by Yoon Cannon | General, Business Growth Tips Blog, Success Mindset
Note from Yoon:
My family and I were thrilled to celebrate with my good friend Rose (left in photo) who hosted a luau party because her son Christian was finally declared to be in remission from his cancer. This brave young 12 year old fought through 185 rounds of chemotherapy for a bone cancer that was discovered only 16 months ago. Christian used to play travel soccer, just like my boys. He was also a talented ice hockey player, but now he will never be able to run again.
I expected to see a sullen boy. Instead, I saw incredible strength and maturity in his spirit. His countenance was full of joy with a shining smile you couldn’t miss. I am in awe of what this 12 year old taught me about never giving up. I am in awe of his family — parents Rick and Rose and older brother Justin who modeled incredible strength and faith in God through this truly difficult storm.
It’s on that note that I’d like to share today’s article which is a reprint on one of my favorite poems titled “Don’t Quit”.
_________________________________________________________________
Don’t Quit
Don’t Quit no matter what!
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out.
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow –
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are –
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
– by Author Unknown
About Yoon Cannon: Top business coach Yoon Cannon has helped thousands of small business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and sales teams achieve dramatic results in growing your business. Over the past 20 years Yoon has started 4 successful companies and sold 3 of them. She offers fresh insights as a seasoned business growth expert. Yoon delivers proven process for your sales, marketing and management development. Grab free valuable gifts and resources at https://www.ParamountBusinessCoach.com To book Yoon to speak at your next event email: YoonCannon@ParamountBusinessCoach.com To schedule a complimentary business coaching consultation call (215) 292-4947.
© Copyright 2016
by Yoon Cannon | Success Mindset
Imagine the patience Thomas Edison must have had. He reputedly failed 10,000 times before he perfected the incandescent bulb. For 13 years he feverishly worked on it.
Of course, he didn’t invent the light bulb, he merely worked on perfecting an earlier idea. And, he didn’t work alone either, he had a whole team of engineers experimenting with a variety of ideas. But every time an idea didn’t work. He made notes and moved ahead.
As he’s famously quoted “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” He stayed motivated trying one thing after another until it did work. If Edison can push through for 13 years, we should be able to push through a season of mental slumpery.
Maybe you’re not in the technology business–you’re a lawyer or accountant or another professional who works with individuals. No matter your business model, it’s crucial to keep yourself in the game and your mindset “right”.
And, if you’ve ever fallen in a slump, you know the importance of getting yourself out of it quickly. You have to, for the sake of your business. Here are 3 ways to get back in the game when you feel yourself slipping.
#1. Re-fuel. My daughter has a poster in her bedroom with a picture of a cute little puppy with his eyes closed. The caption on it says, “when all else fails, take a nap.” … I find that this children’s poster is actually quite dead on for even us adults. When you find your mind slipping into a funk, like having I-don’t-know-if-I-can-do-this thoughts, that’s a good time to give yourself a break from the business — even if just for a quiet afternoon at a day spa. If you have thoughts of actually quitting for good, well, that will call for a whole week or two away from the business.
With kids we know that when their bodies are tired, everything goes: they whine, complain, cry and just are quite miserably unhappy. Well, not much really changes in that regard as we age into adulthood. So, if you’re lacking in motivation, there’s a good chance it’s mostly from being too tired. Remove that ball and chain and give yourself some time to re-fuel. By the way, when you’re in business for yourself, that ball and chain is always self-imposed.
#2–Line up your lifeline list. Like that show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”, you have a lifeline. Choose a mentor, friend, coach, business partner, someone you can trust to listen and be caring when you’re having a tough time but who’ll help you break through your perceived obstacles.
Sometimes all you need is someone who’s been there with similar problems and can give you useful advice. Or, who can see your “blind spots” and point them out to you. In other words, what are you overlooking? Most of the times, our problems are not as bad as we think. Many of them can even be turned into opportunities. It just takes another perspective to point out the opportunity.
Let me give you an example. One client I had was absolutely devastated when his local borough commissioners decided to throw in what he thought was an impossible obstacle.
His business only had 35 parking spaces, but for his new initiative, which he was seeking approval for, the borough elected that they required that he had 200 parking spaces. To him, he felt that his great business plan was tanked right here in the 11th hour. His brain became too clouded with emotion to be able to think creatively around this obstacle.
Thankfully, he was clear headed enough to call me for help. The solution actually only took 2 hours to implement (only after he took 3 months trying to solve it on his own.) We successfully got enough of his commercial neighbors to agree to loan us their parking spaces (in writing, of course). In the process my client got to meet all of his neighbors (for the first time, even though he’s been there for years) which in turn, forged important future alliances for him.
#3– Take action. You can remain a stagnant pool of water by your inactions, or you can make waves. Waves occur when there’s momentum. Momentum occurs when there’s movement. So, make a decision to start moving towards your goals. Of course, that means you have to look at your goals.
Remind yourself what was the #1 result you wanted to accomplish this year and why. Remind yourself what was the reason you got into this business in the first place? So, what’s one thing you can do right now to move your most important goal forward? If you haven’t broken your goals down into monthly, weekly, and daily to do’s, spend some time doing that. Studies show people who write down their goals and review them daily are far more likely to achieve them.
If fact, a Harvard Business Review study found people who
1) wrote down their goals
2) created an action plan around achieving them
3) sent that plan to a friend
4) and followed up weekly were 76% more likely to achieve those goals!
So, what will you do today to stay motivated? Remind yourself why you need to succeed in your business? Take action on an important goal? Phone a lifeline? Take a nap?
Whatever it is, do it. And do it and do it. In the words of Zig Ziglar, “People often tell me that motivation doesn’t last, and I tell them that bathing doesn’t either. That’s why I recommend it daily.”
QUESTION: What tends to throw you off your game and how do you move yourself from sluggish motivation to high motivation? Please share your tips below and brighten someone’s day.
About Yoon Cannon: Top business coach Yoon Cannon has helped thousands of small business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and sales teams achieve dramatic results in growing your business. Over the past 20 years Yoon has started 4 successful companies and sold 3 of them. She offers fresh insights as a seasoned business growth expert. Yoon delivers proven process for your sales, marketing and management development. Grab free valuable gifts and resources at https://www.ParamountBusinessCoach.com To book Yoon to speak at your next event email: YoonCannon@ParamountBusinessCoach.com To schedule a complimentary business coaching consultation call (215) 292-4947.
© Copyright 2016
by Yoon Cannon | General, Business Growth Tips Blog, Success Mindset, Success Mindset
Yoon Answers Reader’s Question:
“How do I cope with the stress of being a small business owner in this terrible economy?”
–Harry Robbins, Austin, Texas
Answer: Harry, you can’t change the economy, but you can change the way you respond to the stress. Strategies and tactics are only one component of your success. The other 50% is greatly impacted by your mental frame of mind. Here are 3 quick tips on keeping a positive mental frame of mind in this negative economic slump.
1. Change how you think. What you think affects how you feel. How you feel affects how you behave. In today’s tough economic conditions you want to be careful your business decisions are not simply emotional reactions to the stress you are experiencing. Before you can give yourself new, stress reducing thoughts that energize you need to first be keenly aware of all your old, stress inducing thoughts that immobilize.
2. Change your results by changing your questions. Before brainstorming for all of the answers first try brainstorming for all of the questions. The right question can open the door for coming up with the right strategies for your business to navigate through the stress. Stress is often from not being able to see your way out. The right questions will help you see the light at the end of the tunnel.
3. Find trusted sounding boards. One effective way to clarify your thoughts is to speak them out loud to someone you trust and respect. But, most small business owners are isolated and often do not have a designated sounding board who will listen and help evaluate the quality of your thoughts. Target candidates you can ask to be on your advisory board. Seek out a mastermind group. Hire a business coach. Collaborate with others.
Many people are familiar with the popular law of attraction theory. But, in order to be a positive attraction you need tools to help you cope and manage those negative worries, stress and anxiety that naturally sweep in during difficult and challenging situations.
QUESTION: What are your best stress coping strategies as a business owner? Please share your thoughts in the comment box below.
About Yoon Cannon: Top business coach Yoon Cannon has helped thousands of small business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants and sales teams achieve dramatic results in growing your business. Over the past 20 years Yoon has started 4 successful companies and sold 3 of them. She offers fresh insights as a seasoned business growth expert. Yoon delivers proven process for your sales, marketing and management development. Grab free valuable gifts and resources at https://www.ParamountBusinessCoach.com To book Yoon to speak at your next event email: YoonCannon@ParamountBusinessCoach.com To schedule a complimentary business coaching consultation call (215) 292-4947.
© Copyright 2016
by Yoon Cannon | Success Mindset, Time Management/Productivity
Time is money. Nobody understands this better than a small business owner. You wear many hats (or worse, all the hats), so there’s never quite enough time to get it all done. You might feel like you’re under an avalanche of never ending to-do’s that all scream NOW leaving you feeling overwhelmed, stressed and discouraged.
Time can be both an asset and a liability. If you keep your head down and utilize your time to the fullest, you can leap over your competition. If you delegate responsibilities poorly and don’t think your business activities through wisely, time can become your worst enemy
There is a middle ground – one that promises a good return on your efforts and leaves you with enough breathing space to attend to personal commitments. Time management – a phrase we hear so often but don’t always know what to make of.
How can you manage time and make the most of it, so you can get the right things done in your business to quickly grow the business? Here are 4 time management tips for small business owners:
1. Segment your tasks each day on a calendar.
Get an estimate of how much time you spend online, exclusively on your company website, at your storefront, on your mobile phone, in administrative tasks and employee-related responsibilities and map them out onto a calendar week. It’s also easier to see how your tasks are segmented if you color code them right on your calendar. (more…)
by Yoon Cannon | Success Mindset
As we approach the final week of wrapping up another year we will soon (if not already) assess how well we did in achieving our business goals. If you hit a home run this year in your business, it’s not hard to be joyful in this season of Christmas. However, if these last twelve months reflected nothing more than a disappointing series of strike outs, I know it’s pretty tough to feel joyful even during this holiday season.
If that’s you, here’s where the psychology of success matters now more than ever. In fact, Christmas can teach us a critical lesson on that psychology of success. (more…)
by Yoon Cannon | Success Mindset
Your Mission Critical Business Growth Plan
There are many roadblocks and obstacles that stand between you and success. Running a business isn’t easy, but one thing that is for certain is that defeating your demons and overcoming those gremlins that stand in your way can be the hardest part of growing a business.
As entrepreneurs we expect to write out our business growth plan to include things like our marketing strategy, our customer service strategy, our cash flow strategy and our organizational development strategy. These are all important pieces to have in our business growth plans. However, in 100% of all the strategic plans I review from small business owners to CEO’s of mid-size companies, there is a chapter missing that in my opinion, is mission critical to have in place. That is — how do you plan on winning the battle of your mind? (more…)
