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?

This week we are discussing 3 Key Tools for a Productive Mindset or what we like to call How to Stay Happy While Eating an Elephant One Bite At a Time on a Journey of 10,000 Miles.

1.  Affirmations . . . or "What Are You Saying to Yourself About Yourself?"

What most people don’t realize about affirmations is that you are doing them anyway.  Each morning as you lie there in bed and you think about getting up to face the day you are saying something to yourself.  What you are saying to yourself is extremely important not only in what you get done that day, but also in how you feel while doing it.

That’s why we like to choose the thoughts we have on a regular basis.  So stand in front of a mirror and repeat your goals, your desires, and your best qualities.  When we focus on the positive, we feel good about ourselves.  And when we feel good about ourselves we have the confidence to take the actions necessary.

So figure out what thoughts would be useful to you.  Write them in the present, as if you already feel that way and make sure to make them positive, not the absence of a negative. more on this topic


2.  Chunking Down . . . or "How to Manage Overwhelm"

One of the bigger problems that small business owners have is to manage all of their ideas and projects without getting overwhelmed by all that needs to be accomplished.  What we’ve found is that many people get into overwhelm because of the way that they are thinking about a project.  What many tend to do is to chunk everything together until they feel like it’s just too much and maybe it is time for a break.

It usually looks like this – “Oh no, did I forget to pay the phone bill?  I’d better pay that or the phone will get shut off!  I’ll do that after I finish this blog post I’m in the middle of.  Don’t forget to call back that potential client!  And then I have to get the oil changed on the car.  What am I making for dinner again?  Oh no, my website traffic has fallen again this week, I’d better call that SEO guy that was recommended to me.”  And on, and on, and on . . . until finally you just need to take a break.  And once again the phone bill wasn’t paid.

So, here is what we suggest.  Chunk it down into bite size pieces.  Make sure that it feels very doable.  And then calendar it.  Once that task is done then you can worry about what to do next.  Remember, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.  more on this topic


3.  Staying in the Zone . . . or "How to Manage Your Feelings"

This is a huge problem for small business owners.  Fear, stress, anxiety and frustration all can and do stop you from getting things done and from taking the big steps you need to take to grow and prosper.

So, what we suggest is that you take a break.  Yep, we said it.  Step away from the computer.  Go outside and take a walk.  Maybe get some exercise.  Do a sudoku puzzle.  Or just sit with a pad and doodle.  You need to give your mind a rest from all of that problem solving.  Also, feeding your body some endorphins and feeding your mind something creative and whimsical will make you that much more productive when you return to work.  more on this topic

We hope you enjoyed this little break from all of your so very important tasks and we look forward to guiding you to more joy and less stress on your journey to taking over the business world.  Now, doesn’t that look inviting.


Got your own favorite tips?  COMMENT below and share them with our community!

Get Motivated and Get It Done

 

Do you agonize getting started on a project?  Do you dig through the mess on your desk because you’ve never been able to motivate yourself to clean it?  Do you procrastinate what is most important to you?  Then you probably have a motivation strategy based on discomfort and pain. 

We are motivated in two primary directions:  away from discomfort or towards inspiration; and the direction determines how effective we are at getting things done.  When we are motivated away from pain, discomfort or stress, then we don’t do anything until we feel uncomfortable and can’t stand the present situation.  When we are motivated toward pleasure, passion and inspiration, then we can’t wait to get up in the morning and move closer to our goals.

Why is this important to understand?  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 lives than we are getting.  We want better health, more fulfilling relationships, or more money (some of us desire all three).  Yet we can’t seem to commit to the action necessary to make it happen.

So, how do we make the shift from discomfort to inspiration? 

1.  The first step is to create a vision of where we are going.  Imagine getting in the car and making decisions on which direction to turn based on what would make you most comfortable.  You would probably end up avoiding traffic and/or stop signs and traffic signals.  Maybe a nice drive down an empty country road with beautiful scenery.  Would that get you to work each day?

Now, when you know your destination, you take the most direct route, sometimes having to sit in some traffic or drive though areas with less than ideal scenery.  You put up with the minor inconvenience because getting to your destination is important to you.

So take some time to write down what you want and what it will look like when you get there.  Do you see yourself thinner, with more energy, maybe smiling as you look in the mirror?  Make the picture as clear, bright and in focus as possible.  See yourself having completed your goal.  You can even create a vision board with pictures that remind you of your goal.  Focus on it daily.

2.  The next step is focusing on how it will feel to complete the task.  In M. Scott Peck’s book, “The Road Less Traveled”, he opens the book with a simple sentence:  “Life is difficult.”  The sooner we accept this fact, the easier life becomes.  When we accept that life is difficult, then we can let go of our resistance to this fact and begin to focus on how we feel when we overcome the difficult moments. 

When we seek comfort without dealing with our challenges, we never fully enjoy those moments.  We usually feel guilty for avoiding something or we don’t fully enjoy the moment because we have the unfinished task hanging over us.  Instead delay your gratification, take care of what needs to be done and focus on how it will feel when you are done.  You will be rewarded for your perseverance.

So, after visualizing your scene, notice how it feels to have achieved your goal.  Really feel those feelings as you focus on the picture.  When you feel resistance, shift your focus and feel that feeling of completion.

3.  The third step is to use kind language toward yourself.  Take a moment and think of a critical person from your past, maybe a parent, teacher or friend.  Hear their negative criticism of you and your actions.  Does that make you feel good?  Do you feel motivated or is your inner child rebelling? 

Most of us talk to ourselves the way this critical person in our life did.  All of this criticism creates more stress and more negative self-talk and leads to us feeling bad and seeking relief.  Fear can motivate us, but there is a cost to our physical and mental well being.

Try this instead.  Say to yourself “It will be really nice when . . . “ and then notice how you feel.  Create and repeat affirmations.  It is especially useful to do this while looking in the mirror.  The more we are nice to ourselves and are non-judgmental of our faults, the more we will feel like taking action to improve our situation.

The good news is that we can all learn to let go of old patterns, learn how to use positive feelings, speak to ourselves in a nice voice and see how our vision will look when it is completed.  And enjoy the rewards of right action. 

If you want even more help getting things done, you can check our hypnosis mp3 program "Yes, I Can!".  It is designed to support you in getting all of your goals, both large and small, checked off your To-Do list so that you can enjoy your life even more.  Just click the link to read more about it.