Achieving Your Vision One Day at a Time

Every day brings the opportunity to make choices. These will either be positive choices or negative ones.

One of the greatest gifts we have as business owners is the opportunity to make decisions each and every day that will take our company forward in some way. Change a system here; talk to an employee who is struggling there; or visit a prospective customer, and listen to what their particular concerns might be.

These are all great investments in our business that will return positive results.

Every positive decision you make, large or small, takes your business one step further on the path to success.

It is always good at the end of the day to reflect on our day’s activities and ask:

What positive changes did I make today that took me a little closer to achieving the Vision that I have for my business?

The Real Enemy Lies Within

The biggest battles we face in business are the internal ones. That is, those that are going on between our own ears.

Failure and mediocrity come about in our business and personal lives because we succumb to the enemies that attack us from within. These enemies take the form of doubts and insecurities that creep into our own minds and hearts.

Successful business results come about because of what we believe. That is, we have a clear sense of meaning and purpose about what we are in business for. We will always excel when our work is driven by the passion that we have for what we do and for the people around us. We achieve our goals when we are filled with, and inspired by, the hope that we have for our envisioned future.

Too often, however, we succumb to the inner doubts, get burnt out by the loss of enthusiasm for what we are doing and end up losing sight of our goals.

Self-awareness about where our real enemies lie is critical in taking responsibility for acting in new ways and transforming our business.

It all starts in our own hearts and minds.

Book and Author Recommendation

I had a delightful encounter the other day in a second-hand bookshop.

I picked up a small book, entitled The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino. I had never heard of the author.

The face of the man behind the counter lit up when I showed him the book that I had selected. He then eagerly led me to another section of his bookshop, which had several titles by Mandino. On his recommendation, I bought them all.

I am thrilled that I did. Within two days, I have read three of these books.

One, entitled The Greatest Miracle in the World, devotes a full chapter to what the author calls the 'God Memorandum'. It is an inspiring read that reminds us of the unique set of attributes and gifts we each bring to the world.

One of the other topics discussed in this section of the book is the power that we have to choose. The principles of being able to choose and to act wisely are great fundamentals in business. Being clear about our decisions and making them in line with our purpose are basic keys to our success, in both business and in life.

The website Og Mandino has been created in Mandino’s memory. His inspiring books and other resources are available through this site. They are well worth the visit, and I highly recommend them to you.

Taking a 'Leap of Faith'

A great deal of courage and faith is required to succeed in business - never more so than when starting something new.

Of course, any leap into a new business venture requires having the right people around you, a degree of common sense, working to a plan - one task at a time - and making wise choices along the way.

Likewise, there is something to be said for stretching ourselves to the very limit and for embracing a level of risk that ensures we put ourselves on the journey of never-ending learning and growth.

In the end, many great ventures in business were undertaken by ordinary people who came up with an idea, made the choice to pursue that idea into the unknown and then put in the effort required to find their way through to success.

The 'leap of faith' in business requires deep thought, total commitment and dedicated effort.

James Allen, in his classic book entitled As a Man Thinketh, says, "In all human affairs there are efforts and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result."

His book, along with Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, can be downloaded for free at As a Man Thinketh. It is an excellent read.

What 'leap of faith' are you taking today to realize your vision?

Finding New Ideas

Last week, I was a guest speaker at a Rotary International Youth Leadership Award Seminar. There were university students and young business people in attendance from across South East Asia and Australia.

I love doing this sort of work because I learn so much by listening and talking to others. In doing this, I become more acutely aware of my own business models and how they work or could be improved.

When you sit down at a table with a group of highly motivated young people and listen to what they have to say, it is inevitably very thought provoking.

I find that meeting and listening to different people from diverse backgrounds is one great way to generate new ideas, insights and better understandings.

John Winsor, in his book Spark, talks a great deal about creating opportunities for what he calls "co-creation in business."

This particular book is highly stimulating and gives you ideas about engaging in this kind of activity to help bring about new ways of looking at your business.

He has a number of books that are well worth the read.

You can visit John at his website.

The 'Mirror Principle' Applied to Business

John C Maxwell, in his book entitled Winning with People, outlines the people principles that apply at the personal level when we are working with others.

What he calls this the "mirror principle" involves reflecting on our own personal assumptions, beliefs, behaviors and attitudes. By so doing, we build self-awareness, create a more accurate picture of ourselves and take responsibility for what we do about it. In turn then, we improve our performance.

I find it extremely worthwhile to look at myself in the metaphorical mirror on a daily basis and ask what I should be changing about myself in order to deliver better performance.

I find that what John Maxwell talks about so well at the personal-effectiveness level applies equally when analyzing our business.

Creating the opportunity for business transformation begins when we take the time to look critically at our own business performance, analyze our capabilities and develop a plan to address those areas that need urgent attention.

Some of the best strategic thought is generated when we look honestly at our business and identify the changes required that will take it to the next level.

By the way, if you want to know more about John C Maxwell and what he has on offer about leadership, you can visit his website.

Trust: The Key to Owning a Successful Business

I was listening today to a young business leader who was upset by the cynicism of the people that she encounters in her line of work.

The cynicism she spoke of is very disappointing.

In a business solely focused on "What’s in it for me?" there is often a tendency to expect to get something for nothing. There is also quite often a lack of responsibility and accountability for the choices being made and the actions being taken.

Where there is a business culture of blaming others, making excuses and covering one's backside, we come to expect such cynicism, and it all paints a pretty bleak picture.

How do we ensure that our business does not get caught up in this malaise?

Having a clear sense of our values and what we stand for in business is so critical in engendering trust with our employees, customers and anyone else who comes into contact with us.

The loss of trust comes at a huge cost, both financially and socially. The value-based, ethical business is something very much worth aspiring to.

Trust is the foundation on which all successful and effective business relationships are built.

A great book on this subject, at the personal-effectiveness level, is The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M R Covey.