"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing." - Abraham Lincoln
A habit is something that you create by repeating a particular behavior. Do something over and over and it will become a habit. An attitude is a habitual way of thinking. You can develop an attitude by taking conscious control of your way of thinking. By constantly reinforcing your way of thinking, you develop an attitude. Habits and attitudes can make you or break you. Many a hapless business has been broken by the habits and attitudes of its owners. I've listed below a compilation of the common habits and attitudes of successful entrepreneurs.
"We first make our habits, and then our habits make us." - John Dryden
Focus. Successful entrepreneurs have the ability to focus their attention on important projects and see them through. This is the secret to getting things done. Once their priorities are set, successful businesspeople refuse to switch from task to task randomly.
"If you chase two rabbits, both will escape." - Anonymous
Think! Successful businesspeople don't fall apart when faced with crises. They take a moment and think about their situation. They evaluate their options, discuss them with others who can offer insight and then decide on the best course of action. People aren't compensated for having brains... they are compensated for using them.
"The happiest people are not the people without problems,
but the people who know how to solve their problems." - Robert Seashore
See the opportunities. Opportunities are everywhere. They really are. It's just that most people can't see them. Most of us expect opportunity to beacon to us with flashers and sirens, but that isn't how it normally works. If opportunities were that easy to see, everyone would flock to them.
"Opportunity's favorite disguise is trouble." - Frank Tyger
Develop good work habits and attitudes. There are far more people who can start a business than there are who can run a one thats successful. You've heard the statistics - most small businesses fail. Develop your procedures and policies regarding how you get your work done, how you treat your customers, how you make decisions, etc. Do this consistently and over time, you'll find that you've established the patterns for keeping your business developing and growing.
"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Ryun
Don't let criticism crush you. Everyone is an expert on your problems. Listen and give consideration to the inputs you receive, but remember, you're the person who will be impacted directly by your decisions, policies, and habits not them
"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem: they know how it's done, they've seen
it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan
Don't overcharge. Customers are quick to recognize value and quick to go elsewhere if they feel they are being overcharged. You're goal should be to make them customers for the long term.
"Don't learn the tricks of the trade... learn the trade." - Anonymous
Never forget why you're doing this. Sometimes, we lose sight of what we are working for. We get sucked into the day-to-day activities that we have to master to keep the show going and forget why we're doing all of this rather than something else. Its the wood for the trees question. Look up!
"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Be willing to take calculated risks. Evaluate the benefits of doing something and compare it to the benefits of not doing it. If you can afford the consequences of failing, then do it. There is never a better time than now to do anything... in fact "now" is the only time you can do anything!
"Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is needed. You
can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." - David Lloyd George
Start even when you don't have the complete information. You will never know everything You won't know how that ad will work until you try it. You won't know how people will react to your web page message until you try it. There is simply no way of knowing , so don't make knowing all the answers a criteria for taking action.
"If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey,
most of us would never start out at all." - Dan Rather with Peter Wyden
Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Most of us aren't good at everything we try to do. Learn what you're good at and let others do the rest. Focusing on the things you do well is the best use of your time.
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden
Ask for business. So many things are lost to us for want of asking. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can succeed in business without asking for it. Let everyone know what you do. Give everyone a card. Let everyone know that they can call you for a free initial consultation. Spending time with prospects is a good avenue for acquiring new business... but don't forget to ask them for it!
"Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find;
knock and it shall be opened unto you." - Bible, Matthew 7:7
Don't be afraid to make mistakes. You will learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes. So fail fast. Try not to keep making the same mistakes over and over. View every disaster for what it is: an opportunity to learn and improve.
"Good judgment comes from experience and...
experience comes from bad judgment." - Anonymous
If you discover you've been wrong, stop the damage immediately. It's never too late to cut your losses and change the way you're doing things. If something isn't working, change it...Don't be controlled by emotion or simply let things run. Letting inertia run your business is suicide.
"No matter how far you have gone on a wrong road, turn back." - Turkish Proverb
Persist. It's been said a thousand times and a thousand ways... persistence pays. Some people even think that it is a facet of intelligence. This could explain how some people of lower intelligence have time after time - far exceeded the accomplishments of others who were acknowledged as smarter.
"A chicken doesn't stop scratching just because worms are scarce." - Anonymous
Be open to changing the way you work. The way it's always been done isn't necessarily the best way to do things today. Be ready to change the way you do things if you see, hear, or think of a better way.
"If you do the things you've always done,
you'll get the results you've always gotten." - Anonymous
Keep pushing, even in good items. Just because you got a nice contract or had a good week is no reason to sit back and relax. You can have a good week followed by three not-so-good weeks so keep taking consistant actions.
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers
Have a great day getting into action
Adam
