Four Secrets to Success
Businesses and careers cycle through ups and downs – there’s no doubt.
Throughout my tenure as an entrepreneur, I’ve observed four myths that stop
professionals from being as successful as they could be in their careers and
businesses. Understanding how these myths operate can help you ride the waves to
success with a little more balance and equanimity.
Myth #1: Never give up.
Now I’d be the first to acknowledge that – without a doubt - determination
and persistence are fundamental to success in business. But persistence with
blinders on can end in disaster. There’s wisdom to the poker adage “Know when to
hold them, know when to fold them”. Sometimes circumstances call for giving up,
selling out and moving on. And sometimes holding on past what seems endurable is
exactly what you need to be doing. The secret is to know the difference, look at
the situation with an honest eye, and discern the signals to hold and signals to
fold.
Myth #2: If it’s not hard, it’s not valuable.
This myth is among the most prevalent that I hear. I’m not sure how or where
the concepts of “hard” and “value” got connected, but it’s kept many a
professional feeling like a puppy chasing his or her tail. If something is hard,
we may instinctively avoid it. And if we believe that it’s got to be hard to be
worth doing, we’ve positioned ourselves for an uphill climb and lots of
struggle. In this myth, the uphill climb is treacherous - fraught with fear,
indecision and constriction. It’s not the exhilaration of meeting a challenge
and experiencing the thrill of victory. In other words, the intrinsic value of
your work has nothing to do with how hard you worked or how easily it came to
you.
Myth #3: If it’s right, it should be easy.
Other versions of this myth: “Everyone needs my service, why don’t they hire
me?” or “I shouldn’t need to market myself, everyone should just know how great
I am and hire me.” This myth boils down to once again, having blinders on, and
hoping that by being good at what you do, everything should just follow easily.
There’s a fuzzy, not quite down to earth quality about this myth and it will
kill success faster than any myth I’ve encountered. But like all myths, there’s
a seed of truth to it. If you are in the right field, do your homework,
plan your strategy, listen to your intuition, heed the advice of those you
trust, and take action, clients and projects will start to show up more easily.
You’ll get those phone calls we all love, “I heard about your work, product or
service from so and so. I think it may be exactly what I need.”
Myth #4: Be realistic. Be logical.
This myth can be tricky. Realism and logic do strike a crucial balance with
internal impulses and desires, but in this context, they stand for “make a
fear-based decision”. This myth can also effectively block to new ideas,
strategies or brainstorms, often in the form of a thought like, “Oh, that’s
crazy” or “I need to be logical”. Thoughts like these repress the spark of
creativity that generates a new idea. Release this block by acknowledging your
desires – part of any logical decision includes letting the voice of your desire
and call of your intuition have a say. There’s left brain, analytical
logic and right brain, creative logic. Make sure to give credence to both sides.
These four myths unveil secrets to business and career success. They show
us the gifts of discerning when to hold on and when to hang it up. They teach us
that the value we provide is separate and apart from how hard we work. They
reveal that sometimes the best path to take may be the most challenging. And
they nudge us to check in with both our logic and our intuition.
The secret to success: Don’t buy into the myths. Buy into your worth, belief in
your skills, talents, gifts, and willingness to make mistakes. The ability to be
honest with yourself will take you a long, long way – up and down the waves of
business to the success you deserve!
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Different Voices
“Imagination is the beginning of creation; you imagine what you
desire; you will what you imagine; and at last you create what you will.” -
George Bernard Shaw
“Life’s ups and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine
values and goals. Think of using all obstacles as stepping-stones to build
the life you want.” - Marsha Sinetar
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Insights for the Savvy is written and produced by Claudette Rowley. If you have questions or comments, please send them to
info@metavoice.org. To find out more about Claudette and her coaching services, visit
http://www.metavoice.org or call 781.316.1923.
Copyright 2002-2008, Claudette Rowley. All Rights Reserved.
MetaVoice, Inc.
125 Sylvia St.
Arlington, MA
02476
US
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