Mar 07

How Bad Do You Want It?

Do you want success so bad you can taste it?  How about this:

succeed-breathe-eric-thomas

 

Yeah, I get that.  With nearly every waking breath, I am thinking of ways I want/need to help my clients (and potential clients), ultimately becoming successful through their successes.

I think part of why I love what I do SO much is that I get a sense of having helped someone to become MORE…just a little bit more than they were yesterday… a little MORE of who and/or what they want to be.  At the same time, I get the privilege of helping them to become LESS… a little less burdened, a little less distracted from what they really love about what THEY do.  That is the success I crave and that keeps me doing what I do!

Mar 05

No One Succeeds Instantly

mickey-rooney-successMickey Rooney said, “You always pass failure on the way to success”.  This is an excellent thought to focus on at those times you might feel like beating yourself up over some misstep or some business decision that brought less than stellar results.  No successful person or company got that way without some mistakes along the way.  Even companies that have achieved great success have gone on to very public failures.  Can you say New Coke?

So, give yourself a break, take a breath, and give it another try, keeping in mind what you tried that didn’t work so you don’t make the same misstep again.

Here are some more inspirational quotes to help keep you going when the going gets tough in your small business:

We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.

~ Arianna Huffington

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

~ Michael Jordan

My best successes came on the heels of failures.

~ Barbara Corcoran

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.

~ Dale Carnegie

I don’t believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process.

~ Oprah Winfrey

Failures are infinitely more instructive than successes.

~ George Clooney

Sometimes in life you don’t always feel like a winner, but that doesn’t mean you’re not a winner.

~Lady Gaga

Success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.

~ Mike Ditka

I’m not saying I’m great at failing, but if you’re…into the learning process, you accept that you’re going to suck at things.

~ Madonna

Jan 21

Stay In Your Lane

stay-in-your-laneWhen calling to convey her admiration and appreciation for the work I’d done on a brochure for her foundation, a client of mine remarked, “I looked at my husband and said, ‘Why couldn’t we come up with this?’ and then I realized…’You need to Stay In Your Lane.’”

I knew exactly what she meant, though I’d never heard it expressed quite that way before.  Each and every one of us has an aptitude for SOMETHING, but no one has an aptitude for EVERYTHING.  I know programmers who can do remarkable things with internet and computer applications, but they can’t spell worth a darn.  I know successful business owners who believe in the products or services they offer, but they don’t enjoy being involved in any kind of social media marketing.

According to our talents, background and individual experiences, we all have strengths and certain things we are passionate about.  Likewise, we each have weaknesses and there are certain things that just don’t light us up.  These are the areas of our business we need to free ourselves from.  We can do that by outsourcing certain responsibilities or projects to a company or individual who is passionate about the things that we’re not, whether that means forging a strategic alliance, bringing in a partner or hiring a virtual assistant.

Just because something may be vital to you achieving your best success, that doesn’t mean it has to be done by you.  Drop the “Little Red Hen” syndrome and learn to let go of those aspects of your business that you don’t enjoy.  Pursue your PASSION.  Do what LIGHTS YOU UP.  STAY IN YOUR LANE.  Focusing your energy on the aspects of WHAT YOU LOVE about what you do will bring you closer to the most successful “you” you can be.