Are you ready to have the best year of your life? If not, I’m truly sorry. If so, let’s get to work! This post can be used for your business and marketing year, or your personal…I suggest both.
Look In for Strength & Fear
What are your greatest strengths? I’m not talking about your dead lifts, or even about the skills you would list on a resume. Your greatest strengths are those that allow you to truly connect and bring joy and passion to yourself and others. Yes, this is meant for your business, leadership, marketing, sales AND yourself?… The truth is you need to leverage that which you have inside you to accentuate and build on your natural strengths, overcome your fears, and continue to exceed your greatest expectations – wowing everyone along the way.
Strong plants invest in their roots long before they are able to bloom. As you look inside toward your roots and discover your true strengths, you’ll likely feel the urge to shove aside a few fears you have in there. Don’t! Shine a light on those fears and bring them out for closer examination. Can you dig deeply enough to discover where those fears come from? How do they serve you now? Better yet, if you give in to your largest fears and let them take over, what is the worst thing that can happen – truthfully! It’s probably not a pretty picture, right? However, once you’ve acknowledged your fears you’ll be more likely to recognize them when they arise and then use your strengths to overcome them. Focus on what you Have and Can do instead of what you Don’t and Can’t. Most successful people are walking flaws who regularly fight back their fears and maximize their strengths.
Stop looking to your competitors for ideas. If you want to undeniably successful, you must master yourself, and help others. Like Rachel Hollis Says, “The only person you have to be better than, is who you were yesterday.” Yes, you do need to be aware of your competition. Competitive analysis will always be necessary but don’t rely on it so much that you become (or continue to be) a follower. If you want to lead the pack, lead with your heart.
Look Down and Up for Beauty & Freedom
Slow down to allow for more meaningful experiences. Don’t go so quickly that you miss the flowers under your feet, the sun above you, and all the beauty in front of you. When you allow yourself to slow down and be an active member in the world, even when you’re a working member of the world you’ll see things differently, appreciating the little things like they way a fallen bloom blows in the breeze, a bird flitters in a gutter, or a child entertains themselves when they think no one is looking. For some this seems like a waste of time, their to-do list is adding up too quickly to watch a damn dead flower, but here’s the thing: once you allow yourself to slow down and acknowledge the subtleties around you, you’ll see your business and your life differently. You’ll be more likely to notice the slight changes in the tone of your customers and partners, giving you insight into their pleasure or displeasure without needing to ask.
In fact, mindfulness and mindful living have become the cornerstones of the modern entrepreneurial mindset. Inc.com recently published and article stating bringing mindfulness into your life and business can improve focus, deepen creativity, increase effective communication, and turn failure into greatness.
Bringing mindfulness to your life and to your teams will allow room for inspired thinking and creative problem solving that will keep you and those around you ahead of the crowd instead of lost in it.
Look To Your Right for Commitment
How many times have you said that someone was your right hand “man”? That statement alone illustrates a tremendous amount of trust and appreciation for that person. Do you have more than one person you depend on and trust fully? Maybe a spouse or a best friend? Take some time to write down all the things each person does for you, your business, or your family and how much you rely on them. Don’t just look into your head, but into your heart. Now take a moment to fill your own heart with gratitude. For this moment, push away any negative feelings such as regret, unbalance, doubt, or fear. Just allow yourself to be fully grateful.
Now that you’re in a great and warm space, determine why these people would commit so much time and energy to you. If you can’t find a clear answer within yourself, then ask. Take this opportunity to thank them sincerely and ask them how you can support them.
Look Right In Front of You for Love & Appreciation
Look at your spouse, then your loved ones…and then look in the mirror. If you expect others to follow you into battle/daily business, you must be willing to follow yourself, and to love and respect yourself well enough to 1) have people pay money for things you make or ideas you have, 2) have other people rely on you to support their own livelihoods. After you finish affirming yourself like Stuart Smiley, check yourself. Are you allowing yourself to enjoy your life and your work? Just as Liz Lambert, the creator and designer of some of the coolest motels in the world,says: “The Journey is the destination” In our current world and economic climate, you likely have the freedom of choice in your life and your job, so if you are not enjoying your journey this is a good time to change course and make this year your greatest yet.
Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.
-Roy T Bennett