as fear. Don’t let that deter you. By facing your “positive” fears you unleash the power to thrill.
Even if you aspire to all three desires, one will emerge as your primary driver. If you are like most people, you have probably lived in denial of what you really want. Until you recognize your fundamental drive, you can’t even get on the game board. In lieu of fighting against the base side of human nature, learn to harness it. Ambition is the drive that determines the size of your target. False humility suppresses your arousal. Hiding from your challenge dulls the senses.
As you step out onto the playing field you leave your timid character behind. Standing up for your mission makes people see you in a new light. Think about how you want others to view you. Brand yourself with the image you want to live, before someone else puts their brand on your hide. What kind of character will you play? How will you costume that character? What position will you play in the theater of business?
The image you convey is the only direct link most people will have to your purpose. Your business style must relate to the people who are your target audience. It must arouse their desire to do business with you.
In the beginning of your career you may need to try some different images. Trial and error lets you know when your “look” is right to bring you the connections you desire. People are birds of a sort, who associate by their “feathers.” How you present yourself determines your flock. Evolve an image that expresses who you really are. If you aren’t being yourself, you are presenting a false image that will halt the growth of your business.
BARRIERS TO LIVING YOUR DREAM
It takes a compelling reason to exact real change in anyone. Determining your purpose provides that compelling reason. That reason must be stronger than the obstacles you will face.
The moment you embrace your purpose, your faults will begin to show themselves. You will discover that your self-image is at odds with reality. Part of refining your aim in life is seeing yourself more clearly. Be prepared to not like all that you see. Your evaluation of your capabilities is based on assumptions that don’t hold up under fire. The very act of deciding where you want to go will force you to notice some of the things you are doing that are taking you in the wrong direction.
Maybe you are too pushy. Or do you quit too easily? Perhaps you even secretly prefer to prevent other people from enjoying their own lives. It is impossible to find your fatal flaw by simply looking for it. If it were so easily found, you would have already fixed it. Still, unconsciously you think you know where the problem resides. But each step of business reveals a new crop of petty attitudes that must come to the surface to melt away.
One way to confront your weaknesses is to get help from people who love and respect you. Ask them to be candid. Ask them if they see any patterns in your behavior that might interfere with your success. Set up ground rules. No criticism and no advice. No personal agenda. Just accurate descriptions of actions and behaviors they have seen that might sink your craft. Some of what you hear might sting, so don’t respond. Sit with their feedback for a couple of days. Then go back and repeat their observations to them without comment to make sure you heard them right.
The mind is incredibly effective at self-delusion. That’s why you want to learn to think as objectively as possible at this point in your career. Further refine your ability to stop thinking in terms of who is right and who is wrong. Instead, expand your skill at viewing each situation in terms of what worked and what didn’t work. This theme will come up again as you grow into new stages of business.
Until now your mind has been trained to focus on simple answers and seek simple solutions. Associate with people who think differently. Practice thinking with scenarios that allow you to consider many possible courses of action. Use analysis to catch the inconsistencies in your thinking. Let logic replace the mental habit of twisting events to make your view right and prove that other interpretations are wrong.
Stop making excuses. Let your results speak for you. Allow your mind to concoct all the reasons explaining why you have yet to reach your goals. Acknowledge those ideas, and then let them float by. None of them hold any clue to your effectiveness. Train your attention to watch the outcomes you produce.
Assess your cash flow and your intimacy every day. Both are dependable barometers of your aliveness. If you are doing without these essential qualities, you are probably frozen in your mental interpretation of life.
Clarity comes from observing the outcomes of your actions. Every experience either provides additional energy or robs you of it. The rest is just explanation or justification. When you truly learn something, your vitality increases. Your mind may react with confusion. That just means you are entering new territory. Often when your plans go awry and your whole life is collapsing, you will catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror with eyes as bright as fire.
Contemplation is a technique of relaxing while considering many possibilities and perspectives. By remaining calm, you can accept all possible outcomes emotionally. Once your mind is clear, a clear mission begins to emerge.
THE MISSION STATEMENT
Your mission requires a plan, just as a journey requires a map. The details may be fuzzy at this stage of business, so don’t worry about getting a business plan together yet. Just start with a simple mission statement that communicates to other people what your career means to you. Write your aim in a few simple sentences so that potential associates can evaluate your intention. What will your project or business deliver to other people? How will you achieve your purpose? Why would others be inspired to assist you? Be sure to put your aim in positive terms.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
