Can you imagine waking up every day, and feeling successful regardless of what's happening in your small business? That would be a nice place to be - especially with the myriad of details constantly on your mind. Your marketing plan, cash flow, managing time and deadlines. It's normal to sometimes wonder if you'll ultimately be successful, or if you'll have to eventually throw in the towel and go back to being employed.
Obviously, you want your growing business to be successful. It's what you're passionate about - it's what you give your all for every day. Furthermore, it's what gives you the freedom and self determination you want and why you started your business in the first place. But attaining success can be elusive and paradoxical.
The problem is, success is most commonly defined as the favorable termination of an endeavor, and often associated with and determined by external criteria - such as how well your product/service is received, how effective you are, or by the bottom line...how much money you make. But, that's not all success is.
Don't get me wrong - it's fine to pursue success, it's great to make money and have a world class business, but don't make the common mistake of pursuing success to be happy.
I know a young woman who owns a retail store and carries around red-line stress levels with her day and night. She worries about whether she's got what it takes to manage a successful operation. She's paralyzed by the thought that the stores success or failure determines her self worth. Yes, she clearly needs to have, demonstrate and apply lots of skill and good decision making for her store to be successful. But if the only source of her self esteem is the businesses success, she's going to be in trouble.
What I know for sure is, you have to be connected to something bigger than the successful outcome of your business in order to fund a lifetime of fulfillment. This is what I call, success beyond success. By all means, give everything you do your all, but don't confuse how your efforts land in the world with what it means about you.
Your self esteem is related to your values, your purpose, what kind of person you want to be, and what kind of life you want to lead. Regardless of what kind of background you had, what obstacles you had to overcome, you can build or rebuild self esteem on a foundation of resonant values along with your sense of purpose. THIS is when you experience success beyond success.
For example, my values: honesty, beauty, integrity, excellence - become the determiners of my success and fulfillment. As long as I am living according to these, and hold fully in my awareness the importance of them to me, I experience my life as successful beyond the success (or failure) of my business. What a relief.
When was the last time you clarified your values, thought about your true purpose and felt your connection with something bigger? Aligning with this awareness is something you have control over rather than random, external factors you have little control over. I believe, learning to live at this level of consciousness will bring you the success you want for your business and most importantly it will bring you success beyond success for the rest of your life.
It's YOUR life...imagine the possibilities!
Success Beyond Success - To learn more about this author, visit Helaine Iris's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales success or one of the many who have failed to change? So what are you doing to change those results? Let’s be honest, with companies moving globally and at lightening speeds, the traditional business solutions are outdated and dead. My approach moves your business out of its comfort zone and secures your competitive advantage now. If you are seeking to increase sales, build customer loyalty, create a culture of great attitudes or just achieve some sleep filled nights, then we should talk because my clients have experienced exactly those types of results. Learn more about customer loyalty at http://www.processspecialist.com/customer-loyalty.htm Give me a call at 219.759.5601 for a free strategy session. P.S. If you are seeking a motivational speaker, sales trainer or small business expert that will leave your audience smiling and remembering, please feel free to contact me at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland Smith's Website |
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Helaine Iris
(Visit Helaine's Website)
Helaine Iris is a Life and Business Coach,
who has been featured in numerous
publications, including "O" The Oprah
Magazine. She helps entrepreneurs
accelerate their professional success,
while achieving a more complete and
fulfilling personal life. She combines a
broad range of professional experience in
her work, including management positions
in the education, training, retail and
international non-profit sectors. She
loves her life and awakens each day
excited to make the world a better place,
one person at a time. For a
solution-focused, initial consultation
visit www.p
athofpurpose.com or call Helaine at
603-363-4252
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