Defining Success for Your Business
If you could
wave a magic wand, what would your life look like right now? I hope that
there are many things in your life that would remain exactly the same,
but invariably there are some things that you'd like to change, do away
with, make better, or enjoy more. Yet it's difficult to achieve success
in any or all of those areas if you're not sure what success means to
you individually.
It's easy to let others define success for us.
Parents, friends, the community in which we live and work, besides
dealing with our own issues of caring about what others' think. But if
you take the time to really think about what success in life means for
you, you may find that you're very close to achieving it, or you may
find yourself a bit off track, or on someone else's track. Here's an
opportunity to create the track for yourself.
My definition of
success came by way of my coach and Tom Morris, the author of "True
Success: A New Philosophy of Excellence." The definition goes something
like this: Success is doing what you love to do when you want to do it
with the people you want to do it with.
So what is your
definition of success? If you could wave a realistic magic wand, what
would your business look like right now? Would you have more clients or
customers? Or would you have less clients or customers? Would you have
an assistant or would you have a whole team supporting you? Would your
prices or fees be more? Would you offer pro-bono or discounted services
or products? It's difficult to achieve success in any or all of those
areas if you're not sure what success means to you and your business.
Grab a piece of paper and a pen, as we're going to do an
exercise.
There are three steps to defining success for yourself
and your business:
Step 1. Ask yourself this question: I know
I am being successful by/when…
When we set out to start our own
business, we have certain desires about what that business is going to
be, what it is going to do and be as part of our life. Many times in the
excitement of becoming your own boss and embarking on a dream, our
desires are a bit intangible, and in order to become successful more
quickly, we need to make those desires more tangible. Your definition
may be different than your partner's or your competitor's, but what's
important is that it be the truth for you and how you want your business
to be as part of your life's work.
Here are some examples:
1. I know I'm being successful when I have done one thing each day
to move my business forward.
2. I know I'm being successful when my
clients/customers rave about my services.
3. I know I'm being
successful when I can give away some of my talent without attachment.
Step 2: Tweak your responses until they resonate.
What does that mean? You'll know when you've hit on the right
wording for you when you feel it, that twinge in your stomach, or the
flutter of your heart. You'll feel excited about it and it will truly
resonate in the fiber of your being. If you've never done anything like
this before, no worries. It usually takes people a few days and more
than a few tries before something starts to sing to them.
Just a
note here: Try to eliminate what you think should be your definition of
success. Focus instead on what you really, really want, even if it's
completely different from how you now run your business, or how you now
define it.
Step 3: Notice the tugs you feel.
Once
you've defined success for yourself, be aware of the tugs you feel over
the coming weeks. The tugs, those little, "please do this," or "no,
don't do that anymore," are trying to help you make the changes, whether
slight or significant, that now align with your definition of success.
You'll notice it will become easier to set and stick to your boundaries,
and to say no to the things that really aren't important to your
business any longer.
Once you've defined success for your
business, write it down and post your definition in your office. As you
go about your work day, continue to check in with yourself and your
definition to see if what you're doing, thinking, or being aligns with
your definition of success. If it doesn't, consider eliminating that
task, situation, or thought process from your life. If that isn't
possible, then consider if there is a way to change the task, situation
or thought process. As you do this exercise over and over, you'll start
to feel lighter, less overwhelmed, less stressed, and much more in tune
with building your successful business.
If I can help, please
feel free to email me at alicia@entremoms.com.
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copyright 2004 Alicia
M. Forest and EntreMoms.com™ and Coachville. Alicia Forest is an
EntreMoms™ Expert, coaching Moms who want to become Entrepreneurs by
building a successful business from home, by their definition of
success. If you'd like more tips on how to create supportive
environments for your success, please visit www.entremoms.com and sign
up for Alicia's free EntreMoms™ Success Newsletter. You are free to
re-publish this article as long as this bio box and copyright remain
intact.
