What's the cost of doing what you are doing today?
Emotional overwhelm stops you from getting what you want in business and in life.
There is an overwhelming pattern that exists no matter who you are or what you are doing. It’s so common that most people can’t see it because they are living it. This very thing is the one simple thing that keeps people stuck in their existing routines and patterns and holds them back and, because they have always done it, they aren’t even conscious of it.
Most people don’t stop to pause and stand back to look at themselves from the outside. They will remain on the “hamster wheel” because something is working. It may not be working at its best but they only recognise the part that is working. This is where the cost of doing what you have always done is never considered. In business and in life, a lack of change comes with a price.
This simple pattern makes your behaviour common. As much as you think that you are unique, and have a special skill, product, or service, what you are doing today is probably what you were doing last month, last year, or even before that, but it is now costing you time, progress, and likely money.
However, the biggest cost is that you feel stuck and don’t know why. This is why you are stuck!
The overarching point is that you are not progressing, and whilst most people don’t like change, change is the only thing that ultimately removes the sense of feeling stuck.
Progress is about stretching, knowing when you feel comfortable and then adding something new so that you continue to learn and grow. A novel idea? Not really. It is what makes successful people stand out.
Most people stand by the practice “If it’s not broken, why fix it?” and believe that this is about success, right? Well, the question then becomes, is success doing what you have always done? You can justify the reasons why you keep doing what you have always done. The story keeps playing out in your head, and in most instances, you keep it all to yourself (who are you accountable to? Who will stretch you?).
See the pattern?
Growth mindset
Here is another novel idea that everyone talks about. Most people are by now familiar with the “Growth Mindset practices”, but once again, a pattern continues to emerge. We read about it, we attend a seminar, a webinar, a conference, and we come out of the session excited and energised. Some even take notes and talk about what they have been inspired by during the day. They may have had some great ideas emerge, and they think them through, but then reality sets in.
They soon forget about the spark, the enthusiasm, that great new idea, all because they go back to doing what they have always done. I know you can relate because this is human nature, especially when you have not taken the time to truly invest in working harder on yourself.
A growth mindset is not only a process and a practice. It’s a belief. You need to keep working on it.
If you have not committed to stretching and being accountable to stretch, then you will default to doing what you have always done.
Success comes from being prepared to do what you have not previously done.
I was recently asked what I thought success looked like. When I stopped to really take on board what it looked like, I recognised that, fundamentally, it was not about the money or the material aspects. It was what made a person “attractive”. What gave them that alluring aspect of wanting to know what made them who they are. What they do that allows them to stand out and to be not only confident but comfortable in being themselves. What gives them that ongoing desire to learn and to keep growing. What enables them to look inward, check in on themselves, and challenge themselves to do better.
Successful people keep investing in themselves and continue the process of learning. They continue to invest in working hard on themselves as individuals. This may seem to be a novel idea, but it is a reality. Successful people look at what others are doing that they aren’t doing yet, and they commit to learning from them. They go to the source and invest time and money in learning directly what they want to know from those that are already doing it.
Investing in yourself takes you out of your comfort area. It stretches you and it makes you accountable to someone else who is there to take you to the next step. If you are not there yet, that’s fine. But if you are committed to becoming unstuck, then what is the date and time that you will commit to your personal growth?
If you want success, define what that looks like for you, then set specific outcomes for you to get there. What is your stretch? When will you do it by?
You need to have the Vision.
If you can see where you want to be, then set the plan in motion. If you know who is doing what you want to achieve, reach out. If you don’t, you will continue to stay on the “hamster wheel” and feel stuck and overwhelmed because you are stuck in your head while others around you are moving in different directions. This is what so often becomes the catalyst of self-doubt, or worse still, leads to burnout and possible failure.
If you have the vision, then step into the space of courage.
You will often have people around you that cannot see what you see, but they don’t need to because they aren’t the ones doing it. Seek out people who have committed to getting it done and be prepared to invest in yourself so you keep learning.
Doing one thing differently today will break the cycle of what has always been.
Individual Shelter
Shelter and protection come at a price, but the price needs to be considered in both instances. There is a cost that comes from doing nothing, and there is a cost that comes from progress. Staying safe and doing nothing costs you time and money and perhaps also your peace of mind. Often that cost is greater than progress or change.
Which do you want?
If you want to know more and to remove the overwhelming sense of feeling stuck and not having clarity in life or in business, reach out. It's now up to you. There is nothing that is holding you back.