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Bungling Bonnie Raitt, or “How to Handle Challenges, Learning Curves, and Breakdowns in Your Business.”

Written by: Therese Skelly

Article Overview: Oh, it was ugly! I hadn’t been out singing karaoke in a few months, so when my gal pal Andrea asked me to go to sing recently, I decided to try a song I’d never sung before – the rather drippy but beautiful Bonnie Raitt ballad, “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” It’s a fabulous song when it’s done well, but for whatever reason, I wasn’t on my game. When I got up to sing, I immediately hit the wrong note, and stayed off key for the first few verses. Yikes! Karaoke - on stage, with all those folks watching. Having that mic in your hand, it’s sort of one of those sink or swim moments. Just like business sometimes.

Bungling Bonnie Raitt, or “How to Handle Challenges, Learning Curves, and Breakdowns in Your Business.”

You are probably wondering what the heck my botched Bonnie Raitt song has to do with handling the challenges you encounter as a business owner. I’m a big lover of metaphor, and in my life, there is no better metaphor for me than when I am singing. Let me tie my karaoke story to some examples of what you need to create a mindset for business success.

1. Take risks and try new things. It’s all about courage - in business and on the stage. Instead of doing the tried and true songs, I went outside of my comfort zone to stretch myself. Do you do that in your business? Are you looking for ways to expand your product offerings or create fresh content?

If you don’t grow, you become obsolete. It’s that simple. Try coming up with three new ways folks could work with you. This can be a huge growth opportunity. Especially now…quit playing it safe!

2. Observe how you are doing and ‘being.’ Have you ever felt like time stands still and you seem to be watching yourself go through life? That’s what it was like for me during the first minute of the song. I was just praying the thing would end, looking around the room for validation, and trust me… not really enjoying it.

In business, do you have a way to be able to track or measure how “on your game” you are? Do you take time regularly to ask yourself how you are doing? Have you involved trusted advisors or mastermind partners who are sharing their feedback with you? Are your customers invited to give you input so you can tweak and improve your performance? But mostly, are you slowing down enough to really feel how you are doing?

Create both tangible and intangible measures to observe where you are. When you measure something, you’ll take better care of it. Be honest, and do this on a regular basis.

3. Correct by being connected. After a few moments of really being uncomfortable, I remembered that I know how to sing, so I just willed myself to get out of my head, and into my body. In my head was all the negative chatter, which was making me crazy! When I finally said to myself, “shut up and sing,” I was able to relax, and allow the music to come through me, with much better results. The audience applauded, I was happier, and Bonnie would have been proud!

Let’s look again at the business application. You have to try new things to stay fresh. You may fail or at the very least, mess up a bit; things will break down, and people sometimes won’t love what you do. That’s just the reality when you are constantly pushing the edge of your comfort zone, continuing to grow, and expanding what you do and who you are.

The trick is being able to self-soothe. A successful mindset is one where you can observe yourself but not get caught up in negativity. It’s about constantly recalibrating and staying focused on your goal.

You have probably heard that an airplane is off course 97% of the time, but the auto-pilot is constantly correcting. The plane always lands at exactly the correct destination, but wouldn’t if it weren’t for the corrections along the way. I believe that the true measure of success is in how you recover from the mini break-downs.

What can you connect to as a way to stay grounded?
• For most of my business owner clients it’s the “Big Why.” If you can stand in the place of being connected to why you are in business and why you serve the people you serve, handling the little bumps in the road is easier.
• You can also connect to your spirituality as a way to remind you of what’s important in your life.
• And finally, connect with your clients. Pull out those testimonials; remember those stories of the times you made a huge difference in someone else’s life. This is truth with a capital “T” - - not those small obstacles along the way.

So my friends, sing your heart out in what ever way you do. Just make the commitment to keep playing a bigger game because we need your gifts in the world!

Therese Skelly

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Article Tags: ballad, bonnie raitt, breakdowns, challenges, fabulous song, game, karaoke, learning curves
Referred by: http://www.4-dsuccess.com



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