For most of us, our dreams do not match reality. When we start our business, we almost always work longer hours and make less money than we dreamed we would when we decided to go into business. Our lives become consumed with work and the responsibility of owning a business, and as a result, we end up with less time available to enjoy a well balanced and fulfilling life.
We develop habits we feel we need to have to make and keep our business successful. Rather than taking regular Strategic Time Outs to evaluate our business and improve our systems, we work harder than we were. In some instances, we don’t have systems in place and are re-active to the day-to-day things that happen rather than being pro-active and anticipating and planning what we truly want to accomplish each day. How often at the end of the day do you find yourself saying, “I worked hard and was very busy but I didn’t accomplish most if any of what I had planned for today.” Yet we repeat the same actions day after day.
Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” This is why our dreams do not match reality. Most of us have always been told if we really want something, we can get if we will just work harder. Let’s face it: There are only so many hours in every day and week for us to work. If we are already working harder than we feel we should, the only thing left to change is the way we do things. We must become more effective and efficient in how we run our business or manage our position within the business.
When taking a Strategic Time Out on a regular and routine business, we need to ask ourselves:
Why don’t my dreams match the reality of my life?
Why doesn’t my business give me greater fortune, freedom and fulfillment?
Why is there too much clutter, too many messes, complexity and bad habits in my life?
You are 100 percent responsible for your business and your personal life. For your business and life to change for the better, YOU must change. Otherwise, NOTHING will change. You are responsible for the good, the bad and the ugly that makes up your business and your personal life. Your business is what it is and how it is because of you – period. For your business to change and improve, YOU must change and improve. You must change your beliefs to change your behavior. You must re-engineer your mindset and escape old habits. You must challenge your mindset and escape old habits. You must challenge some cherished assumptions. You must try new strategies and approaches.
Then discard the old, ineffective ways and use to newer more effective, efficient ways. Then revisit everything on a regular basis to continue to improve what is working well, fix what can be fixed and discard what is so broken that it can’t be fixed. To quote Paul Gustavson, founder and owner of Organization Planning & Design, “Organizations are perfectly designed for the results they achieve. Want new results? Get a new design.”
Rick Brines is owner of The Growth Coach of Chattanooga. He can be reached at 423-886-6095 or R.Brines@TheGrowthCoach.com.