One of my favourite quotes: “when you cannot make up your mind which of two evenly balanced courses to take, choose the bolder.”
WJ Slim. One of Britain’s most successful and effective Generals in the 20th century.
And, I’m sure you know that so many people find this the most difficult aspect of being a business-person… being decisive. Yet, it is the one aspect of being an entrepreneur which is most admired by others. That ability to take a risk, to go for a goal armed only with your courage and a belief in your own ability.
Being a business professional means being able to take bold steps. If this is something which you find difficult, and many do, start by modelling the best.
Yes… Those who are most professional/ best in any field of human endeavour, leave clues as to how to make bold decisions, and take bold actions. So in order to become the best, we can model our own thoughts, and our actions on them… and that’s in any field… so you can learn from the best in fields other than your own. It’s more to do with a certain approach, a certain ethos, than it is about the specifics of a particular industry, or a particular business.
So who can you model?
Who can you have in your head when faced with a decision… (and if you think you aren’t faced with that many decisions, think again… we all make more decisions than we think on a daily basis!).
If you want to be the best, ACT it…
Act and think like that person…
In your own field, I know that you want to be the best you can be. And in all your roles… as a partner, parent, business-person, member of your community… all your roles.
So act like the best.
Model yourself on that one person you admire.
What will it mean to you to think and act like that person?
Will you be fearless? Will you have no worries or challenges? No! But you will have a way of handling them… rather than running away from them. Most people have this handling strategy built in, but they tend to squash it, because they allow the fear and interference to get in the way.
I have spoken before about Butterfly moments… Those moments in life where you are about to make a bold move, and you get a butterfly feeling in your stomach. Those moments when you feel the adrenalin, and you want to make a decision to move forward. That’s your gut-feeling knowing it’s the right thing to do.
Many people mistake it for Fear, and they run and hide from it, and in business that can be crippling. They either make a retrograde decision based on fear, or make no decision at all… And as we know, more opportunities are lost through indecision than the wrong decision.
Seize those butterfly moments.
They often happen when you need to make a commitment/ a decision which will take you forward to new territory.
Learn to enjoy those moments, to revel in them, to know that based on your Vision, they are to be embraced as signs that you are growing, rather than feelings to be shirked from.
Believe me, whoever you have decided to model yourself on also has those Butterfly moments. No, really, they do.
Of course you knew that. We all know that… they are human. And their success is merely a reflection of this courage, this commitment to being the best, this ability to seize the opportunities.
And in modelling that by thinking and acting as they would, you will rise to even higher levels of success.
Start modelling right now, and build it as a habit.