Of all the obstacles to success which I observe, the most damaging is the barrier which exists between knowing what to do, and actually getting on and doing it.
Most people know what they need to do every day in order to move their business forward. Yet how many translate this into a series of successful habits?
– So we know that prospecting for new business on a daily basis is a successful habit, yet…
– We know that having a strong initial approach to prospective clients is essential, yet…
– We know that it is important to ask for personal introductions from new clients every time, yet…
– We know that having a regular “marketing engine” which produces plenty of qualified names to approach is important, yet…
– We know that working the 80/20 rule (Pareto principle) is a key to enhanced effectiveness, yet…
– We know that our work should be balanced with the other facets of our life to maintain high energy and zest, yet…
– We know that it is important to maintain focus, energy, enthusiasm, passion and a positive approach, yet…
– We know we should have a clear business vision, based on our own values and beliefs, with strategic goals to help us get there, yet…
– We know that we should have a daily action plan, yet…
By the way, if you are thinking, “I’ve got all those, and I do act on these every day”, well done. None of these will come as a surprise as success ingredients. You will be familiar with them all, I am sure. And yet, every day I hear people say, “I am gonna do x, when I get a chance”, or “Once I get organised, I am gonna do y”.
So how do you make the transition between knowing what to do, and doing it consistently? This is the difference between Know-Action and No Action. In short it’s about habits. The first thing to recognise is that our habits are a function of our mindset. They dwell in our subconscious. Stepping out of your comfort zone is about creating disciplines, and may work for a short time. But to maintain that consistently requires something more.
It is also about creating the environment for your best habits to flourish. That’s your physical environment (your office, car, home), your psychological environment (your mindset), your inter-personal environment (the people you choose to surround yourself with and who support you), your client environment (the people you choose to include in your market).
Deep down, we all know what we need to do in these areas to remove the barriers. Deep down in your gut-feeling you know where in your business the barrier between Knowing and Acting has the most detrimental effect. You know what to do, what to change, and the results that such a change will have.
Time for action…