Do Business Well

How to exercise the Power of Choice: pause, evaluate, decide, act, be slow to anger, be quick to forgive

Many would-be entrepreneurs fail even though they have the ability, the resources and the passion. You know why? Because they dare where angels fear to tread. They fire before knowing where they’re even aiming. They become victims of their passion and temper. They allow their hearts to rule their heads.

Being a highly successful entrepreneur is a high-wire balancing act. On the one hand you have to be able to pause and coolly evaluate a situation. On the other hand, you must be decisive. On the one hand you must be passionate about what you’re doing. On the other hand, you can’t afford to take it too seriously. On the one hand, you must rarely lose your temper. On the other hand, you must always forgive. On the one hand, you must trust others. On the other, you must be extremely vigilant.

So, in order to be a great entrepreneur, you have to be mildly schizophrenic. Albert Einstein summed it up well when he said, “The true mark of a genius is the ability to hold two conflicting thoughts in your mind at the same time and still function.”

The Seven Vital Self-Awareness Questions

By definition, if you’re an entrepreneur, you’re going to be someone who influences, persuades and leads others. Entrepreneurs are agents of change. They’re out there in front where others are too afraid to go. So like it or not, if you’re going to be an entrepreneur, you’re going to be a role model to others. They’re going to look to you for answers, for hope and for guidance. In order for you to fulfill that function you need to answer the Seven Vital Self-Awareness Questions especially in times of crisis. Here they are:

1. Am I at my best when things are at their worst?
2. What’s great about this situation?
3. What am I noticing in this situation?
4. What am I learning from this situation?
5. What will I do differently in the future?
6. Am I being a role model to others through my conduct in this situation?
7. Am I making myself proud by doing the right thing in this situation?

Here’s an amusing story of how Mike answered the Seven Self- Awareness Questions in a recent personal experience:

“I was conducting a seminar in the city of East London. I arrived the night before and stayed at the King David Hotel on Curry Street.

When I got back to my car the following morning, I noticed that the rear right window had been broken. On closer inspection, I also noticed that the radio had been stolen as well as a box of 400 audiocassettes that I left on the back seat of the car. As I sold these cassettes for R60 each and I was uninsured, I had just lost close to R24000.”

” Well, I just couldn’t believe it. I became incredibly angry. I wanted to scream in utter frustration. Then I started to feel sorry for myself. I asked the fatal question, “Why does this have to happen to me?” I began to get upset and demotivated. The more I thought about the theft, the worse my mental state became. I became especially anxious because I knew that in just one hour I would have to motivate almost 500 people. I just didn’t feel like doing it now. All I could think about was how much money I had lost and how unfair life was.”

“Then I interrupted my negative thought pattern. I knew I had to turn my attitude around before the seminar otherwise things would go from bad to worse. I knew I had to walk my talk. So I asked myself whether I was being my best during a bad time. The answer was no. So I resolved to quit feeling sorry for myself. After all, I had left the box on the back seat of the car. I had to take responsibility.

“Then I asked myself, what was great about the situation. At first, my brain shouted “nothing!!” But I kept asking the question until my brain said to me, “As a result of this theft, you have just motivated 400 youths in the city of East London. Secondly, you have involuntarily made a contribution to GEAR and the RDP. Thirdly, you have started a thriving trade in motivational cassettes. Fourthly, as a result of listening to your tapes, the people who stole them will give up crime!” Before I knew it, I was feeling a lot more motivated. Which just goes to show: if you ask the right questions, you get the right answers.

“Then I asked myself what I was noticing in the situation. I realized that I was focusing only on the negative of the stolen cassettes. I switched focus to the fact that 500 people had paid to come and hear me speak. That was a massive privilege.It was also a huge reason to be ecstatic not depressed.

“Then I asked myself what I learnt from the situation. The answer was simple: firstly, never to leave valuable possessions on the back seat of a car at night. Secondly, to stay focused on the magic not the tragic. And thirdly, to consciously make the choice to be happy in any situation.

“Then I asked myself what I would do differently in the future. Again the answer was simple: firstly to lock my things away. Secondly, to obey my instincts and not be lazy. The night before,I had looked at the box and wondered whether I should take it into the hotel for safekeeping. I knew I should, but I decided not to because the car was parked in a fenced off, guarded area.

“I also knew I was being a role model to others in this situation because I had converted it from a catastrophe to a valuable learning experience and story. I knew I would make myself proud by using misfortune to make me stronger and to help others do the same.

“Finally, I used the story to start off the seminar and the audience loved it. I made them laugh while they recalled similar experiences. I would never have been able to illustrate my points so clearly if the theft had never happened.”

So from today, keep the Seven Vital Self-Awareness Questions close to you - especially during times of crisis. They will direct your brain to help you resolve even the toughest challenges.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
The Power of Self-Awareness part 3

• Serious Selling Your Business part 3
• Serious Selling Your Business part 2
• Serious Selling Your Business part 4
• Launch Your Digital Marketing Program part 1
• The Language of Net Advertising
• Financial Issues: How Are You Doing? continue..
• Electronic Money and Online Transactions
• Online Brand Creation
• What All Plans Must Cover
• The Power of Self-Awareness part

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