Business Keys To Success: You Are Responsible For Your Attitudes

Life is full of surprises, and the adjustment of our attitudes is a lifelong project. Think about your destiny in business and life. It will never be determined by our complaining spirits or high expectations. In my business coaching practice and in my own life I had to come face to face with my attitudes.

For myself, self-employed business owners, entrepreneurs, solo professionals, corporate managers and all individuals our attitudes are what will determine in large part our destiny.

We Choose The Attitudes We Have Now

And it is an ongoing choice. And it surprises me, the large number of adults who fail to take responsibility for their attitudes. If they are unhappy they may something like, “I got up on the wrong side of the bed.”

If failure begins to repeat itself in their lives they often say, “I was born on the wrong side of the tracks.”

When their lives aren’t progressing while others and their family are still on the rise they may say, “Things would be different if only the birth order was different in my family.”

Whether you are running a small business or starting your own business it is a continual challenge to adjust your attitudes.

Attitudes

In all of the above examples there was one common thread. There is blame for everyone else or circumstances for their problems.

When a marriage fails they believe they married the wrong person. When someone else gets a promotion they wanted, it’s because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yes, in the words of Rose Ann, Rose Anna Danna, “It’s always something.” It’s always something except for them and their attitude.

Attitudes-A Summary

When John Maxwell talks about attitudes he has a great summary.

The pessimist complains about the wind.

The optimist expects it to change.

The leader adjusts the sails.

To be the leader in your life you must adjust your attitudes. The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That is the day we truly grow up. When you grow up you choose to be responsible for your attitudes and how you view your circumstances.

To have small business and personal success be the leader in your life. Adjust the sails. With the right attitudes you will create the circumstances to have the business and life you desire.

Attitudes, small business, personal success, business coaching, running a small business, starting your own business, self-employed business owner, self-employed, business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional, individual, corporate managers, pessimist, optimist, leader, circumstances

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Vitamins

What vitamins are you feeding your mind?

Vitamins are the words you use when you talk to yourself. They are the words you use when you talk to others.

Vitamins are the conversations you have with others.

They are the actions you take.

They are the environment you create, the books you read and the TV you watch.

Vitamins are anything that you choose to associate with and anything that chooses to associate with you that are POSITIVE.

But you can take all the positive things, the vitamins to feed your mind and emotions, and their benefit will never be maximized if your relationships are dragging you down. It is said that it takes seven positives to counteract a negative.

Choose your associations wisely. Choose them for positivity and you will do well.

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What Are You Seeing?

“We lift ourselves by our thought. We climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always everywhere.” O. S. Marden

Have thoughts about and seeing yourself in a better place. Take ownership of these thoughts. How do you do this? As Napoleon Hill said, “What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.”

Visualize in detail what this better place will look like. Only when this positive vision is planted firmly in your mind will have the willingness to go through inner change.

A willingness to move on your vision because you see, know and are drawn like a moth to a light to the vastness beyond your present position.

For more information please visit : www.businesskeystosuccess.com/

“We lift ourselves by our thought. We climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always everywhere.” O. S. Marden
Have thoughts about and seeing yourself in a better place. Take ownership of these thoughts. How do you do this? As Napoleon Hill said, “What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.”
Visualize in detail what this better place will look like. Only when this positive vision is planted firmly in your mind will have the willingness to go through inner change.
A willingness to move on your vision because you see, know and are drawn like a moth to a light to the vastness beyond your present position.
- See more at: http://www.businesskeystosuccess.com/blog/what-are-you-seeing#sthash.JeUul8E4.dpuf

“We lift ourselves by our thought. We climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always everywhere.” O. S. Marden
Have thoughts about and seeing yourself in a better place. Take ownership of these thoughts. How do you do this? As Napoleon Hill said, “What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.”
Visualize in detail what this better place will look like. Only when this positive vision is planted firmly in your mind will have the willingness to go through inner change.
A willingness to move on your vision because you see, know and are drawn like a moth to a light to the vastness beyond your present position.
- See more at: http://www.businesskeystosuccess.com/blog/what-are-you-seeing#sthash.JeUul8E4.dpuf

How Are You Using The Past?

One of the mistakes people make about the past is this: Instead of using the past as a school to learn from, they use it as a weapon on themselves.

And they use it as a weapon on others. How often have you used or have heard the words applied to you, “Remember when you……….fill in the blanks.

Developing a new philosophy about the past is the key to changing your current attitude and your present. What did you learn from the past? How did you improve? What opportunities have past experiences presented to you?

Use the past as a school to learn from and not as a club on yourself and others. When you do you can get unstuck and move beyond it.

Remember, how effectively we use the present is largely determined by our attitude about the past.

For more information please visit : www.businesskeystosuccess.com

Following Through

According to Gregg Harris, two-thirds of people surveyed (67 out of 100) set goals for themselves. But of those sixty-seven who set goals, only ten have made realistic plans to reach their goals. And out of those ten, only two follow through and actually make them happen.

What makes the follow through so low? There are several reasons.

You can set the goal. That is a good start. But it must be realistic enough to have the possibility of you attaining it. One of the things that many people do is they set goals when they are desperate. They hope that by setting a goal they can turn things around immediately. They set the ‘too big’ goal and when they realize that it is not going to happen they become discouraged and quit.

Another reason for poor follow through is that people set goals to please other people. If you set a goal without true ownership of it for yourself you are much less likely to follow through on it.

We can have ‘too big’ goals. We can have goals that we truly don’t own. But let’s say that your goal is reasonable and that you own it. What keeps you from following through?

There are two things I have seen that can hold you back. First is not having a clear plan with the tiny steps that you are going to take to make the goal a reality. Secondly, it is important to have someone holding you accountable for fulfilling the goal.

Goal setting without accountability can be like do-it-yourself heart surgery. It can become extremely challenging to be successful. Yes, follow through is a challenge for all of us.

As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.”

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Keys To Business Success: Your Leadership Model

Who’s your leadership model?  In John Maxwells’ book, Developing the Leaders Around You, he emphasizes that you must give much thought to which leaders you will follow.  Why?  The leadership model you follow will determine your course.

Who Is Your Leadership Model?

When I talk about a leadership model what am I referring to?  Whether you are a self-employed business owner, entrepreneur or solo professional seeking greater personal and small business success it is important that you find the right mentors.

Find people who exemplify the emotional, intellectual and character qualities that will take you to the next level.  Out of these three, as a personal business coach, I encourage my clients to focus first and foremost on character.

Why?  You may love their logic, their intellect.  You may love their passion, their emotion.  But without good character you are building the foundation of your leadership model upon sand.  It will not last.  Without good character the rest doesn’t matter.

Leadership Model Questions From John Maxwell

1. Does my leadership model’s life deserve a following?
2. Does my leader model’s life have a following?
3. What is the main strength the influences others to follow my model?
4. Does my leadership model produce other leaders?
5. Is my leadership model’s strength reproducible in my life?
6. If my model’s strength is reproducible in my life, what steps must I take to develop and demonstrate that strength?

Find Your Leadership Model
Throughout my life I have had different leadership models.  What is interesting is that someone who was a leadership model ten years ago may not be a leadership model now.  Leadership models will change.  Why?  As you grow and change your need for a different leadership model will often have to change to support that growth.

Whether you are seeking growth in business, personal growth or just a growth strategy in leadership you must let go of the old in order for the new to enter.  Just as a tree sheds its leaves every year, we too, as humans must shed what is no longer useful.  Unlike the tree you have a choice.

Part of creating a great leadership model is exercising your power of choice.  Part of great leadership is making wise choices.  Choose wisely.  Your leadership model will be as you wish.

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What’s Your Philosophy

What’s your philosophy? It’s an important question.

Why? What you think, your philosophy determines what you will do.

Your personal philosophy can be summed up in a few words. As each day goes by you choose do whatever you think is valuable.

What do you think is valuable? And where has that taken you?

If you don’t like where you are at and want to have things be better, then change your personal philosophy. And if you think your problems or challenges are out there, then that’s the problem A good personal philosophy for progress to move your toward the business and life you desire is “if it is to be it is up to me.”

You must be proactive. You are the creator. Start thinking on what can be instead of what is. Your personal philosophy absolutely has the power to change your life. All you have to do is change your thinking.

Even animals, insects and other living organisms have a personal philosophy that guides them. According to Jim Rohn, ants have the “all I can possibly do philosophy.”

That’s a good place to start. Do all that you can possibly do.

Unlike animals, you as a human being, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all or you can choose to be less.

Why not be like the ants and have a personal philosophy that says I will strive to achieve the maximum to see what all I can be?

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What Do You See?

In some way all of us see the present. The key to successful living and growing a business is to be able see not just what is happening in the here and now, but the future consequences of what you are doing in the present.

Being able to see the future is critical to your welfare and success. If you are doing something today that is destroying your health you can stop doing it. Why do you stop? You stop because the future consequences of what you are doing today are not good.

Conversely, if you are doing something today that is good for you then you keep doing it.

In either case, your ability to see The Future and its consequences will determine how you choose to ace.

In either case, your attitude about the future depends on our ability to see the future. What do you see in your future?

All things must be finished before they can be started. And, when you see the future make sure your focus is positive.

How come? When we are pre-occupied and filled with regret about the past and concerns about the present, then we subconsciously lead ourselves toward a future that is very much like the past we left behind.

Create a positive vision of the future, start acting on it in the present and you will leave the past where it belongs, behind.

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Keys To Success: The Food Relationships

Last week I was in a restaurant and I was reminded of the food test in relationships.  At the booth next to me there was a man and a woman in their thirties who appeared to be in good shape.

Here’s where things got interesting. As they were looking at the menu, they got into a heated argument about what he should be ordering for lunch. He didn’t want to order the food that she thought he should.  This irritated her and then things got personal.

Relationships Like Food Can Go Bad

Here were some of the comments I overheard.  Her anger increased the volume of her voice it was easy to hear everything.

She said, “You never try anything new.”

His response was, “I know what I like.”

She queried, “Don’t you believe in eating healthy food?”

He replied, “I eat healthy food.  You know that.  But, there are times like today when I just feel like having a cheeseburger.”

At this point, when she heard the word cheeseburger she flipped her switch.  You would have thought that he had just used some nasty four letter words.

The rest of the argument disintegrated into a tense situation.  He stood his ground and ordered the cheeseburger.  He got the food he wanted.  They pretty much ate in silence.

Food Relationships—A Learning Experience

As I was taking all this in it got me to thinking about the joys of eating lunch by myself.  Most of the time, I am with someone at lunch.

Today, I was free to pick the food I wanted and without anyone’s comment or interference.  It is relaxing to make choices without always being challenged or questioned.

For the record, because I was feeling empathy for the man, I ordered a cheeseburger.  It was my way of showing support and at the same time enjoying something I rarely order.

Food brings people together and creates a ready made social situation and relationships.  I have also found that food is a great way to learn about people.  More importantly, food and how it is viewed gives me great insight into others.

As a personal business coach I have found that food can give you a glimpse into what a relationship may be like.  Whether you are a self-employed business owner, entrepreneur, solo professional or an individual your relationships, who you associate with, can define you for better or worse.

Small business success and personal success are about having good relationships.  Likewise, small business growth and personal growth can’t take place in the soil of poor relationships.  Why is this important?  One of the most personal relationships we have is with the food we eat.

Food Relationships:  The Phrases That Cause Rot

Here are some observations about relationships and food.

• When you hear, “You never try anything new,” it’s not about the fact that you do or don’t try anything new.  It’s about another person’s desire to control one of the most personal things in your life, the food you put in your mouth.

Are there times and are there people where they need to do this?  Yes.  But, I am talking about those other times where there is no need other than the neediness of the other person to control.

• “Try this just for me.”  This is one of my favorites.  When you have said “no” and you hear this you can be sure that this relationship is not about you.  It is all about them.  Be careful.

• “Just take a bite.  It will make me real happy.”  This is a variation on number 2.  But something sinister has been added.  Now there is the implied threat that if you don’t take a bite or try something as they have told you to do that you are going to face some major rage.

• “It won’t hurt you just to take a taste.”  I have always found this one very interesting.  The last time I checked eating what you want wasn’t about inflicting hurt.  And, this is not what this statement is about.  Once again, it is about the desire of someone else to control.

• “I know you don’t like-fill in the blank-but I know you will like this.”  I always find this one interesting.  They already know what you don’t like and now they want to force you to do something you don’t like.  This is not a way to build good relationships.

There are many more quotations around food but I think you get the idea.

In small business as in life, good relationships are crucial to success.  More importantly, you can have all the money in the world but without good relationships you cannot be happy.

Your relationships are the human food you feed yourself with everyday.  Take a look around you.  What do your relationships feed you every day?

If you don’t like what you see here’s the good news.  You can change it.  Relationships are like a menu in a restaurant.  You do get to pick and choose.  It will be as you wish.

When looking at the keys to success remember to eat well.  And be sure to choose good relationships from the menu of life.

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Vacation : Become An Observer

Vacation makes you an observer because it forces you to step outside your normal routine.  If you are seeking greater personal or small business growth then take the vacation break.

Just as a muscle cannot develop when it is always worked, neither can you have the personal development and small business success that you seek unless you get away and become an observer.

Being a business performance coach is similar in many ways to being an athletic coach.  You engage in routines that will build performance.  You tweak them.  And at some point you rest.  Then at some point you take an extended break.  Look at your top athletes and all of them take an extended break.  It is called the off season.

During the off season they stay in shape but they do something more important.  They study films and look for ways to improve their techniques and performance.  They become observers.

Vacation Is The Rest That Strengthens You

A muscle needs a break and rest in order to grow and develop.  And the small business owner, whether you are running a small business or starting your own business needs to schedule, needs to take a break and rest in order for him and his business to grow.

Even in nature, virtually nothing grows all the time.  There are times where plants and animals take a break from growth.  Only when you take a break can you grow.  Unlike the plants and animals which have no choice, we as human beings have been given the dignity of choice.

We can choose an extended rest or not.  Choose a vacation and you will increase the odds of your personal growth and small business growth.

Vacation—A Change In Attitude

As a small business coach one of the most important benefits from a vacation can be a change in attitude.  This becomes apparent when the self-employed business owner returns.

Vacation allows you to heal up.  You become very sensitive to pain.  The nice calmness that vacation brings over you can turn to turbulence very quickly.

And with this increased sensitivity it is easier to see where changes need to be made.  When we are in the middle it is harder for us to see and act.  I have observed that some of the greatest progress in small business occurs when the owner returns from vacation.

Where there was tolerance of things that weren’t quite right or processes that were irritating, vacation and the clear perspective it brings creates the impetus for positive action.

After all, you are feeling good and calm after vacation and you want to retain that feeling as long as you can.  You can more clearly see what is getting in your way and creating turbulence and discord.  Your attitude becomes one of eliminating the discord.

This is called progress.  Taking a vacation is about progress and key to success.  Take a vacation and become an observer.  Take a vacation and have the rest to build strength.  And, take a vacation have the attitude on your return to make changes to improve your business and life.

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Keys To Success: Finding Peace (2)

Keys To Success: Finding Peace (2)

In the previous post on peace we looked at one of  the keys to success, finding peace.  We looked at what is peace and what is causing distress.

In this post I am going to start out and explore a little further what peace is.  And, we will look at some ways to create peace.  We will finish up with the concept that peace is best achieved by running your small business and your life by your expectations.

Keys To Success:  Know What Peace Is.  What Peace Is Not.

Peace:  A Definition

Sometimes in defining a subject it is easier to say what it is not rather than what it is.

Peace is Not:

1. Based on external influences
2. Based on other people
3. Based on the absence of pressure

Peace is Internally Based

Definition:  Peace is to be set at “one” again.  What does it mean to be set at “one” again?  Primarily, this means living your life in alignment.  When you are looking at keys to success, whether it be in your business or life, alignment is important.

Keys To Success:  How To Create Peace

To create peace, as we grow, we must bring order to disorder.  And, this is where many of us have a challenge.  Maybe you are great at creating your own business.  Possibly, you are very good at success planning.  But, the distress, or lack of peace comes from your inability to manage what you have created.

As a self-employed business owner for many years and in my personal business coaching practice collaborating with individuals, entrepreneurs, solo professionals I can assure you that the one thing everyone would like to have is more peace.  And peace is one of the most important keys to success for the long-term.

All these individuals are very creative.  And, creativity by its very nature is forward thinking and disruptive of the status quo.

Unfortunately, everything else is a goal except peace.  A marketing business plan is put together that will increase sales but it is not appropriate for the owner or the small business.

Or, success planning directs you and your business into areas that put too much strain on your existing business or structure.  One of the keys to success is attaining a measure of peace is to build your business around honoring who you are.

Keys To Success:  Peace Is Living By Your Expectiations

Live by your expectations.  Don’t live by others.  Spend time in your strengths.  Spend minimal time or delegate those things that are unpleasant to you.  Manage your expectations, yourself and your process for doing business to honor who you are.

When you do you are much more likely to be successful because you are doing it on your terms.  Honor yourself and manage yourself in what you build and you will have greater peace which is one of the keys to success.

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Keys To Success: Employees

One of the keys to success for many small businesses is when they hire their first employee.  As an entrepreneur, solo professional or self-employed business owner you can only grow your business and influence with the help of others.

Unfortunately, many small business owners see employees as a babysitting task or unwelcome responsibility as opposed to an opportunity to take them and their business to a better level.

Yes, having employees brings a new dynamic to your business.  It also brings increased paperwork and the discipline of making a payroll and the paperwork and procedures that must be implemented to have a good work environment.

Keys To Success:  Get Over The Hurdle 

One of the keys to success in small business growth is to get over the hurdle of hiring your first employee.  Very often, in my personal business coaching practice I have business owners who are reluctant to take the step to hire someone.

Yet, if they don’t they will stay on the treadmill they have created and ultimately wear out and quit their business.  Once the self-employed business owner truly understands that employees are the way to have a better business and life then they are ready to step up to becoming more and having more.

So, what holds the self-employed business owner back from hiring employees?  There are many reasons.  Some don’t want the extra paperwork.  Some don’t want the responsibility of an employee.  They really don’t want someone else to be accountable to.

Notice that the focus is on what the business owner does not want.  When the small business owner is focusing on what he doesn’t want, instead of what he does want, he is being ruled by fear.  And, the likelihood of him or her taking the action to move forward is quite small.

Keys To Success:  Focusing On What You Want 

Instead, as a small business owner you must focus on what you do want.  One of the keys to success and small business growth is to continually focus on what you do want.  If you want to get to a point where your business isn’t your life and your life isn’t your business then you must learn to depend on others.

One of the keys to success in small business is to have good processes.  Too often, the focus is put on outcome.  In truth, it is process that determines outcome.  To be ready to hire an employee it is better if you have good processes in place.  And, it is even better to have them written down.

Keys To Success:  Good Processes 

The first process is in the hiring employees.  It is important to have an application form.  There are numerous reasons that I won’t go into here.  Suffice it to say, that one of the keys to success is to have a good application form.

The next part of the hiring process is to be specific in what you need the employee to do.  Have a written job description.  If you don’t, start creating one when the employee starts.  Having a job description allows the small business owner to hold the employee accountable and to measure performance.

In coaching success I find that the businesses that truly succeed on a higher level have policies, procedures, accountability and measure performance. If this is not something you like to do, there are people who you can hire to help you do this.

There is a great deal that could be written on this subject.  My goal here is to give you a start and possibly the impetus to take on your first employee.

Get in the right mindset.  It is part of success planning. Employees are an asset.  To go forward in running a small business or a small business startup and to have small business success, we must learn to be dependent on others.  And, in being dependent on others, one of the keys to success is to create a process where we are dependent on the right people.

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