My sister told me recently that, in a conversation with her in-laws-to-be, her almost-mother-in-law was speaking about how she felt so drained as a result of all the negativity she was exposed to that day.
My sister then mentioned that I live in my "happy bubble" -- I don't watch much television, only read certain papers and business journals, spend time with those I love, read several books a month, paint whenever I get the chance and have eliminated as many negative people from my life as possible.
Her in-laws-to-be were shocked and actually said "I wish I could do that."
My response to them would have been, "Why can't you?" I didn't ask permission, I just did it. I made a conscious choice to live my life this way. Anyone can do the same.
There are several things which contribute to a successful business. High on the list is your mindset. If you maintain a happy and successful mindset, you will attract more of the same and see opportunities all around; if you complain, see problems instead of opportunities and are negative, you will attract more of that.
In addition to living in my “bubble”, here are 3 traits I believe are cornerstones of successful businesses:
1. Passion.
You must have passion for what you do - whether it's coaching, virtual assistance, or carpet cleaning. Otherwise, what's the point of owning your own business?
Your joy, or lack of, will come through in everything you do.
I was recently told that my enthusiasm during a speech was “infectious” - I was thrilled that my passion for what I do not only came through, but actually inspired others.
2. Good can be good enough.
As a recovering perfectionist, I know that the understanding that “good is good enough” is perhaps the hardest trait for entrepreneurs to master.
If you spend all your time revising and analyzing, NOTHING will ever be completed. You must accept that “good IS good enough” and you can update and revise as necessary.
3. Sense of urgency.
Entrepreneurs who are infused with a sense of urgency keep things moving *no matter what*.
If a project is held up at some stage, they are prepping for the next piece, not sitting idly waiting for someone else to move things along.
Your Coaching Challenge
I challenge you to look at the projects on your desk and see if any of them are “good enough” and can be wrapped up and sent out. Even an email that's been sitting in your “draft” folder for too long - nothing is too small as long as you can mark it “DONE!”.
Your business can't move forward until YOU move forward
About the Author:
For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at
http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”.
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443
Date Published :
Nov 5 2008