Someone asked me a long time ago, and I’ll ask you the same question, in one word, what would describe you as being successful? My word would be persistence, that’s it. Persistence. We all experience obstacles and adversities along the way through our life and business journey. However, we need to persist on whatever goal we have, whatever vision we have, keep on going for it, showing up each and every day to persist to get what we want.
In the book, Think and Grow Rich, they list 16 symptoms of lack of persistence. I’m going to share a few with you, grade yourself on a scale of one to 10, ten you’re a rockstar, one you’re not, and do some self-reflection of where you need to shine up certain areas to develop more persistence to get you what you want.
The first is recognition and definition of exactly what you want. We have to get clear on what we want. I sometimes speak with select executives, leaders, and business owners, that are not exactly sure what their business or organization looks like in a perfect world. If you don’t know exactly what it looks like, where are you going? When you’re going somewhere for the first time, you plug the address in your GPS, or your Google Maps, and it then directs you exactly where you want to go. Think about that in life or in business. Get clear on the destination, define it, and then you’ll be able to follow the instructions to eventually arrive there. In addition, if you’re a leader and you want your team to follow you, you better be pretty clear on where you’re going, especially if you’re asking them to show up each and every day with excellence in representing the organization.
Number two is procrastination. Procrastination is the opposite of using your personal power. Procrastination is a killer of decisiveness, ideas, and imagination. Think of how much time, energy, stress, and money you’ve cost yourself in your business because you have procrastinated. Think of all the opportunities that have slipped away because you procrastinated.
Number three is indecision. As I said, one of the attributes of a great leader is being decisive. To develop persistence, we must be decisive. Time is money. If you’re procrastinating and being indecisive, you’re blowing time, you’re blowing money. Make a decision, and go with it. If it doesn’t work, you can change your approach and make another decision to go at it again. Many of the most successful people in the world have had to make many painful decisions along the way. However, they made a decision, they persisted, they stayed the course, and they became successful.
Another big one is blaming others and not taking full ownership. If you’re a leader, if you’re anybody in this world, don’t blame, take ownership, own everything good and bad in your world, in your life, in your business, with your team, and only then can you address the trueness of what needs to happen to make it better.
Lack of organized plans. If you don’t have an organized plan, how can you persist in checking off the boxes and following through on that plan? “Fail to plan, plan to fail.”Something to thinkabout.
To wrap it up, here’s the big one, fear of criticism. Who out there is fearful of what other people might think, of what other people might say? No offense, but who gives a crap? If you’re clear on how you’re showing up in this world, what value you deliver, and how you impact your team, and your family, who cares what other people think? I was watching BRANSON on television; it’s a three-part series on Showtime or HBO. Richard Branson owns his own Necker Island, and I was astonished of when he wanted to buy the island years prior, the bid asking price was $4.4 million. Richard Branson told them all he had was $80,000. Are you kidding me? Seriously, 4.4 million, and you offer $80,000? Of course, they poo-pooed the idea. However, a year later they came back because they had no bidders, and they said if he upped his price, the island was his. Well, Richard Branson paid $110,000 for Necker Island, which was originally bidding for $4.4 million. I’m sure if the news got out that he bid $80,000 for a $4.4 million island, many people would criticize him for his decision. They may have concluded that he’s arrogant, who knows? Who cares? He got his own island for $110,000, that’s all I know. Who has the hutzpah to say, “I’ve only got $80,000,” when they’re asking for 4.4 million? So, who cares what other people think? The most important thing is what you think.
So, here are some additional areas to self-reflect and judge yourself on, if you want to get better it’s all about being clear on what you’re good at, and what you’re not, and persisting in getting better each and every day in all those areas.
COACH MICHAEL DILL is an Award-Winning Certified Business Coach, global speaker, and published author. He is a proud Action Coach Franchise partner as well as the President of Power & Ice Wealth Creation a strategic leadership company that works with business owners, leaders, teams, and entrepreneurs to both develop a systematized and structured organization while accelerating their mindset, efficiencies, and effectiveness to grow both personally and professionally to achieve extraordinary results. He brings more than 40 years of business and entrepreneurial experience in his leadership, team training, and mentoring practice. Businesscoachmichaeldill.com