Are you the leader of your business and life, or have you ever given thought to that concept? Are you of the mind to only deal with your “stuff” as it comes up or do you have a strategic plan of action in place, even if it is minimal at the moment? Or do you even know what I am talking about - period?
Guaranteed, dealing with what's directly in front of you, always seems more urgent and concrete but doesn’t give you much room or opportunity to concentrate on noticing any potholes that may show up, or allow you to recognize that the road you are on my be leading you off a cliff.
"The one who says it cannot be done should never interrupt the one who is doing it." — Anonymous
So, let me propose that you risk giving some thought to these few ideas.
A reminder – taking a risk means finding a small goal or project and then doing the research and collecting any materials or background information necessary to helping you make a solid choice about following through on taking this risk. A chance, on the other hand, is simply finding out about something and saying to yourself, “Oh, that sounds good, I’ll do that” … and then jumping in without having any information or having done any research to know whether taking this chance is right for you right now or not. Working this way often means you will crash and burn which in turn gives your “Brat” permission to say yet once again, “See I told you so.” And you start another round of doubt and indecision. Does this sound familiar?
Another Reminder – No two people use the same combinations of inner systems, patterns or traits, so there is no ONE path that fits everyone. You need to always work from your specific strengths and stop trying to fix your weaknesses. Also, you need to be comfortable with the timetable you build to get things done. This is not a competition or a race to see who wins. It’s about getting to your realistic goals by doing the necessary work, step-by-step. This get’s you to YOUR individualized, practical finish line at your pace. Who cares if others are behind or ahead of you in what they are doing. You don’t want to get stuck in the minutia and burn out or waste your precious resources of time, energy and money by trying to live your life and work your business with someone else’s plan and time table, do you? If you have been trying this, how is it working for you? Stop, take a breath and really think about this.
"...if we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin." - Ivan Turgenev
Here are a few ideas that might help fire up your thinking process as you create a plan of action whether it is for your business or life. Please feel free to scrutinize, adjust as you go and change these ideas to suit how you work best. Think of some small goal that can be accomplished in one week. Next think of what small task you can do each and every day to get you to that goal and add it on your “daily to do” list.
This next idea might be a new concept so… As you look at your targeted weekly goal, start being more conscious as you learn to anticipate and look for game changing information at the periphery of your world. This allows you to then search beyond the current boundaries of your own circle of friends and your accumulated knowledge, building a wider external network with those of like mind and others, to help you scan the horizon for opportunities to share. Don’t judge this new concept, first give it a try and notice what comes up for you.
Another great way to bust out and start building a strategic plan for yourself, is to actively fly in the face of the usual conventional wisdom when facing new challenges. Design ways to test deep held assumptions and beliefs about your usual way of dealing with the world. Hold a debate with yourself, you know when you talk to yourself inside your head, and allow all kinds of ideas to come forth and be bantered around until the light bulb goes on and you have an “ah ha” moment.
"It is better to make a mistake with the full force of your being than to carefully avoid mistakes with a trembling spirit." - Dan Millman
Experiment with “looking” for an idea, question or answer, “listening” to an idea, question or answer and, “feeling” (experiencing) a new idea, question or answer. Notice that when you go through this process you might find it bazaar and kind of disconcerting because you haven’t accessed these areas before. But using each of them will give you different perspectives on whatever you are working on.
Know that “different” is not always better - so don’t throw out as they say, the baby with the bath water. Understand the insight inherent in the ole tried and true conventional wisdom as well as keeping in mind its blind spots. And please, please, please, keep an open mind about new concepts and ideas you might come in contact with as you talk to and work with others. Heck, why not actively seek out those who truly see the world differently and try hard to understand why! Often you will still disagree, but at times they might actually reframe your own thinking for the better. In other words, don’t just continue to associate with those who already agree with you. Welcome healthy disagreement and discourse without getting all emotional.
And above all, don’t ever forget to listen to what others are saying. Don’t be trying to concoct some smart, witty repartee in your mind and stop listening to others conversation. Listening is key in hearing and understanding the interesting and new informational parts of any good conversation.
"Feedback is the breakfast of champions." - Ken Blanchard
So, for some, “NEW” may feel scary because it might mean change. Simply keep an open mind, which science finally is saying, allows for real creativity. That is where you need to reside. There is no right or wrong. Failure and making mistakes are a given. It’s about how you choose to deal with them. Failure and mistakes are, after all just feedback and that is how we learn everything. When we as children got to the age of standing on two feet, and then fell and thought. “Well I failed at that, so I will never try that again!” we would all still be crawling through life. What do you think? Let me hear from you. Avanti and ciao. Carol
If you like this information and have questions concerning your Personal or Business skills and tools, please email me at [email protected] And, you can find much more information and guidance by going to my website www.ariaready.net Browse through the Newsletter Archives and by buy the 2nd edition of my book, Aria Ready, The Business of Singing so you have your personal guide at the ready. Or you can schedule a consultation with me via Skype. Please “Like” me on Facebook and look for my blogs on the Classical Singer Website.
