We all have that small inner voice which guides us to always do the right thing but all too often we elect to ignore it and in the process are responsible for tripping ourselves up. In analysing all the ‘unique’ situations where you have fallen, you will undoubtedly be able to identify with either one, or all, of the issues we cover in this post.

Nobody can take responsibility for your actions and you in turn have no right to attempt to unpack that responsibility onto anyone else. You are the master of your own destiny, and it is only through a process of continual self-examination that you can identify the flaws in your own character. These flaws may be inherent, or they may simply be the result of your not having the ability to learn from your own mistakes. Either way you need to work on yourself with the objective of eliminating the flaws and thus grow.

Some of the most common flaws found in people attempting to run businesses are listed below. Whilst going through them examine yourself. If you are guilty, take corrective action. If you are innocent, move on to the next one. Be honest with yourself:

1. Waiting for perfection/perfect conditions: Procrastination is the result of waiting for perfection or perfect conditions. There is no such thing as the perfect time because time moves on and things change. Act immediately; learn and adapt as you go along.
2. Avoiding disappointment: A feeling of disappointment is a focus on the lack of something. If you are going to put off making decisions because you may be disappointed, you will always experience disappointment in every decision you take.
3. Not creating a deliberate and inspiring vision: We all have mini visions all the time but very few people have an over-riding vision that drives them all the time. Without a definite purpose and direction, you will never get anywhere.
4. Trying to do it all by yourself: All too often we adopt the attitude of ‘if I want something done properly, I have to do it myself’. You cannot do everything yourself. If others cannot ‘do it properly’, teach them how to do it properly. In so doing you will build a strong team around you, and they will help you carry the load forward.
5. Failing to stay focussed: When we stay focussed on what we want, we continually generate new ideas and generally end up achieving the thing we stayed focussed on. Like a sharpshooter, you can only focus on one target at a time. Over time you will learn to get the shots off at a quicker pace, but you can still only focus on one target at a time.
6. Lack of long-term perspective: Instead of launching into action because you are impatient and want to see immediate results, spend enough time up front doing your homework and planning – then, act!
7. Not choosing with whom you spend your time: If you spend your time with negative people, you will get pulled down to that same level of negativity. When you surround yourself with positive people who are focussed on what they want, you grow, and you keep yourself inspired to expand to your full potential. Why deal with negative customers? Turn them around or fire them!
8. Doing the same thing as everyone else: Look at the people who are seen to be the most outstanding individuals in their respective fields and you will notice that there was/is something different about them. They were all brave enough to stand up for themselves and do what they felt was the right thing to do. They believed in themselves. If you follow the pack, you will just get a morsel from what the pack got.
9. Working too hard: There is a big difference between working hard and working smart. Whatever it is that you do always try to find a smarter, more efficient, and simpler way of doing it. Above that, enjoy what you do because as soon as the fun goes out of it so does your enthusiasm. When that happens, you need to take drastic action.
10. Not having a burning desire: Very often we are so consumed with our daily routines that we don’t make space for ourselves to get in touch with what it is that we really want. Unless you know what, you want with absolute clarity and have an all-consuming desire to have it, you will bob through life like a cork on the oceans.
11. Not making clear decisions: When we don’t make clear decisions, we are effectively making decisions by default. We then must settle for decisions that other people may make for us. The inability to make clear decisions is a child of the union between procrastination and lack of self-confidence. Make decisive decisions and act on them!
12. Thinking competitively from the wrong perspective: You do not exist in isolation, and you cannot always control the industry in which you operate. Sharing ideas can generate better ideas, sharing revenue streams can create an even larger revenue stream, referring a competitor can build respect and a mutual arrangement, whilst endorsing another person’s products can lead to a lucrative profit-sharing programme. These are just a few examples.
13. Not creating a system that works: Having a system enables you to save time, energy, money, and stress! Once you have a system in place, things become easy, and results are easy to achieve. The key is to find the right system. Start anywhere – just start!
14. Not believing in yourself: A lack of self-belief is probably the most important of all the elements that will trip you up and prevent you from creating lifetime wealth. With a lack of self-belief, making decisions becomes difficult, acting becomes filled with fear, knowing who to listen to becomes a challenge, convincing other people that you have something of value becomes difficult, finding money for funding becomes impossible … and it keeps you thinking small.
15. Programming your mind negatively: What others think about you is really none of your business. What is important is what you think of yourself. Don’t accept the negative input other people dish out because you will lose faith in yourself and in what you have set out to accomplish. The best advice is to not talk about what your intentions are … let your actions do the talking.
16. Thinking that investing in yourself is a waste of time and money: We are all in business for ourselves. You are the source of your wealth. You are the real and lasting asset that you take with you wherever you go – nobody can take you away from you! Make yourself a highly sought-after asset by doing whatever it takes to improve your abilities and value.
17. Lacking essential knowledge: If you want to make money, study the acquisition of wealth. If you want to be outstanding, study outstanding people. If you want an outstanding business study outstanding business. Once you have studied, then practice what you have learnt. Many people gather knowledge and then fail to apply it. We get paid for the application of our knowledge and not for the knowledge itself.

Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today and, in the same vein, do not allow your actions of today adversely affect the outcomes of your tomorrow. It is through bitter experience that the truths of all the above have been driven home. To have to bump your head against each is going to cost you a fortune in lost opportunities. Be intelligent – internalise these common stumbling blocks and place yourself in a position to recognise them when you approach them and take the necessary evasive action early on.

QUOTATION:

Is it not strange that we fear most that which never happens?

That we destroy our initiative by the fear of defeat, when, in reality, defeat is a most useful tonic and should be accepted as such.

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