Inspiration to Perspiration: Mastering the Will to Start
Summary: Do you feel like you are constantly having to 'reinvent the wheel' in your small business? There's nothing more frustrating that being caught on the hamster wheel of having to re-do and re-create over and over. What you need is a way to find leverage in your business, even if you have serious doubts that it can be done. Let us show you how.:
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Inspiration to Preparation
I joke about our clan (me included) as having ADHD because there's never a shortage of problems to distract our attention. We often spend entire days chasing one problem after another. This "inspiration" energy can rev you up or exhaust you, but it rarely gets you to that next level of preparation where the growth begins.
Why do 25% of business people get stuck with a spark of inspiration and an inability to take a productive step toward preparation?
As a business coach for women entrepreneurs, I’ve seen a lot of different types of women and varying outcomes for their efforts. What I know overall is that these women are not lacking passion, nor are they lacking inspiration and hustle. The businesses that don’t do so well are led by women who really don’t know what to do.
It’s not that they are not able-bodied entrepreneurs. It’s not that they don’t have what it takes to succeed. Many of them are high achievers, good students and driven to perfection. They just don’t know the steps to take to get things done.
Of the people who fail, most are inspired... they just never get past that inspiration phase.
They go to a conference or a business event and come away with some great information. Then they just get swept back up into their day-to-day lives and they never take that next step.
So often, a bright new entrepreneurial woman tells me, “If I knew what to do, I’d be doing it right now. I have no problem taking action.”
So why does everything seem to dissolve so quickly?
Make the decision, then take action.
Make the decision, then take action.
When I wrote my first book, I was in exactly that position. Writing and publishing a book was totally new territory for me. I knew what I wanted to do, I had decided to take action, an important part of success, but I didn’t know the steps to take.
What was the first key to success? I had to rely heavily on people who had resources and knowledge I didn’t have.
Next, keep taking action.
Patience is key.
The next hurdle that comes after not knowing the first steps, is having the patience to stick with a project from start to finish.
Finishing is difficult for people like me for whom time runs fast. I tend to feel like I should be reaping the harvest of my work long before the natural time frame allows.
When I finished my manuscript in September, I assumed the book would be published in October... WRONG! Pulling everything together took several more months.
Can you relate to the instant gratification problem?
When you are in the inspiration phase, you can imagine the finished result. But getting from here to there not only takes a practical roadmap and an ability to learn new information.
It also takes patience and a methodical persistence to see it through.
A lot of people get frustrated by the time it takes to see a project through. They quit. They start something new. They go back to what’s comfortable or start to look around for a new way to accomplish the exact problem they just gave up on!
Time is the master.
In my Coaching from the Carpool series, you may have heard me say it takes 90 days to begin to see results of a daily practice. Maybe it’s making call, writing proposals, connecting with your LinkedIn network about a new project, etc. Whatever it is, it usually takes 90 days to start to see results.
Then it takes another 90 days to reach a full harvest. Yes, another three months!
Even if you move fast, and you already know the exact steps it takes to achieve a goal, six months is a conservative estimate for reaping the harvest you’ve sown.
I assure you, if you can stick with your plan, you’ll do better than 75% of your peers, who will give up. Those are just the facts.
Most people – about three quarters of all entrepreneurs – give up before completing what they started.
Now for the hard news. Terrible news, if your only motivation is harvesting actual fruit from your efforts.
To stick with the farming/harvesting analogy, some entrepreneurs will put in the work, stick with it, get the training and the support they need... and guess what?
They still don’t get the bumper crop they’re after!
For some, the only thing gained is experience.
You’ve heard the expression “failing forward” to success. Well, failure is a very real fact of business. But there’s a bright side.
You tend not to make the same mistakes twice after putting in your best effort. You may still make mistakes, but they will be different mistakes.
That’s where a mastermind or business coaching can begin to make sense.
You have to fix what’s not working, right?
When something is not working, but you have the drive and the tools to make it work, then you’ll need to begin tweaking things and making shifts to get the impact you seek.
Celebrate the failures.
Considering that most entrepreneur wannabes will never even stick with a plan long enough to fail, you’re a true winner if you finish and fail. Measure the failure, learn from it and chalk it up to experience.
Then go back to the drawing board and continue the work.
If you made it to a point where 75% of all people never arrive (that failure), then you’ve got what it takes.
It’s time for a new iteration:
Is it a habit you need to replace? A skill you need to improve? Was the timing wrong? The season for your campaign was a little off? Maybe you put too much time and energy into one area, but neglected another?
Leslie Hassler
Leslie Hassler is a popular author and speaker who spends much of her time coaching business owners on how to run their growing businesses by their rules. Delivering high-touch, personalized service, Leslie works with her clients as a partner, not just a consultant (who would pop in, tell you what to do, then leave).
Leslie teaches her clients a structured way to decide what to do first, second, next -- and never – in their businesses, so that they can learn to do it for themselves.
Leslie lives in Dallas with her husband and two kids, so she knows it’s not just about growing the business – it’s about getting the business ship shape so it grows and you can be home in time for dinner.
Leslie speaks on topics such as business leadership, prioritizing the business owner’s To Do list, and how to create and implement a strategic plan for growth.
If you’d like to have Leslie come speak to your group or organization, or present at your event, inquire here.