The last few weeks we discussed 3 key tools for a productive business mindset.  And as you implement these ideas into your business, you can notice how that mindset is making you more productive and therefore growing your business.

In this next series we thought we’d take a look at what motivates you to be productive at the business you’ve chosen.  We recognize the importance of passion in your business and know that owning and running your own business is too much work to do it for the wrong reasons.  

So let’s take a look at the purpose behind all this effort as we examine 3 Mindset Tools for Putting Your Purpose in Your Business.

1.  Your Primary Aim or the Reason You Get Out of Bed to Answer all those Emails.

In Michael Gerber’s powerful book, “The E-Myth Revisited”, he describes your primary aim as the answer to the questions Who do I wish to be? and What do I want my life to look like?  In a sense he is asking you to look at what do you really want in your life and to make sure that your business is congruent with that vision.  That your business is there to support your life, not the other way around.  Your primary aim will help you define your values in your business.  

Now money can be your primary aim.  As you’ve probably heard money does not buy you happiness, but it does make you a little more comfortable along the way.  If you dug deeper you would probably discover that money is a stand in for something else, a lifestyle, a certain level of security or even a source of self-esteem.  What we are suggesting is that you replace the word money with what you really want.

Knowing what your primary aim is allows you to approach your business in an entirely different way.  When you come across difficulties in your business you begin to welcome the challenge, instead of becoming overwhelmed by all of your problems.

2.  Directional Motivation or Are You Moving Towards Your Inspiration or Away From Your Discomfort?

Becoming clear on your primary aim puts your business into perspective and you can begin to look at the actions you are taking and why you are taking them.  Do you lie in bed thinking about what you get to do today and get excited or do you lie in bed thinking about what you have to do and want to pull the covers over your head?

We are primarily motivated in one of two directions – towards inspiration or away from discomfort.  Each has its purpose and if oriented correctly then motivation is not an issue.  Let’s take a look at each one and see how it operates.

When we are primarily motivated by discomfort, then the further away from the source of the pain or discomfort we get, the less motivated we are.  The more comfortable we are, the less motivated we are.  So we get inconsistent results, in our work or business, in our health and in our relationships.
 
Inspiration motivated people are those self-motivated, ambitious, forward thinking self-starters.  The closer they get to achieving their vision, the better they feel and therefore they enjoy getting things done.

This does not mean that all discomfort motivation is bad.  This type of motivation is important for recognizing and solving problems.  Safety inspectors are motivated by discomfort.  You wouldn’t want a police officer visualizing a crime free neighborhood.  You want your neighborhood police focused on what is wrong and out of place in order to prevent crime.

However, most of us are not in charge of safety inspection or crime prevention.  Most of us want something more from our businesses than we are getting.  Knowing how you are motivated to take action in your business will help you create more consistent results and therefore grow your business.

3.  Visualization or Is Seeing Really Believing?

Visualization is a powerful tool for growth and change in your life.  But many do not understand how it works and therefore don’t utilize it to it’s fullest.  The easiest way to understand the effect visualization has on your actions is to examine the common phrase “I just can’t see myself doing that.”

Usually this phrase is used in reference to some activity that you feel you can’t do.  Maybe it’s bunging jumping, or climbing a mountain or even making a million dollars.  You can’t see yourself doing it.  Therefore it feels impossible.

However, if you could see it, if you could see yourself bungee jumping or making a million dollars then it feels very possible.  And when something feels very possible then it is easy to take action on that idea.

Visualization is the key to “seeing” yourself doing something.  I once worked with an Olympic level athlete and he had trouble seeing himself winning the race he was training for.  He could see himself in the finals, but not on the podium.  When we worked with that picture and made it possible for him to see himself standing on the podium receiving the gold medal, then suddenly his attitude towards his training changed.  He began to let go of all the distractions and became much more focused.  Because he could see that outcome it suddenly felt possible and therefore his actions began to reflect that.

What goal do you have trouble seeing?  How can you change the picture to see yourself already having what you want?  Are you ready to take some action?