If you're like most entrepreneurs, you probably have at
least one habit you'd like to change or get rid of forever.
Perhaps you waste too much time watching TV, procrastinate when it
comes to marketing your business or fail to update your financial
records in a timely manner.
As entrepreneurs, we have the freedom and choice to work at what
we love in a manner that supports us rather than "how it's
supposed to be done." What others view as poor habits may
actually be important facets of our business success.
For instance, we don't need to have fixed work hours. Some
days, we begin work at 6 a.m. and keep going until 10 p.m. Other
days, we work in the morning, take the afternoon off and complete
our business activities late at night.
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Become energized by the freedom of being your own boss. The
trick is to figure out which habits are just your personal choices
and which are eating away your success.
1. List all the habits you feel prevent you from achieving
your goals. Create a list of work-related behaviors you want to
change. Distinguish these behaviors from lifestyle choices, like
eating too much junk food. Don't think too hard about
them--just write them down. Your mind-set is important: If you feel
that something you do is negative, then it is negative.
2. Identify the habits that have the long-term potential to
hurt your business, and take action. If your habits prevent you
from completing tasks that move your business forward, don't
get mad--get assistance. If you procrastinate updating your
financial records, consider finding a coach, hiring a bookkeeper or
attending a class to discuss your habits and create strategies to
deal with them. Or find another entrepreneur to help you come up
with proactive steps you can take to succeed. An objective person
who reviews your situation will lead you to a world of
possibilities.
3. List how your remaining habits benefit your business.
Adjusting how you feel about certain habits allows you to transform
them into benefits. Does taking a long lunch help relieve your
stress? Does napping calm your mind so you can work more
effectively? I know people who develop many wonderful advertising
ideas by watching TV.
Instead of wasting time making up excuses, concentrate on what
you learn from your unique behavior patterns. You'll be amazed
at how you can actually use them to move your goals forward.
4. Stop automatically reacting negatively when you slip into
old habits. Practice reversing your feelings by focusing your
attention on the outcome you hope to achieve rather than the action
you are taking at the moment. This positive attitude provides you
with an incentive to discover unique ways to complete tasks.
5. Take a five-minute, defy-the-rules break. Let yourself
have some odd habits--it's part of being alive. As you
experiment with breaking the rules, seek to create positive
results, no matter what action you take. Become curious, and
investigate the unlimited possibilities that are revealed. Set
yourself on a path to discover something new.
Speaker and consultant Romanus Wolter, aka "The Kick
Start Guy," is the author of Kick Start Your Dream Business.