Courage is one of those topics where it seems all the reading in the world becomes useless the moment you are face to face with a terrifying event.
We have all heard how courage is not the “absence of fear” but the “will to move forward in spite of your fear”. But have you ever wondered how you might improve your courage or prepare for such an event in advance?
Some people are predisposed toward courageous acts, while others become trapped and even frozen in their fear. There are several reasons for this, but the main reason is so simple it becomes easily overlooked or bypassed as important.
I will show you a way to easily become more courageous, and also build a courageous team and family. It’s easy, it’s fun, and you can definitely do this!
Have you ever given careful thought to words derived from the word “courage”? Let’s take a look at two powerful words, one negative, and one positive, and see how they might affect us over time.
As we might expect, the negative “derivative” of courage will diminish courage. It can diminish your courage, and if used by you upon another it can damage their courage as well. The word we are speaking of here is “discourage”.
The word means – “to cause to lose courage, confidence or enthusiasm”.
In effect, when you say something that is discouraging to another, or even in “self talk”, you are causing the “loss” of courage. As we travel through this journey we call “life” we are all exposed to some level of discouragement, and some much more than others. Those who live a lifetime listening to and repeating discouraging remarks can actually reach a point where courage is so distant that they become frozen when confronted by fear.
Being “frozen” is an extreme reaction, and most of us can manage to act a bit more decisively than that, but it shows how much damage we can inflict through discouragement over time. The sad thing is that most people do this to both themselves and the ones they care for most.
Have you ever set out to accomplish something you hoped would be special but it ended up disappointing someone you cared about? What words did you tell yourself at the moment you discovered you had disappointed them? Many would silently say something like, “you stupid… you should have known better”… or the like. Over time, we either become afraid to try or we diminish the effort we give in trying to please another, due to the years of discouraging remarks we have stored in our subconscious mind.
The other side of the equation is “encouragement”, which is defined as, “to give courage, confidence, or enthusiasm to another”.
Wow! Do you get it! I hope a light just came on so bright that it never fades. We can actually “give” courage to another little by little throughout their lives by “encouraging them. This is very powerful and must not be taken lightly. We build or diminish courage in our “team” and or family through these simple and frequently used and abused methods.
To be doubly powerful, encouragement should be the foundation of all communication and discouragement altogether avoided… unless of course you are purposely trying to cause someone harm. (Not recommended)
Try this. Start your next day finding new ways to “encourage” others, and begin to be self-conscious of any “discouraging” remarks to remove them from your vocabulary and life.
It is important to begin with yourself and the way you speak to “you”. If you are already discouraged, then it becomes almost impossible to help someone else, but all is not lost.
Begin by writing five positive statements to yourself and repeat them out loud five times, three times a day, for three weeks
It is important to write the statements “positively”, like, “I will exercise strong character in all my decisions”, rather than, “I will not think negatively”. The very inclusion of the word “not” cancels out much of the value of the statement. When we are going “to do” something, let’s just say what it is we will do.
Remember the very wise words of Yoda, “Do, or do not, there is no try”. The power is in the “do”. The “do not” is doomed to fail.
May a life of powerful action and courage bless you all!
Hey, don’t I know you? You certainly don’t want to leave doubt in the minds of potential clients, right? Did you ever wonder if you’re leaving money on the table by not being “in front of” clients and potential clients when you’re not even in the room? Passing out business cards is certainly one way to connect with individuals but are there other ways in which you can be visible?
Here are my thoughts on this subject:
Make certain you have a social media presence. Make certain the contact information you hand out easily lets people know where you are on the internet — your website and your social media platforms.
Do you hand out pens or other give-aways? Is your name, contact info and website on all of them?
Do you do a lot of driving for your business? Why not invest in magnetic signs and make your vehicle a movable billboard?
Do you you have employees that wear uniforms? Make certain the uniforms have your company name, logo and a phone number on them.
The best way to draw in more clients is to make sure your name is “out there.”
There are times in both life and business when you will get thrown a curve ball. How you handle it reflects on both your resiliency and your attitude. A positive attitude and a tendency toward resiliency will help you roll with it and get back on your feet.
Here are some lessons to keep in mind when things simply aren’t going your way:
Be bold. Take a chance. Put yourself out there and see what the world sends back. It may not always be the boon you’d hoped for but you will never know until you try, right?
Remember, life goes on. Yes, there are times when you’re dealt a devastating blow but once you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and take stock — even if it takes a couple of days — you can get back on course. In business, rarely is failing fatal.
Know when to simply let go. There are times in business and in life when you have to know when to walk away — whether from a personal relationship or a business client that is draining your energies and not appreciating your efforts.
How do you face challenges? What do you do to come out the other side?
Just as dieters reach a weight plateau, so too can the entrepreneur feel that his or her efforts have reached a peak. What should you do if you know you want to reach higher and achieve more in your business? Here are my tips for breaking free of those plateaus:
Look at your vision. Is it still as clear as it originally was? Has it gotten muddied by past successes or failures? Have you changed from your core business competency?
Are you making the most of your business contacts? Have you been networking and meeting others? You can’t work or grow your business in a vacuum.
How succinct is your marketing message? If you haven’t looked at your elevator speech recently, now might be the time. The more succinct you are, the more clear your network partners will be on what it is you do and how they can help you grow.
What steps can you do to break through the plateau?
Do you make promises to your clients and then fail to deliver? This is a pitfall that some business owners fall into — they think they can “do it all” and perhaps they can, but they don’t set a realistic timeline for completion. If you’re working with a client and are offered a task, take a step back and consider how long it will truly take you and how many other projects you have in the works. You need to be realistic when setting deadlines.
Here are some tips on over-delivering on promises made to your clients:
As mentioned, set realistic deadlines. If you can deliver a product prior to a set deadline then that’s great. It’s better to be early on a deadline than to miss it or to have to go back and ask for an extension.
Is a client asking you to do something or provide a service that is outside of your realm of expertise? If so, you need to determine whether it’s worth it for you to take on this project or if you have a trusted business partner with whom you can share this task. Don’t say ‘yes’ just because your client asks, especially if you can’t deliver a high quality product.
Bottom line: Go above and beyond for your clients and they will thank you for your attention to detail as well as your willingness to help them solve their problems.
There is no magic bullet when it comes to taking the leap into being an entrepreneur but there are some steps you can take to avoid some of the pitfalls that have befallen those that have gone before you.
In my talking and working with those with the entrepreneurial spirit, there are a few “sins” I have uncovered during my conversations:
They lack customer focus. You can’t rely on the idea that if you build something or offer a service that people will just flock to it. You need to focus on your ideal customer prior to even deciding to make the leap into business ownership. Who is your ideal client and what do they need… ie, what problem do they have that you can solve?
The money in your bank account — especially if it’s borrowed or on credit cards — isn’t a measure of success. Yes, making money is great and will help you achieve other goals in your life, but if you’re leveraged to the hilt, and that is the reason you have money in the bank, you could be putting your business in a precarious position.
Going it alone. Even if you don’t have the funds from the get-go to hire staff, you should at least have a “board of advisors” that you can bounce ideas off of. Individuals whose business savvy you trust and whose advice you may be willing to follow if you’re steering off course.
Not making the investment in a good attorney and an accountant. While you may think you can’t afford to pay for legal advice or hand your books off to an accountant, you truly can’t afford not to have these advisors working for you. They can steer you away from risky investments and help keep your legal dealings in order.
What lessons have you learned on your road to entrepreneurship?
