WHEN YOU GET OUT OF THE WAY THE BUSINESS WILL COME

You are your greatest asset!  Regardless of your business, your clients, etc., you by far have the greatest impact on your business.  The bad news is…that you are also your biggest obstacle. What is comes down to is YOU; your business is a reflection of you.  Your business can grow to be as big as you want it to be.  On the other hand, your business will never grow any bigger than you are as a person.  Think about it. It can't do what you can't (or won’t) allow it to do.  

One of the biggest obstacles we have is that we get in our own way.  We don't do it on purpose or get up in the morning and say, "how can I sabotage my success today?"  It looks different for each of us, maybe even different from day to day.   We each have our own flavor of how exactly we do it.  For some it may be just being too busy to do the things you know you need to, and very often want to, do to grow your business.  It could also be fear.  This too could show up in lots of ways.  We are afraid we may not be good enough so we procrastinate or become overwhelmed at the thought of doing the task.  Clutter is another way we get in our own way.  Besides just having "stuff" around making it difficult to conduct your business, clutter can also cause us to actually repel business.  Let me give you an example. 

A small businesswoman was desperately trying to grow her business and in doing so would go out and "pitch" clients.  The problem was that no one was signing on with her.  This is when she contacted me.  After a brief discussion it was obvious that she was exasperated - I could feel this in just a short conversation over the phone.  When I asked her to describe her office, she told be about the piles of files on her desk, projects on the credenza and other items on the floor.  She mentioned how the business was spilling over into her personal space - the dining room table and the pile next to her bed!  All of these piles represented unfinished business;  business that she knew she needed to do but just could not get around to doing.  When she would visit new prospects she would say the right words to solicit their business, but energetically she was saying, "Please, don't hire me!  I can't handle what I have; I don't have any space to take on additional work!"  After a bit of convincing and several days of working to complete many of the outstanding projects not only did she clean up the space but also a much-appreciated sense of peace.  As a bonus, she noticed that several prospects to whom she had pitched earlier called to hire her.  Coincidence???  I don't think so.  When we get out of our own way, major things begin to happen. 

"Jim" was working to move his business forward.  The next step involved hiring staff to support him and free up his time to do other tasks necessary to grow the business.  During one call he mentioned that he had identified several people who seemed to have all the necessary qualifications. The next step was to call each of them and meet with them personally.  But by our next meeting Jim had become involved in other "crises" that were occurring in another part of the business that he "didn't have time" to make the calls to the prospective employees.  After addressing the "crises," I reminded him about the hiring process. He admitted that he was a bit overwhelmed by it.  He was afraid he could not let go of the work, afraid that he didn't know how to be a "boss" (even though he had done it quite successfully while employed for others).  He was also afraid that he might not be able to keep them employed and if so, then “what would happen to their families if they lost their jobs?”  We laughed at how "convenient" the crises were as a way to avoid dealing with these issues.  He admitted that it was a good distraction. 

Jim’s "flavor" for getting in his own way is what I call A-Z.  While he’s standing at point A he's already overwhelmed by Z.  There is a huge gap in between the two; one that is much too big to jump in one leap.  But this kind of thinking, if left unexamined, can be paralyzing just as it was for Jim.  Together we identified what "B" would look like and even "C" and "D."  He was very comfortable with each of those steps and knew he could successfully complete them.  Today, Jim reminds me that he is going to “eat this elephant one bite at a time!" 

The hardest part of getting out of your way is that it often difficult to see the roadblocks we put in front of ourselves.  Take a step back and objectively look at what is going on. Ask yourself some tough questions:  What is really going on?  Is it true? (What ever "it" is. . .)  Would other people see it the same way/have the same response?  What would be the worst thing that could happen? Be sure to answer this question.  My experience is that many people ask themselves this one, but never seem to answer it.  When they do make the effort to answer is…what they find is usually not as bad as what they imagined.  Then ask yourself what other possibilities might be available? Just because I've/we've always done it this way, what might be a different/better way to achieve the same results?  Are these, in fact, the results we truly want?

Sometimes we can't get out of our way because we tend to see things through our own story and beliefs and can't see other possibilities. We are so close to the situation it a challenge to see the forest through the trees.  A great way to get around this is to invite another pair of eyes to look at what is going on and help you to see it from a fresh perspective.  You'll be amazed at what you can newly observe when you look at your business from this new vantage point!   So get out of your own way and let your brilliance and the business blossom. Remember, YOU are your greatest asset.

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