by Linda
Do you ever wonder why using competition to your advantage is really a thing in the business world? It is, but why? Why do we need to compete with others? The answers to these questions are below, as we discuss using competition in today’s blog post.
The Issue:
The world is built, to some extent, on the concept of competition. Everything living competes for specific resources that are needed to grow, thrive, and outperform ecological rivals. Sunlight, space, water, and nutrients are utilized to the fullest extent by the smallest to largest creatures.
This happens wherever they are found and in whatever quantities. Using competition to your advantage will help you create a successful business also. Huh? I don’t get it!
See, as human beings, we are hardwired to engage in this competitive contest too. It’s a part of our genetic heritage and one every business owner needs to embrace. So, I ask you again, are you using competition to your advantage? Let’s find out below.
The Problem:
Some people perceive competition as a somewhat undesirable trait. This is because these people look at competition as a black and white issue. It is seen as either a win at all cost, take no prisoners proposition, or as a watered-down and barely discernable version of itself. This is where consensus and agreement are the order of the day.
This imposed polarity masks the true nature and power of competition. In reality, competitiveness is neither a black nor white extreme. Instead, genuine competition is a valid force for positive change. And, I believe that is what we all want.
The Competition:
The successful business person knows that healthy and honest competition is the motive force behind innovation. The business world, like the natural world, is driven forward by this continuing innovation that occurs in response to changes in the existing environment. In the natural world, these changes are largely climactic. The life form that best adapts to these changes survives and thrives.
In the business world, these changes are socio-economic. The business that best predicts market trends and meets demand most efficiently also survives and thrives.
The Solution:
As a business owner, you need to remember that competition is the lifeblood of the marketplace. It not only drives innovation but also inspires creativity and helps build new paradigms. Don’t shy away from your naturally competitive nature.
You are in the game to win the game, so are your fellow business owners. I find this the perfect solution to being in a competitive industry.
The Challenge:
Challenge yourself and challenge them in the process. Through competition, you each drive the others to better products, services, and performance. Each winner shows the way to the next level, the next round, and the next race.
A Reminder:
Remember, competition is the true heart of business success. If you have that in your corner, there’s no chance of failure unless you completely give up. And I always say, “That is NOT an option!”
What do you say? Are YOU going to take a chance on yourself?
Are you looking for help and don’t know where to start? My 1×1 Mentoring Sessions might be just what you’re looking for. Check it out here and get the help that you need to help you create your successful business.
by Linda
Your Professional Success
Does your professional success require personal confidence? Nothing succeeds like success, right? Sure, I guess so you might say.
However, true success comes from confidence, and confidence, in turn, comes from success. They each revolve around the other in the ultimate symbiotic relationship.
Your Professional Success is your Foundation
This is not a “what came first, the chicken or the egg?” kind of proposition. Confidence definitely precedes success in the order of appearance. That’s because the quiet assurance of true confidence, as opposed to mere cockiness, serves to lay the foundation for reaching a goal.
In this way, confidence is more of an outward manifestation of an inward persona than it is a pose or an affectation. Cockiness, on the other hand, is simply an outward shield that masks inward insecurity.
Do you hear that?
Confidence in YOURSELF
As a business owner, you need to be confident in yourself and your product or service. People react positively to a confident person, especially if that confidence is real and a part of that person’s soul. In order to develop this type of true confidence, there are several things that you can do.
Professional Success is About Confidence
First, always remember that confident people are able to take a stand on an issue or a decision not because they think they are right, but because they are not afraid to be wrong.
Because they see a difficult situation as an opportunity for growth. Finding the right solution to a problem is more important than being right. Therefore, if they are wrong they will be the first people to admit it and move on.
Confident People and Professional Success
Confident people often listen far more often than they talk. They are more interested in hearing different information and opinions than they are in broadcasting their own. They also are never afraid to admit fallibility and ask for help. Did you realize this part of the equation? Yes, No?
They know that other people’s knowledge is their greatest strength.
Confidence is Critical to Professional Success
Finally, they understand that success is a team sport. They know that any goal is achieved through the efforts of many, not the will of the few. Therefore, they share the spotlight of success and shine it on others far more than they shine it on themselves.
What do YOU think?
by Linda
I get it, to be mindful of your professional worth is a topic most professionals put on the back burner. I do it, all. the. time! Why? Because it’s not at the top of my mind, there are so many other things in there that there’s NO time to think about it!
What is “worth” anyway?
Here’s a definition:
Definition
Definition of worth (Entry 1 of 4) 1a: monetary value farmhouse and lands of little worth b: the equivalent of a specified amount or figure a dollar’s worth of gas 2: the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held literary heritage of great worth 3a: moral or personal value trying to teach human worth b: MERIT, EXCELLENCE a field in which we have proved our worth 4: WEALTH, RICHES
Ha! Oh, so has that been a problem for you also?
Let’s break it down.
Experience is a Great Teacher
Each day, all of our lives are jam-packed with numerous experiences. A lot of these experiences are everyday occurrences. While others are less common. Occasionally, some are so unique that they are literally life-changing.
However, whether the experience is mundane or out of this world, it offers us a teaching moment. Yes, that’s right Most of us will, hopefully, come away from a unique experience with a fresh perspective. Yet, very few of us grasp the enlightenment that is inherent in the day-to-day activities that, by necessity, take up the majority of our time.
Buddhists call this awareness of the learning potential in the commonplace “mindfulness”. Successful business people understand this concept and utilize it to their advantage. Yes, here’s where it gets important to understand.
Mindfulness vs Value
When you begin to be mindful, you see that everything that you do has merit. You also realize that no matter what you are doing, you are capable of doing it better. Hummm…
To be mindful of your professional worth is to take action to find out what your actual worth is. Check out my new workbook so YOU can take action too!
In business, this means that you begin to pay closer attention to every task. You understand that each task fits into others and together they comprise the whole of your business enterprise.
If you take a shortcut or cut corners on the smallest of things it only serves to undermine the largest and seemingly most important jobs.
Likewise, when you attempt to do the most basic of jobs to the very best of your ability, this mindful mindset carries over into other areas and brings a new level of excellence to your entire enterprise. So, use every experience, every day, as a moment to learn.
Behaviors
Be mindful of bad or lazy behaviors and work to change them into more positive and productive actions. You’re only hurting yourself in the long run.
Your entire business will benefit from this simple attention to detail.
Get my workbook for “How To Get Paid What You Are Worth” using this link: Get My Workbook
If you’re looking for someone to help you, I offer 1×1 mentoring sessions that will benefit you. Just fill out the form below and let’s get you started. It’s one way that I can help you thrive in your business.
by Linda
Growth Mindset and Success
A conversation between you (in the blue writing) and me explaining about growth mindset:
A Comparison
So, you may be asking yourself “What exactly is a growth mindset?” Well, a growth mindset is an actual, demonstrable psychological phenomenon.
Huh? I don’t get it!
It turns out that many long-term successful individuals possess certain characteristics that they share with other long-term successful individuals. This set of characteristics has been termed a “growth mindset”.
Oh, now that explains it!
Now, some people, who tend to achieve less than their full potential, also possess a set of characteristics that they share with other under-achievers. This set of traits has been dubbed the “fixed mindset”. Most people, more or less, fall into one camp or the other.
Oh, I see now.
Do YOU Have It?
People with a growth mindset tend to have a desire to learn from life. This desire leads to the ability to embrace challenges, to overcome setbacks, to see effort as worth the results, to accept criticism, and to admire and learn from the successes of others.
Oh, do you think that’s ME?
These behaviors allow native intelligence to grow throughout a lifetime. (Hence, the name.) People with a growth mindset are believers in free will and this belief allows them to achieve their goals time and time again.
Oh yeah, I want to be this person!
People with a fixed mindset tend to have a desire to appear smart, with a corresponding fear of looking foolish. Their desire leads them to avoid challenges, to give up easily, to see extra effort as wasted, to ignore or reject criticism, and to envy and begrudge the success of others.
Oh, oh…this isn’t me!
These behaviors tend to limit native intelligence to a fixed amount. (Again, hence the name.) People with a fixed mindset often plateau early in life and fail to have, let alone reach, fixed goals.
Woah…….
The good news is that a growth mindset can be cultivated fairly easily by changing some critical behaviors.
Hmmm!
First of all, you have to decide to choose growth over stagnation. You also have to be willing to take positive action and begin to accept challenges and criticism and learning from both.
An excellent way to begin is by developing the philosophy of “YET”. This simple step simple attaches the word “yet” to the end of every negative thought, as in “That will never work, yet…” or “It’s probably not worth going, yet…”
This simple trick opens up the possibility for growth and that possibility leads to changed behavior that actually does cause the development of the growth mindset.
Whew!! That’s a lot to digest, am I right?
Contact me if I can help you in any way. Contact me here.
by Linda
There are a lot of different factors that come into play when it comes to being successful in business. Today, let’s focus on two of them, how to be on time and organized.
These two factors can make a HUGE difference in your day-to-day life. Once you have mastered these, you will be able to move faster in your business because they are a major stumbling block for new business owners.
Successful People
Think back on some of the most successful people you’ve met in your own life. The chances are they were good at both of these – being organized and on time. There’s a reason why both of these factors will make such a big difference when it comes to being successful. Can you name at least one or two?
How Being On-Time And Being Organized Can Help You Succeed
Both being on time and organized can help you make the best possible use of your time and energy. When referring to energy, it includes both mental and physical energy. We all have a limited supply of both, along with being restricted to 24 hours on a given day. In other words, both time and energy are limited resources. What being on time and staying organized helps with is making the most of those resources and focusing them on tasks and activities that help us reach the goals that define success.
There are two different ways in which being both on time and organized will help you succeed. Let’s look at both of them and then briefly discuss how to get better at them.
Being On-Time And Being Organized Saves You Time
So, how much time have you wasted this week looking for a misplaced item or a file on your hard-drive? How about your car keys? And, how much time have you wasted because you didn’t show up on time for an appointment and ended up having to wait? Making an effort to be on time and staying organized helps you save precious time and energy.
Being on time is all about time management and awareness. Work will always stretch out into however much time you give it. Becoming more aware and better at time management will help you work more efficiently.
The same is true for being well organized.
Being Organized and On-Time Helps You Look Professional
Showing up late for an appointment or interview makes you look bad. So does not being prepared or having to dig around for a few minutes to find something needed like a pen or a notepad. This is particularly true when it comes to first impressions. Work on getting better at both by trying harder to be prepared.
It will help you get the chances you deserve, and people see you as the respected person or expert in your field that you are.
How To Get Better At Both
You now know why it’s important to work on getting organized and being on time.
So, let’s look at how we can improve both those skills.
What it comes down to is getting into the habit of being conscious of time and staying on top of organizational tasks. Yes, if you’re exceptionally disorganized, it will take some up-front work to clear things up. Once completed though, you have to make an effort day in and day out to put things back in their place and stay organized.
That is true for physical items, digital items, and even thoughts and ideas. The short answer then is to practice both being on time and staying organized on a daily basis until they become habits.
It’s said that it takes 21 days to make a new habit stick. Here’s a free tracker to help you master your new habits.
And if you need additional help, I’m always available to chat with you to discuss how you can master your habits. Book an appointment with me here for a free 15-minute chat.
