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Top 7 tips of how to not lose sight of, and realize your business vision

Guest post by: Monique MacKinnon

Article Overview: Can you see the forest from the trees, or do you tend to get caught up and lost in the tree brushes of your business? Learn how to stay focused so you can make money and meaning in your work, and not engage in analysis paralysis, which is what contributes to stuckness.

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Top 7 tips of how to not lose sight of, and realize your business vision

What is analysis paralysis? What is the negative impact of experiencing analysis paralysis? "Analysis paralysis is "an informal phrase applied to when the opportunity cost of decision analysis exceeds the benefits". It stems from self-sabotaging beliefs, including the following:

Analysis paralysis can occur, for example, when you decide that you want to create a product or service offering that will solve all of the world's problems - i.e. it is better, faster, cheaper, and uses the latest gadgets, tools, technology, and buzzwords. Since accomplishing this will be virtually impossible, it will allow you to procrastinate making a final decision.

What are the top 7 causes of analysis paralysis?

  1. It is easier to do research than to implement your product or solution: it is safe and often successful and therefore confidence boosting, while acting on the research is fraught with the possibility of failure, stress, or pressure.
  2. Lack of goals
  3. Conflicting goals
  4. Risk avoidance, fear of making a mistake
  5. Too many learning curves at once, causing incessant revisiting of prior work
  6. Creative speculation, when discovery and definition are required
  7. Insistence on completing all analyses, before designing your workshop, writing your marketing copy, etc.
What are the 12 negative impacts of analysis paralysis?

  1. You work and work, and see no product or results
  2. You begin to lose sight of why you were working in the first place
  3. You miss the opportunity to take risks and receive feedback about the quality of your work
  4. You meet fewer people, including prospective clients, joint and referral partners, and suppliers
  5. You try fewer new strategies and you, your business and your income consequently grow less
  6. You become controlled by fear and disempowered
  7. You become trapped by your problems and in your own individual ideas
  8. You end up paying for this over-analysis - in money, energy, time, health, happiness and success
  9. The clients you are best suited to help do not get to meet you
  10. Your personal relationships suffer
  11. Your health dwindles
  12. Other times it can be ignorance: that you do not know that you could hire someone else to do your drudgery work
To avoid getting stuck in analysis paralysis, select one or two of the seven tips outlined below, and apply them for the next few months, until they become internalized. While you are at it, enjoy the cha-lle-nge of moving from analysis paralysis to realizing your business’ vision!

Top 7 tips of how to not lose sight of, and realize your business vision

  1. Do enough research and analysis to know how to build your various plans: i.e. financial, business, marketing, referral, repeat business, etc. For instance, market research would entail finding out whether people want to buy the service or product you want to sell, and the price they are willing to pay for it. Then stop the analysis. Make an informed decision about what you believe will work. Create and implement the plans, and tweak them as you see fit.
  2. Quickly figure out "why" you are not doing the work. That is, answer the following: "I am afraid to..., and I scare myself by imagining that..." (E.G. increase my rates, make a decision about what product to run with next, etc.). Realize that you (not others) are the ones creating the fear! E.G. I want to increase my rates (or begin charging for my business offerings) but I scare myself by imagining that I will have no clients as a result. Then make the decision and/or do the work.
  3. Look for the simplest solution. That is, pick something you can do and do quickly, so that you can get on with the other things you really need to do. Then do that thing professionally and well.
  4. Challenge your inner critic (or skeptic) or gremlins, who keep telling you that you cannot, you do not want to, you do not feel like it, you will fail, you are not good enough, etc. Show your mind that you are the boss, not it. This will increase your confidence dramatically, to the point where the little voice in your head will get increasingly quieter and have little effect on you.
  5. Remember that everything is uncomfortable at the beginning. However, if you stick with it, you will eventually move through your Financial Discomfort Zone and succeed. Then you will have become a “bigger” person.
  6. Accept and love yourself unconditionally, for who you truly are.
  7. Get into the habit of living in and outside of your business instead of just surviving, or more bluntly, dying. To gain a fuller appreciation of how these words differ, refer to the six examples provided below.
Example 1

Thriving: You do your best and praise yourself for all of your efforts.

Surviving: You do things only because you think you need to, have to, or should.

Example 2

Thriving: You give up feeling guilty and worrying.

Surviving: You feel guilty or worry, for no reason at all.

Example 3

Thriving: You trust that everything will work out fine.

Surviving: You doubt yourself.

Example 4

Thriving: You ask the people in your life to help you through difficult times and clarify how they could to this.

Surviving: You do not ask for support when you need or want it.

Example 5

Thriving: You are grateful for the good in your life, and adopt an attitude that there is plenty to go around.

Surviving: You wish your life could be different, and yet do nothing about it, except to maintain the status quo.

Example 6

Thriving: You say "yes" to you, including your creative genius!

Surviving: You deny your creativity.

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Home > Women-Entrepreneurs > Monique MacKinnon > Top 7 tips of how to not lose sight of and realize your business vision >
Article Tags: analysis paralysis, business vision, drudgery work, money, self sabotage, success
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About the Author: Monique MacKinnon
RSS for Monique's articles - Visit Monique's website

Monique MacKinnon is a globally recognized creativity expert, co-author of Tipping Point to Happiness, speaker and writer. Monique’s specialty is teaching passionate and yet reserved entrepreneurs and professionals worldwide how to meaningfully and profitably ground their inspirations and create a far-reaching impact in people’s lives. Monique’s creativity coaching and consulting work is rooted in both practical and esoteric principles, and includes expertise in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and hand analysis as well as 21 years’ experience in coaching, training, consulting, marketing, and operations and human resources management. Monique has the distinction of having been featured in Time magazine for her inspiring workplace fitness leadership role and contributions at Fitness and Amateur Sport Canada, three short years after receiving an honors degree and Bilingual and Brilliant award from the University of Ottawa, Canada.

To subscribe to Monique’s blog and receive this FREE GIFT, the audio recording of “Use the Art of Coincidence to Create Prosperous Relationships and Opportunities” (value: $67 US), visit http://www.energeticevolution.com In this hands on presentation, backed up with real life client cases, Monique will teach you how to master in practical, everyday terms the skill of “connecting your dots” to help you create more prosperity in your life.


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Top 7 tips of how to not lose sight of and realize your business vision


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Re: Keyword Selection Re: Keyword Selection - This is really important - it can be easy to get lost in how well you are ranking for certain keywords and lose sight of the fact that those keywords aren't even pertinent to your business.
How do you know if you have a good idea? How do you know if you have a good idea? - [quote="orxan":3118uboz]My advise is FOCUS on your business. Focusing is the main factor to succeed on business. If you have a great idea, then follow it only, don't look anywhere else. It is especially essential in an online business. Because there are a lot of mind blowing sales letters promising millions dolllars or overnight success, people find it difficult to concentrate on one business and they lose their energy. Concept is simple. 1- Have a good idea; 2- Build your business on it; 3- Monetize your business; 4- Promote it; 5- Build list of responsive customers; 6- Maintain You Business. Focusing and not fearing from competition (instead you can learn from competitiors) are main tips of billionaires ,BTW. Orxan[/quote:3118uboz] Thanks orxan! But how do you know if you truly have a good idea or not? If we ask ourselves, we may be suffering from tunnel vision. On the other hand, friends/family may try to discourage us from pursuing a small business because of their own fears, while others will simply give us an empty "you can do it!" line.
Re: Keyword Selection Re: Keyword Selection - [quote="JackieGold":1rhnmgte]This is really important - it can be easy to get lost in how well you are ranking for certain keywords and lose sight of the fact that those keywords aren't even pertinent to your business.[/quote:1rhnmgte] Hi Jackie, That is definitely something to look out for. I have seen many times where people are ranking in the top 3 for a particular keyword, and they're very excited. However, after taking a look, that keyword either gets no traffic (or very little) or is irrelevant to their site. Relevant keywords that get a decent monthly search volume are the ones to go after.
Re: Who did your logo design? Re: Who did your logo design? - There are indeed a ton of those logo sights where you can get cheap work done. I have an inhouse design studio called Ripple, where we offer start up packages for business for $500. I think a lot of new entrepreneurs dont realize the impact that their logo does have on their branding and positioning. We take people through a complete creative process which I know they value. By using the $25 sites etc. you really have no claim on them if they do infringe on someone else idea.. But hey...to each his own.. I like to think that you get what you pay for - and while I dont think you need to spend thousands...you should research and really understand what you are getting into. Your logo needs to be something you can use for 5-10 years at least.....so it has to include your big vision..
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