The Lines In The Sand of Business & Success
June 22nd, 2017 // 10:47 am @ Scott Manning
I think most business owners have it all wrong. They think there is just one line: business ownership.
Sign up to be your own boss, “Okay, I did it!” Then they think “Now what? I guess I’m done.”
That is what most people think. Then they wake up tomorrow and go to work only this time no one is telling them what to do – big problem – often they aren’t telling themselves or anyone else what to do. Therefore, not a whole lot gets done other than the same thing again and again, day in and day out, year after year, decade after decade.
What a shame to do so little with so much.
Here is the reality of the lines in the sand…
You never get to stop stepping over them.
Not as long as you want to continue being successful, to see what all is out there, to find out how much you can create and to realize the true impact you can have.
You have lines in the sand as to:
Raising your prices instead of being scared.
Hiring more people instead of being cheap.
Turning away bad customers instead of being desperate.
Saving versus squandering money for your future.
Making investments that have risk instead of being bashfully poor.
So many decisions to make and lines to cross that you can’t straddle a single one. The more lines you come to and the more you keep crossing them always the greater the opportunity for growth and profit (though that also means more risk and more responsibility).
This can be calculated and it’s okay when you wish to stop moving forward and stay where you are. Just understand that even then you have to keep crossing the lines of decision every single day.
I think the most important line you must cross is really chasm that requires a bridge. Once you cross it, you look back and the other side is no longer visible. You made it to the other side and there is no turning back.
That’s the chasm of commitment towards your goals.
Many business owners change their minds more often than anything else they do in their lives. There is a difference from changing minds versus making decisions for change.
When you are afraid to commit, you go around in circles in your business and never really accomplish anything. This leads to wasted resources, money, time and customers. It builds a frustration that often results in acceptance of complacency and status quo – settling for less than you deserve.
On the other hand, when you see a chasm you wish to cross and another side you want to reach, you must make the commitment to see it through. When you really make that decision, all other things align with it and help facilitate it.
More decisions will have to be made, more lines in the sand will have to be stepped over and each of those will be easy decisions as long as the original commitment has been solidified – once the bridge is crossed, there’s no turning back.
If you ever question your results you have to question your commitment and ask “Was I all the way on the other side, did I cross the bridge or did I get stuck in the middle of it trying to see far enough down the path ahead instead of making the leap?”
Here’s the thing you can know about business (and life too): once you reach for big enough goals – you won’t win with one foot on either side of commitment. The task is too great, the distance is too far because the rewards are too grand.
I do hope in your life you’ve found your next chasm to cross and you’ve gone all in, because you deserve and it’s the only way to really take any business, relationship, life or journey to its fullest potential. Commitment matters, so take your leap.
Category : Blog
