Act Like an Athlete!
One way to success as a small business owner, network marketer or solo entrepreneur is to act like an athlete.
Have Discipline – a wonderful aspect of being an entrepreneur is the freedom to create your own schedule. For the most part no one dictates when you have meetings or when you start and end your workday. However, for many entrepreneurs this freedom is also their curse as they struggle to develop the daily disciplines that lead to success in any small business. We cannot imagine the Olympic runner pausing between laps to check his e-mail or agreeing to grab coffee with a friend in the middle of a scheduled training session. Likewise, as you plan the daily and weekly activities that will result in growth and business progress, block out concentrated work periods where nothing is allowed to interrupt.
Don’t Train on Your Own - If 100 people were asked to name the single most important thing needed by every serious athlete, you could put money on the fact that the majority of responses would be a Coach. It would be unthinkable for any athlete wanting to reach elite levels to even consider training themselves. Additionally, most athletes spend the bulk of their training time working in groups – fueled by the natural support, energy and accountability that comes from a team. And yet, so many small business owners work completely on their own (thus the term SOLO entrepreneur) and wonder why they are struggling. At every stage of your business it is absolutely critical that you surround yourself with the individuals that will help you progress to the next level. This group should consist of both “experts” – those who have already accomplished the things you are working to achieve – AND fellow entrepreneurs who essentially make up your “training team.” No single person has every achieved great things on his or her own. Don’t fall into the trap of being a lone ranger – find the people who have gone before you and learn from their experience.
Take Breaks When you Need Them – This may seem to contradict our first paragraph about discipline, but in fact, a part of discipline is the creation of balance. Athletes train hard but they also take the breaks they need to allow their bodies to rest. Without these periods of recovery, injury and burnout become inevitable – taking them (sometimes permanently) out of the game. As an entrepreneur, you must also create the periods of downtime that will allow you to refuel. This allows you to return to your business with the renewed sense of energy and purpose that will keep you moving forward.
For step-by-step tools to financial success as a small business owner, visit http://www.AbundanceBoundSystem.com and register to join us for our next FREE teleseminar The Power of Prosperity.
