After coaching over 1000 ambitious individuals I have come to see that there are five fundamental mistakes many professionals and entrepreneurs make along the way to pursuing their dreams, goals, and ambitions. Treat these mistakes as lessons and you can turn things around. Keep repeating them and you may well stay stuck.
If you are an entrepreneur who aspires to becoming successful it is time to get honest with yourself. If you are doing any of the following then you will not succeed anywhere near to the level that you could and you will probably one day face regret for not having achieved all you could have done.
Do any of the following sound like you? If so, follow my solution suggestions and get back on track to building the business success you desire NOW.
1. You do what is easy, not what is needed
The highest paying activities are creating business partnerships and implementing effective branding, marketing, and selling strategies — yet you wind up wasting time and doing something else because it’s easier. Instead of focusing on developing and implementing the skills that you know will make all the difference you often waste time on social media, watching TV or doing anything else but take those important actions you know you need to take.
The solution is to create and implement an action plan. Spend time to plan exactly what the most effective actions are you need to take each day, then schedule them in and do whatever it takes to complete each action. If need be first get unsubscribed from every mailing list that wastes your time, turn off all social media notifications and ask for support from those around you to take distractions away and hold you to account.
2. You settle for second best
You are likely to be either a dreamer (so you have big ideas but won’t do anything about them, yet expect results while continuing to do what you’ve always done) or someone who starts things but never actually sticks to anything long enough to make it successful. Either way you stick with the familiar rather than following through on your dreams and plans.
The solution is to choose one thing, one business or one pursuit and give it 100% commitment. Once chosen then do whatever it takes to stick to it until you are consistently generating truly satisfying and substantial results. Only then can you look at starting a second business, never before.
3. You are seduced by the next get richer quicker scheme
You think the grass is greener someplace else and are easily pulled into the allure of the next get rich quick scheme (even if it is not something that you really want to do). You see the success of others and think you can do that — but quicker!
The solution is to ensure your success by saying no to anything that is not what you genuinely want to succeed at. Also, remember, it is never about the money, it is always about the lifestyle that the work you love makes possible — so stick to creating a lifestyle you absolutely love.
4. You blow your money on feeling good, not on learning
You don’t feel good, so you buy another drink/pair of shoes/gadget/car/whatever it is. Or maybe you book a holiday? I am not saying these things are bad, but if you are not succeeding as well as you know you could be right now then none of these things are going to help in the long run.
The solution is to invest in learning new skills to help you succeed. Instead of spending your money on the next gadget you don’t really need, use the money to invest in learning what is missing — which is usually something to do with branding, marketing or selling. Once you do, you’ll own these high profit-generating skills and you can then implement them to become highly profitable and fund a truly rewarding lifestyle.
5. You procrastinate
This is the biggest one of all. Instead of writing to one hundred possible new clients, you browse YouTube. Instead of picking up the phone to arrange a life-changing meeting, you eat another slice of cake. Instead of studying and elevating your skills, you text a friend and see what they are up to. The list goes on and on.
The solution is to stop procrastinating. But how? One great way is through imagination and visualisation. Visualise two potential futures. One where you are filled with regret because you didn’t fulfil your potential and wound up a failed entrepreneur. Then another where you are filled with satisfaction because you succeeded through taking consistent action each day. One or both will be great motivators and will then become the fuel to make you unstoppable in the face of anything.
If none of this works, find a reputable coach to work with.
