The business scene is changing. Again.
It was Heraclitus the ancient Greek philosopher who hit the nail on the head when he said ‘change is the only constant in life’. As with most people who are still being quoted tens, hundreds & this case thousands of years after they lived, the most simple of statements are often the most poignant, memorable and impactful.
For business people, the acceptance that change has happened, is happening and will continue to happen is perhaps one of the most important steps in manoeuvring themselves towards mega success.
Why? Well because change is often outside our ‘circle of influence‘ and therefore energies invested in challenging, worrying, resisting, moaning, preoccupying ourselves about the change and its perceived negative effects, are likely to be a complete waste of time, attention & energy. And all the while, those energies, efforts, thoughts and actions could have been invested in driving you forwards in areas you can influence.
Simply put, just leave everyone else to do all that useless stuff, and instead manage your mind shift towards productive strategic thoughts and high-impact actions.
So what are the critical mind shifts that will serve you well this year? Which mind shifts have the most successful business people already made because they know it brings them mega success?
1. Take personal responsibility DESPITE everything else
For many, this goes without saying. But for very many, the reason that things aren’t working out as they would like is as a result of direct external forces. The mind shift change that will make a massive impact for the better in these kinds of situations is accepting your own responsibility in how you deal with these forces and how you take action DESPITE them.
A great example of this is the wonderful young British man Stephen Sutton, who, upon finding out that he had terminal cancer, took responsibility of the situation by deciding that DESPITE this he would aim to raise initially £10,000 and then £1 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Not only did he reach his goal, he smashed it several time over. He took personal responsibility to accept his situation and to take MASSIVE action to achieve something quite magnificent. Stephen was and continues to be a complete inspiration.
2. Find out what you need to know
In my job as a trainer and coach I work with people all the time who have rolled over and given up because something felt too enormous to learn. ‘I can’t do that because I don’t know how’ is NO LONGER an excuse! You can learn something about almost everything by accessing the Internet. Not knowing how is no longer acceptable, unless you are happy to settle for what you have of course! But if you are ambitious, eager to progress, aspirational and full of dreams for the future, then you simply MUST find out all you can about the things that you don’t currently know enough about.
3. Work out your new ‘one-to-many’ strategy
Once upon a time there was a simple business model that worked for everyone. You found somewhere to sell from (a stall, roadside, shop etc). You filled it with your products and then you opened your door and waited for your customers to walk in.
Ermm…..has anyone noticed that this doesn’t seem to be working so well these days?
Things have changed..beyond all recognition. The mind shift that you need to adopt now is that your customers will no longer flock to you, you need to flock to all your customers.
Sitting and waiting for them to find you JUST DOESNT WORK any more! I am sure you know this, But are you really embracing the idea? Do you have a clear strategy for your one-to-many approach? In simple terms you need to ‘get out there’ using targeted methods to put yourself in front of the many people that need to know you are there.
4. Be remarkable…be different
Being the same and fitting in was a mindset that served you well in the playground. Those who are achieving mega success in their business lives have learned to leave that mind set where it belongs and grow a new grown up entrepreneurial approach that allows them to stand out, be memorable and optimise their individuality.
Your business environment is littered with others who (on the surface look as if they) offer similar products, skills and services to you. You are just another cow in the herd, until you embrace your individual, remarkable and memorable difference. Read about Seth Godin’s Purple Cow if you need to know more about why this mind shift is critical.
5. Positive always positive
There are plenty of specialists from the medical, psychology and holistic worlds who will explain the scientific reasons for this. But here is my layman’s version based on 25 years of boosting performance in business and recognising what REALLY sets the successful apart from the average.
It is simple. Positive thoughts bring positive actions and positive results. It all starts with a mind shift from focusing on what’s not right, what’s gone wrong what isn’t working etc etc..to what is right, what has worked, what can be done.
Thoughts and words create actions and results. In my experience:
Negative thoughts and words create negative actions and poor results.
Positive thoughts and words create positive actions and new breakthrough results.
Mega success is there for us all, it isn’t reserved for some one else. You have the right to claim it for yourself, IF you accept, adopt and embed these critical mind shifts.