“Be bold before you get stuck not being bold”, Hilary Duff
We are well in to 2022. Holidays are well and truly over and we are all back in the swing of business and executing those projects that we have been putting off due to the Covid age.
Right? Probably not. Omicron has come (and going?) and dealt us another blow to our plans for reinvigorating our business and our lives. Research is showing us that recovering from the Covid age is akin to recovering from a major physical injury and whilst we may be over the worst of it, we are still mostly in the rehabilitation stage.
Last month we talked about taking small steps to achieve your goals in 2022. Taking small steps is very important and certainly better than doing nothing, but some of you may be ready for a bolder move. But being bold requires energy and inspiration, both of which most of us are lacking right now! So, what are three simple things that you can do to help you find your “mojo” and accelerate some changes to your business and your life in 2022?
Step 1 – Reconnect with your purpose
“To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy”, Tesla
“We’re in business to save our home planet”, Patagonia
Recently I heard a story from a keynote speaker in the US. He asked the audience, “Who has read “Think and Grow Rich” (by Napoleon Hill)”? All the hands went up. Then he asked, “How many of you ARE now rich?” All the hands went down. You don’t go into business just to make money, or if you do, you are usually very quickly disappointed. But why is it that you are in business? What was that idea you had – that great product or service that was going to help your clients, contribute to your community or even save the world? You don’t need to have deep pockets like Tesla to have a vision, mission or purpose. Reconnect with your purpose, or if you don’t have one, create one for your business and for your life. Make it so that it is not centred around yourself – things like “Financial freedom” or “More time with family” is a result of a great purpose, not a purpose in itself.
Step 2 – Use imagination – think and act outside your confines
Henry Ford is credited with creating the first automobile production line in 1913 – a process that is largely still in use today. However, he did not get the idea from a designer or from experimentation. When visiting a meatworks, he noticed animal carcasses on hooks that could be pushed from worker to worker in a line. The original Coca Cola was ‘accidentally’ invented in the late 1800’s by a pharmacist as an alcohol and cocaine mixture to cure his own drug addiction.
There are many examples where business leaders have looked to other industries for ideas to solve problems. Are you looking outside the confines of your home or work office for ideas to change your business? An internally focused, stressed and worried mind will not give you the intellectual freedom you need to grow and revitalise your business, career or personal relationships for that matter. Take that short course at Uni that you have always wanted to do, join an art class, do Wednesday night social tennis, see a silly movie – do whatever it is you like to bring some joy and difference to your life. Seek collaboration and diversity of views and advice, whether paid or unpaid, and open some doors for new ideas to solve your challenges.
Step 3. Make a Start. Yes You. Yes Now.
A wise friend recently suggested to me to keep a gratitude journal and spend five minutes each morning writing down three things that I am grateful for in my life. About a week later they asked me about it. After I replied they could tell (rightly) that I hadn’t started doing it. They said to me that the only person accountable for you, is you.
Go to your computer now and book one-hour time slots in your calendar over the next few weeks for:
- Start CRM project
- Leadership skills improvement
- Look for a business coach
- Recruit virtual assistant
- Plan a half day SWOT workshop with team
These may not be the projects you need to do, but you get the idea. If it is in your calendar, then you have made the commitment to write it down and act on it. Now hold yourself accountable. (A business coach or accountability buddy will also work…)
Being bold is not about just taking action for the sake of it. Being bold is about breaking out of the cycle, the familiar approaches and trying something new to reinvigorate and grow your business and your life. Are you ready to make that bold, new start?