The difference between those who strive for success or thrive in success is in the habits and daily actions.
Growing up many of us heard about the ‘American Dream’ the land of hope and how once moving to America was where people came to enjoy a successful life. Now I am not saying that is no longer true, this is not a political post by any means. BUT with the introduction of the world wide web and the astronomical growth in businesses to move on line the dream life is no longer location linked.
Location Freedom is the new ‘American Dream’.
With the knowledge industry booming right now and the movements being led by the big guns such as Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi to ‘make self education the new norm’ then there are now more than ever flurries of people looking to set out on the entrepreneurial journey with the flame of hope held high.
So, what is the difference between those that thrive or those that continue to strive for success? Habits!
1. Knowledge is Power
One of the first recommendations existing entrepreneurs tend to tell those asking how to start out is to read and not how to set up a business books but mostly recommend books on mindset. Whilst it is shown as such a glamourous lifestyle it takes hard frickin work to get to the level that you can then sit back and enjoy the freedom lifestyle. So you need to have a strong, growth mindset, be willing to learn and listen.
Look for books in your chosen business field (say coaching. I enjoyed The Quantum Leap Coach System by Femke Mortimore as a book to read on specific coaching tools and techniques).
Look for books about building the entrepreneur’s mindset. I liked Millionaire Success Habits by Dean Graziosi and his podcast of the same name is good for short burst of knowledge.
2. Anchor in your why
As Simon Sinek is most famous for teaching, start with Why. For me, this is a great starting point but the biggest challenge isn’t just about starting with why its continuing to remind yourself of why you started and why you need to keep going even on the tough days.
Have something visual whether that be a vision board for your business, a photo of your family or even just affirmations on your mirror. Have a place and make time each day to focus on your why as part of your daily morning routine.
3. Prioritise by Passion or Prosperity
Whether starting up or established, as business owners we always have a list of a million things we need to do each day. There are so many tools and techniques on how to prioritise (MoScOw method anyone?) that for me, break it down into two simple top priorities.
Will this action fuel my passion or my prosperity?
Will this make you happier in your business or will it make you money? If its not either, is it an enabler to either? If still no, then why is it important?
4. Refine Goals Regularly
If you don’t have goals for your business then you will never know if your actions are helping you or hindering you. Set yourself clear goals ensure you have smaller goals and associated tasks so you know that everything you are doing is in alignment.
If you set monthly goals or quarterly, then at the end of each week review your activity and look at what you were intending to do next week and refine them. Continuing to review and refine means you will always be aligned to goals and allocating time and energy to the most important activities.
5. Nurture Your Tribe
Wherever your audience or customers are then ensure they still know who you are and put some effort into nurturing them daily. This might mean having a social media strategy and auto-posting but from an audience perspective you are still there, asking them questions and providing value. You always need to be growing your following and nurturing them so when they are ready to buy, you’re the first one that they think of!
6. Have a routine
Whether its a morning routine or night-time routine or both, have some consistency in your routine so that you are grounding yourself, getting yourself ready for the day ahead both physically and mentally. Evening routines are often focused on reflection and gratitude so think about what has the most personal impact to your wellbeing at the start and end to each day and make that a non negotiable part of your daily routine.
7. Have a Strong Business Network
Often overlooked for the value that this creates but collaboration over competition is what will absolutely stand you out from the crowds in this online space. If you are a coach, network with coaches or therapists. Think about those in either the same business or a similar area. This way you can create referrals too. Networking may mean joining actual face to face networking groups or it may be as simple as joining online communities, contributing and being an active member so that you can build friendships. As a solopreneur when the days are tough and quiet, you need to have a call tree of people you can turn to.
In my online community I am starting to offer Power Hours, this will be a chance for people to join in Zoom for an hour of focused effort on whatever they want to do but they wont feel as alone because we are all sharing the experience. Means you can have a laugh, ask a question and share for feedback. To join my Facebook community for Purpose Drive Entrepreneurs click here.
8. Take A Break
A burnt out and tired business owner is not happy and is not going to be able to sustain this level of energy long term. To prevent you hitting that wall you need to incorporate time each day to blow off steam and enjoy life. Yes, I know, controversial for some people but you are doing this to build a life and lifestyle for yourself and/or your family. if you make yourself ill and burnt out then you aint going to reach or enjoy any success. Spend time doing something you enjoy whether that’s with family, going for a walk/run or just watching Netflix. Take 30 mins at least each day to disconnect 100% from your business and business network!
9. Fail Fast, Learn Faster and Repeat
Failure will happen. The most successful business owners have failed so many times but they have chosen to never give up. You fail fast to learn faster. Be eager to fail, and ensure you can reflect, tweak and learn from that failure as it will bring you one step closer to success. Even if you take Facebook Ads as an example, when you first start out you will waste money because you are trying to figure out the right targets, the right key words that connect with the right people. That’s why you run parallel campaigns and that’s why you need to understand the analytics. Not to be technical but so you can recognise the trends and fix what isn’t working. Or hire an expert!
Having an open and growth mindset is about learning and the best way to learn is to fail. So Fail Fast, Learn Faster and Repeat!
10. Consistency, Consistency, Consistency!
We will keep the last habit quite simple. What you put intentional energy behind consistently will grow. If you are consistently focus on audience building activities for an hour a day, your audience will grow in size and engagement levels. If you are consistently writing 2000 words a day for your book, you will finish it quicker than 100 words here and there.
When you maintain good habits and a good routine and do this consistently, your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing will improve.
Its the simplest and most difficult habit to maintain but the rewards are limitless!