My sister told me recently that, in a conversation
with her in-laws-to-be, her almost-mother-in-law was speaking about how
she felt so drained as a result of all the negativity she was exposed
to that day.
My sister then mentioned that I live in my "happy
bubble" — I don’t watch much television, only read certain papers and
business journals, spend time with those I love, read several books a
month, paint whenever I get the chance and have eliminated as many
negative people from my life as possible.
Her in-laws-to-be were shocked and actually said "I wish I could do that."
My
response to them would have been, "Why can’t you?" I didn’t ask
permission, I just did it. I made a conscious choice to live my life
this way. Anyone can do the same.
There are several things which
contribute to a successful business. High on the list is your mindset.
If you maintain a happy and successful mindset, you will attract more
of the same and see opportunities all around; if you complain, see
problems instead of opportunities and are negative, you will attract
more of that.
In addition to living in my “bubble”, here are 3 traits I believe are cornerstones of successful businesses:
1. Passion.
You
must have passion for what you do – whether it’s coaching, virtual
assistance, or carpet cleaning. Otherwise, what’s the point of owning
your own business?
Your joy, or lack of, will come through in everything you do.
I
was recently told that my enthusiasm during a speech was “infectious” –
I was thrilled that my passion for what I do not only came through, but
actually inspired others.
2. Good can be good enough.
As
a recovering perfectionist, I know that the understanding that “good is
good enough” is perhaps the hardest trait for entrepreneurs to master.
If
you spend all your time revising and analyzing, NOTHING will ever be
completed. You must accept that “good IS good enough” and you can
update and revise as necessary.
3. Sense of urgency.
Entrepreneurs who are infused with a sense of urgency keep things moving *no matter what*.
If
a project is held up at some stage, they are prepping for the next
piece, not sitting idly waiting for someone else to move things along.
Your Coaching Challenge
I
challenge you to look at the projects on your desk and see if any of
them are “good enough” and can be wrapped up and sent out. Even an
email that’s been sitting in your “draft” folder for too long – nothing
is too small as long as you can mark it “DONE!”.
Your business can’t move forward until YOU move forward.
Leading small business expert Sandra Martini is the
"Automatic Business Coach." Sandra delivers simple proven, yet
innovative, ways entrepreneurs can implement processes and systems to create a
waiting list of clients while giving them more money, time, and freedom in
their businesses. For free articles, free resources and to sign up for her free
audio mini-seminar "5 Quick & Easy Ways to Put Your Marketing on
Autopilot" visit www.SandraMartini.com.