The five things other people are doing that make them successful
Do you ever look at the people who are where you want to be in your business and wonder what they’re doing to succeed? You’re pretty sure they’re no smarter than you are, so what is it that makes them different?
Well, the good news is that the business owners who have the success you aspire to don’t have mysterious magical superpowers. Which means it’s possible for all of us, right?
So without further ado, here are the five things other people are doing that make them successful.
1. Making hard decisions
When you’ve got loads of ideas bouncing around in your noggin, it can be hard to know which to focus on. You get caught up in the idea that there’s a right or wrong choice. It’s like choosing a favourite child. A betrayal. A clipping of your creative wings.
But here’s the thing. When you run with ALL your ideas, unless you’re some kind of magical unicorn, one of two things will happen:
1) You don’t finish any of them.
Or
2) You’re putting so many things out in the world that people feel confused. Their trust in you is diminished, along with the chances of them investing in your work.
Successful business owners understand that they need to make hard decisions. They need to let some of their ideas go (sometimes forever, sometimes just for now), so they can go all in on the thing that a) excites them the most, and b) will make the biggest impact for their clients.
They know that when they do that, their success will skyrocket. And I’ve seen it with my own eyes! One of my In It Together clients used to jump around all over the place. But once she honed in the projects that called to her most strongly? She doubled her income. People understood what she was about, trusted her expertise and felt confident to invest.
Trying to do All The Things because you’re not willing to make tough decisions will only slow you down. So instead of spreading yourself too thin, see what happens when you practice discernment and devote all your time and energy to just one or two of your fabulous ideas. You might be surprised!
2. Keeping their eyes on the prize
Being a business owner sometimes feels like being a contestant on Total Wipeout. Whether it’s shiny object syndrome, having difficulty staying focused, or a tendency to say yes to everyone and anyone, obstacles are flying at you from all directions, trying to knock you off balance and send you somersaulting through the air as you’re holding on by your fingernails.
So how do successful people avoid these pesky pitfalls?
By staying firmly connected to the bigger picture.
They have a clear vision, they know their goals, and everything they do is passed through that filter.
If an opportunity comes along that doesn’t line up with their goals, they say no thank you. If something shiny catches their eye, they assess whether it will move them closer to their vision. If the answer is no, they stick to their path. And when they’re planning their time, they leave space for the activities that will help them reach their goals.
None of that happens by accident. It takes intention, confidence, and a rock solid belief in what you’re trying to achieve. Successful people don’t create their goals in January and then forget about them. They look at them often, track their progress, and decide what action to take each week that’ll move them closer to achieving them.
Do you have a clear vision for your business? And have you turned that into goals that you can proactively work towards? Checking in with the big picture regularly is one of the best things you can do if you want to build momentum and make progress in your business. Give it a go and see what that does for your motivation and focus.
3. Staying disciplined, even when they don’t feel like it
Does any of this feel familiar to you? You sit down at your desk to create a piece of content but find yourself scrolling on your phone instead? You decide you can’t possibly do your accounts until the whole house has been cleaned? You’re feeling the fear about asking someone you admire if you could guest on their podcast, so you put it off day after day after day?
We may have dreamt of a life spent doing only things we love on our own terms when we started our businesses. But I hate to be the bearer of bad news – even with a team to support you, the reality is that there will always be things you have to do that aren’t fun.
People who are successful have come to accept that… and do those things anyway.
I wish I could tell you how they’re able to stay so disciplined so you could do what they do, but sadly it doesn’t work that way! How we make ourselves do the things we don’t want to do varies from person to person.
But there is something that all successful people have in common when it comes to this stuff: They know what activities are important, and they understand why those activities are important (especially the not-very-much-fun ones). They don’t run from the discomfort. They stay with it, and just get the ruddy thing done.
I bet you can think of at least one occasion when you spent way longer fretting about a task than it took you to actually get it done. What a waste of energy! When you can find a way to feel the fear, discomfort or boredom and do it anyway, imagine how much headspace you’ll free up for the stuff you do find fun!
Don’t get me wrong - finding a way to stay disciplined that feels good and works for you isn’t always easy. And it’s doubly hard if you’re trying to figure that out on your own. But the first step is to acknowledge that if you want to succeed you need to get comfortable doing the things you don’t want to do. Then it’s about identifying what those things are for you, and experimenting with a strategy to help you get them done.
(If this is something you struggle with, this 9-minute episode of my podcast will help)
4. Keeping their eyes on their own paper
Have you ever sat in on a group Q&A with other business owners, heard what someone else is up to, and then thought ‘oooh, what a great idea – I’m going to give that a go too!’, without stopping to consider whether it’s a good fit for you and your business?
Or followed someone on social media who seems to have everything figured out, sending you into a downward spiral of compare and despair?
Most solo business owners will have done both those things at one time or another, so there’s no judgement here!
But it won’t surprise you to know that successful business owners have become very good at keeping their eyes on their own paper. They might get inspiration from the world around them, but they’re not easily swayed from their path.
They know what they’re about, what they’re trying to accomplish and how they’re going to get there. They’ve figured out what works for them and what doesn’t, what feels good to them, and what doesn’t. And, armed with that knowledge, when they’re out in the world they can hone in on what’s for them and tune out what isn’t.
Take me, for example. Since starting my business in 2016 I’ve invested time and money in building my self-awareness. I understand my personality, my preferences, and how I want to show up in my business. So if I’m listening to someone speak about how to reach 100 million views on Tiktok, I can tune that out. I’m not even remotely interested in jumping on that particular train, no matter how enticing the speaker makes it appear.
Sure, I might still fall into the trap of comparing myself with others from time to time – I think they call that being human – but I catch myself quickly and don’t stay stuck there. I know they’re on a different path, and I’m ok with that.
(It also helps to remember that you’re never ever seeing the full picture of what’s going on in someone’s life from a few social media snippets here and there. Even people talking about making 6-figures means nothing if they don’t tell you how much of that was profit, and how much they paid themselves. Don’t get me started!)
When it comes to building the self-knowledge and confidence needed to keep your eyes firmly on your own paper, it takes time. We all need to experiment with different ways of doing things before we find what works. But once you know what you’re all about, you get to pass everything through your finely tuned ‘is this for me?’ filter. And instead of chasing shiny objects or being paralysed by comparisonitis, you’re able to trust the path you’re on.
5. Asking for help even when they think they ‘shouldn’t’ need it
Hands up if you’ve ever thought ‘I should be able to figure this out myself’, in the face of something that doesn’t come easily to you? I certainly have, and my sheer bloody-mindedness has caused more wasted time than I care to admit!
Running a business involves wearing all the hats, so it’s only natural that some of the stuff that needs doing won’t be in your wheelhouse, whether that’s setting up tech, doing your accounts or creating eye-catching graphics for your social posts.
When you’re just starting out you often have no choice but to muddle through, as you don’t yet have the budget to build a team. But for many, even once they’ve delegated the tasks that give them the biggest headache, there are still things they find hard that they’re not asking for help with. Things like getting their mindset straight. Or being as productive as they’d like to be.
Successful people have clocked these less visible obstacles to growth, and proactively done something about them. They’ve invested in coaching to help them build resilience and counter their limiting beliefs. They’ve worked on their money mindset. They’ve acknowledged that running a business can be lonely, and it’s hard to prioritise, make decisions and break tasks down on their own, and so they’ve invested in support to help with that too.
The trouble is when you’re an intelligent, capable human, you’re often not used to asking for help. And so you keep at it, telling yourself you should be able to do it yourself and waiting for everything to magically click into place.
It’s totally understandable, but would you rather carry on struggling on your own, or have someone in your corner helping you figure out the things you’re finding hard. To make progress and build momentum in your business, you need to address the things that are keeping you stuck, and recognise that getting the right support for you will get you there faster.
What got you here won’t get you there, so what are you finding hard right now? And how would things be different – what could you achieve - if only you allowed yourself to ask for help?
So there you have it!
The five things other people are doing that make them successful. And whaddya know? Not a single one of them was about following a 10-step formula to make 6-figures before bedtime.
In fact, now I think about it, letting go of the idea that there’s a magic pill you can take to make everything fall into place in your business could easily be number 6 on this list. Successful people may have been tempted by those false promises in the early days of their business, but they soon realised there are no short cuts.
To take your business to the next level, you need to commit yourself to your vision and your goals. To be willing to make difficult decisions, knowing that the boat will go faster if you jettison the weight of your million ideas and focus on just one or two. You need to hold your nerve, stay the course, and be disciplined when it comes to taking action. You need to notice where you’re getting in your own way, and ask for help when you need it.
And whilst it might sound daunting, I promise it’s possible to do all that in a way that feels light, motivating and freeing, without burning yourself out along the way. (Just ask my clients who receive my support with all of the above!)
I encourage you to start your own journey to bigger success by taking a moment to answer these three questions:
Which of the five areas covered in this blog already feel solid for you? Give yourself a high five!
Which need some more attention?
And what’s the first thing you can do today to help you experience even more success in your life?
Need some help?
If you’ve had a lightbulb moment or three whilst reading this blog, but you know you can’t make these changes happen on your own, I’ve got you!
Making hard decisions on your own is … well … hard. And left to your own devices it’s easy to get seduced by shiny things, lose sight of your goals or let yourself off the hook with the things that are important to you.
That’s why I created In It Together. To hold your vision and goals for you. To keep your eyes on the prize, and make sure you’re taking the right action at the right time.
If that’s what’s missing in your business and you’re ready to be supported in a deeper way, let’s talk! Click here to book yourself in for a no-obligation cuppa.