Have you ever felt that you’ve come up against a brick wall? There just seems to be something that is stopping you from reaching the success you want? If this is you, you’re not alone. I know I’ve felt this way and from talking with others it’s pretty common.
Listed below are the common traps we fall into that can sabotage our ability to move forward in our business. The important thing is how we deal with it. We can face the challenge and move ahead or not. The decision is ours to make.
“Doing just a little bit during the time we have available puts you that much further ahead than if you took no action at all.” ~Byron Pulsifer
We all do it. Putting off doing boring, mundane or difficult tasks is common. You know the longer you delay making that phone call or having that tricky conversation, the worse it’s going to get. You know you should stop putting it off and just do it. Once you actually take care of it, how often do you feel a sense of relief?
How many good ideas have you had, but haven’t acted on them, because you didn’t feel like you had the right skills or enough money? You’re thinking about launching a product or service but hesitate because you fear it’s not the right time to launch or fear that it won’t resonate with your audience.
But, that doesn’t mean you need to act now. You can start taking preliminary steps by doing your research, creating a budget and finally testing the market. Testing the market will give you many of the answers you need to make a decision and moving forward.
If you stop procrastinating and start planning, you’ll be ready for success when it comes. You’ll also find your productivity increases and you can get more done.
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy
All of us have had a fear of failure. When we’re out of our comfort zone it can be scary. As entrepreneurs, our ego and identity become so wrapped up in what we are doing that when things don’t go as we expected the feeling of failure can be overwhelming.
Learning to use failure to your advantage is key to moving past it. For example, if you launched a product and it didn’t meet your revenue goal, add a goal that you will learn something valuable about launching a new product. This helps mitigate feelings of failure because it’s highly likely you’ll learn something new with every launch. Getting feedback after
Thomas Edison failed to invent the working light bulb more than a thousand times before he succeeded. While I admire his tenacity I’m not sure there are too many of us who would do that. But, it does show that persistence pays off and mindset is important.
“Success is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve.” – William Peterson
We all know how easy it is to get distracted. You have
As much as we all would like to get rid of them we know it’s impossible. So, we need to find ways to limit them. Staying focused is the key to achieving success.
Below are a few suggestions to help limit distractions:
- Plan your day the night before so you’re prepared to accomplish your goals for the day.
- Do the most difficult things first. We usually have more energy in the morning so it’s the best time to tackle this. You’ll feel much more relaxed (or relieved) once you’re done and can move on to the routine or less challenging tasks.
- Focus on two or three important tasks. If you have a long list of tasks your ability to focus will go south pretty fast. If some of the tasks can be outsourced consider that option. If tasks are related to your back office, a virtual assistant can be a tremendous help in lightening your load.
- For big tasks, such as launching a product or service or a webinar, break it down into manageable pieces. Seeing a big task as a whole can cause you to feel overwhelmed.
Finally, recognize that distractions in small doses can be a good thing. These little breaks during the day often help clear your mind as well as reduce stress.
“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.” — William Shakespeare
Self-doubt is fairly common and undermines your efforts if you let it. Even the most successful people aren’t immune. They wonder if their new idea will actually sell or if a crucial decision they made is really the right one. We all make mistakes causing us to doubt an important decision we’re making.
Don’t compare yourself to others, especially if they’re more successful than you. It can be hard, but try to compare yourself to yourself. Look at how far you’ve come and the challenges you’ve overcome. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished.
Surround yourself with people who know your value. There’s no doubt that having a strong support system enriches your life.
If you watch “Morning Joe, you know Mika created a program called “Know Your Value”, which primarily geared towards women. These simple three words can be life-changing for all of us.
Finally, I wanted to add a very short article by Seth Godin entitled “On Feeling Incompetent” which he believes accompanies all growth.
In the end, your success story is up to you. Look back, see all the stepping stones that brought you to where you are now.
Believe you have the skills, and the “know how” to get where you want to go … because you do.
