“I really want to, but”

by Sandra Martini
Fastest and easiest way across

Week 1 of 2011 is almost officially over. 

How do you feel?  Are you as gung ho and productive as you were a few days ago?  Are you contemplating partnering with a mentor?

As you may know, my Escalator Profits™ program starts in a few days and I’ve been receiving several questions and, more than that, several “I really want to, but”.

The “but” is usually followed by “I can’t afford it.”

I’m NOT going to ask you what your business is worth or drill down on your hopes and dreams and ask if you still can’t afford it.  Not my style and while I’ll absolutely take a stand for you and your business, you’re in the best position to determine what you can/can’t do.

I AM going to make a request (well, a few) however. . .

  • Understand, truly understand, that being successful in business is a lot more than being great at what you do and doing it with immense passion.  While those things are important, they’re barely the tip of the success iceberg.  Understand that you can’t look at what everyone else is doing, attempt to copy it and think you’ll be successful — especially since the vast majority of small businesses, particularly online businesses, fail in the first 5 years.
  • IF you’re contemplating working with a mentor this year, pick one who resonates with you, do the work (in whatever way is best for you) and then assess whether you want/need to work with someone else as opposed to hiring several different coaches at the same time and creating overwhelm for yourself (see post on Too Many Cooks In Your Business Kitchen).
  • Look at your 2011 budget for professional development and ask yourself, is it better to invest in a solid growth program or several smaller programs? Decide now what you need most for 2011 so you won’t be swayed by the bright shiny objects. (Note that there is no “wrong” answer here, it depends where you are in your business.)

In order to be successful, you need to be able to see things (truly see them) as they are now, today (Napoleon Hill called it “accurate thinking”); in addition to how you desire them to be. 

And just as importantly, you want to see the bridge to get you from “here to there”, or work with someone who can show you “your” bridge and how to get across it.

Getting from “here to there” is possible in many ways:

  • You can take the scenic view and go around, spending months or years trying to get there
  • You can push straight through, forcing your way over, so focused on staying afloat and moving ahead that you miss opportunities and wind up completely exhausted or
  • You can step onto your bridge, easily traverse all obstacles and see things with an eagle’s eye, identifying and assessing opportunities as they arise and you move ever closer to your goals.

Do you see your bridge?

I’d love to read your thoughts on this post — please comment below if inspired.

P.S. If you’re thinking of working with a mentor to help identify the path to and over your bridge, here are some options I know of and recommend depending where you are in your business and who you resonate with (these aren’t affiliate links):