it literally never stops. But that’s only half the problem. The other half is that we were never trained at school or university for this kind of world- we simply haven’t learnt enough productivity tools to excel in this environment.
So we are both overwhelmed by the enormity of our work tasks, and feel
Ill equipped with viable strategies to tackle them. There’s only one solution of course: start devoting more time to learning how to be productive. I’m suggesting serious study in this area, not just lightly reading a tip or two on the Internet. Only a total dedication to productivity mastery will defend us from the ever-increasing deluge of data and tasks that rise even as you read this.
Set yourself a goal of not only reading about productivity, but developing a collection of 10 time management techniques that you use every day – a quiver of productivity weapons that become central to your working life. Put them on a piece of paper and laminate it, keeping it clearly in view on your desk all day long. Soon it will become a part of you.
Unless we elevate personal productivity in our lives, we risk becoming mentally and physically exhausted by the sheer quantum of what our work life throws at us. Productivity skills are a must have, not a should have.
So thinking about this, what score would you give yourself in this area? What’s one thing you could do today to lift that score up? Ok, now take a moment to evaluate all of your scores. If you scored 7 or higher, congratulations, it’s likely you’re on top of the game of work. If you’re below 7 in any area, I urge you to start designing a system today to rectify it. Pronto.
Your success in business will directly stem from your excellence in these three arenas. Focus on them. Monitor them. Act on them. And victory will be yours.
Relationship Matters
Our relationships with one another, although rich with potential, can often be the most misunderstood areas of life. Effective relationships happen when we communicate with others according to their priorities and values. This skill can be applied to every aspect of your life including your business, family and personal life.
If you've ever been in business or in love with someone beyond the initial period of infatuation, you already know that relationships don't make you happy. Instead, sometimes you perceive yourself to be feeling better, and sometimes you don't - the same as when you're on your own. Instead of imagining your life with the so-called perfect kids, lover, spouse, boss, employees, parents, friends and so on, learn to appreciate each of the people in your life for what they bring to you, and get to know their values. Effective relationships happen when each person seeks to understand and honour the other just as he or she is - 360 degrees. In this situation, people's principles are honoured, affirmed and fulfilled.
You, like every other human, focus on what's important to you. Whatever's the highest in your values hierarchy will also have the most order (that is, steady, concentrated focus and "attention surplus order".) Chaos increases as you go down the list (that is, unsteady, scattered focus, approaching "attention deficit disorder"). The master is the person who knows and applies the art of linking someone else's values to his or her own and can communicate in anyone's ideals.
Discerning what other people's values (and yours) are, is easy. Simply ask yourself, what do they fill their space and time with, and what do they spend their energy and money on? Where are they most organised and disciplined? What do they think, talk and visualise the most? What do they speak about most to others? What do they react to and what are their goals? You can learn how to do this with anyone.
Connecting your values with others is not limited to business partnerships but can also be applied to families, friends and relationships. Once mastered, you'll find it is one of the most important skills you'll ever apply in building, maintaining and enriching personal ties. The more you do this, the easier it is to talk with others, to work out perceived differences and problems, and to enrich your relationships with an even deeper sense of intimacy and connectedness. One way to know when your values are not linked to each others are when you encounter one-sided conversations, or alternating monologues, when a person speaking about what's meaningful to him or her, while the others' mind is wandering away to his or her own concerns. Either link your values, shift the conversation, or move on, because monologues are almost a sure stop for disappointing or dissatisfying relationships. Interestingly sales and relationship building are incredibly similar.
Consider the commonsense sequence of selling, which follows the same pattern as being caring (honouring someone's values), in an intimate relationship. To develop quality connections with others, you'll be required to master the art of conveying your values in terms of someone else's. Indeed, connections with your customers, employees, co-workers, or vendors may become vulnerable if you don't attend to their values. If people don't perceive their values as being honoured, then they'll naturally gravitate to new situations. You're kidding yourself if you think that their loyalty will win out; the minute the relationship stops satisfying their needs, they'll hit the road. The same applies to personal relationships.
Exercise to Communicate Effectively to Build Relationships
List your top five values on one side of a piece of paper, and write someone else's top five on the other side; ideally someone who is significant to you, such as your mate or partner - someone you'd love to communicate with more effectively and appreciate more. Now think of at least five ways in which the other person's top five values helps you fulfill your first priority. Next, list at least five ways in which your top value helps the other person fulfill theirs.
Then go down the list; write down five ways in which each of the other person's values supports your highest value and each item on your list contributes to their number one value. Continue this process for the four remaining items for each person, giving ways in which each one of your values is beneficial for every one of the other person's, and vice versa. When this is done, a new door for communication and (if desired) intimacy is opened.
If you can't see how someone else getting what they'd love gives you what you desire, then you'll naturally try to change them to your way, or you'll be compelled to find someone new. You can try to convince yourself to live and let live, but until you can see how to love and link love, you'll be drawn to something different.
Be mindful, however, that peoples' values may change. Certainly, milestones can cause priorities to shift. A life threatening illness, a midlife crisis, or the birth of a child - anything that triggers people to reassess and rethink what's important to them - so it's crucial that you continue to talk about your values with those whom you care about.
To the truth of duality.
Love and Wisdom
Dr John Demartini
If you've ever been in business or in love with someone beyond the initial period of infatuation, you already know that relationships don't make you happy. Instead, sometimes you perceive yourself to be feeling better, and sometimes you don't - the same as when you're on your own. Instead of imagining your life with the so-called perfect kids, lover, spouse, boss, employees, parents, friends and so on, learn to appreciate each of the people in your life for what they bring to you, and get to know their values. Effective relationships happen when each person seeks to understand and honour the other just as he or she is - 360 degrees. In this situation, people's principles are honoured, affirmed and fulfilled.
You, like every other human, focus on what's important to you. Whatever's the highest in your values hierarchy will also have the most order (that is, steady, concentrated focus and "attention surplus order".) Chaos increases as you go down the list (that is, unsteady, scattered focus, approaching "attention deficit disorder"). The master is the person who knows and applies the art of linking someone else's values to his or her own and can communicate in anyone's ideals.
Discerning what other people's values (and yours) are, is easy. Simply ask yourself, what do they fill their space and time with, and what do they spend their energy and money on? Where are they most organised and disciplined? What do they think, talk and visualise the most? What do they speak about most to others? What do they react to and what are their goals? You can learn how to do this with anyone.
Connecting your values with others is not limited to business partnerships but can also be applied to families, friends and relationships. Once mastered, you'll find it is one of the most important skills you'll ever apply in building, maintaining and enriching personal ties. The more you do this, the easier it is to talk with others, to work out perceived differences and problems, and to enrich your relationships with an even deeper sense of intimacy and connectedness. One way to know when your values are not linked to each others are when you encounter one-sided conversations, or alternating monologues, when a person speaking about what's meaningful to him or her, while the others' mind is wandering away to his or her own concerns. Either link your values, shift the conversation, or move on, because monologues are almost a sure stop for disappointing or dissatisfying relationships. Interestingly sales and relationship building are incredibly similar.
Consider the commonsense sequence of selling, which follows the same pattern as being caring (honouring someone's values), in an intimate relationship. To develop quality connections with others, you'll be required to master the art of conveying your values in terms of someone else's. Indeed, connections with your customers, employees, co-workers, or vendors may become vulnerable if you don't attend to their values. If people don't perceive their values as being honoured, then they'll naturally gravitate to new situations. You're kidding yourself if you think that their loyalty will win out; the minute the relationship stops satisfying their needs, they'll hit the road. The same applies to personal relationships.
Exercise to Communicate Effectively to Build Relationships
List your top five values on one side of a piece of paper, and write someone else's top five on the other side; ideally someone who is significant to you, such as your mate or partner - someone you'd love to communicate with more effectively and appreciate more. Now think of at least five ways in which the other person's top five values helps you fulfill your first priority. Next, list at least five ways in which your top value helps the other person fulfill theirs.
Then go down the list; write down five ways in which each of the other person's values supports your highest value and each item on your list contributes to their number one value. Continue this process for the four remaining items for each person, giving ways in which each one of your values is beneficial for every one of the other person's, and vice versa. When this is done, a new door for communication and (if desired) intimacy is opened.
If you can't see how someone else getting what they'd love gives you what you desire, then you'll naturally try to change them to your way, or you'll be compelled to find someone new. You can try to convince yourself to live and let live, but until you can see how to love and link love, you'll be drawn to something different.
Be mindful, however, that peoples' values may change. Certainly, milestones can cause priorities to shift. A life threatening illness, a midlife crisis, or the birth of a child - anything that triggers people to reassess and rethink what's important to them - so it's crucial that you continue to talk about your values with those whom you care about.
To the truth of duality.
Love and Wisdom
Dr John Demartini
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)