28
Jul
2008
Emotional Beginnings
The realisation of founding, building and running your own business comes with many sacrifices. These sacrifices are often educated or emotional choices which when made are done with the intent of doing what is right for your business. I would like to share with you two emotions that I have experienced at some point; doubt and blame.
Building a business is like a roller coaster ride accompanied by a merry-go-round. If business isn’t going up and down it often goes around and around, so at what point as business owners do we get off, or, should we keep going round and round? These thoughts are called doubts, we all know a business cannot survive unless it is growing, and with growth comes risk and with risk, surely there has to be a dose of doubt? Doubt can attack you like a cold or flu and I feel we can all be susceptible; so how can we avoid the symptoms and is there a cure?
Doubt can move businesses in a different direction; so, can we avoid a reaction that will get us back on the roller coaster? In having often caught this cold, I have usually worked long hours, little exercise and over committed myself. For me, the right prevention was reflection. By utilising the ‘doubt’ emotion as a warning sign to reassess a structure, expenditure, a decision, or a sign to start exercising, I prevented my cold from turning into flu; however, I do feel this emotion needs to be identified early to avoid a reaction that is based on an emotional choice rather than an educated one?
If doubt is not caught early enough it can lead into blame, and I believe this emotion often requires hospitalisation!!! “The buck stops here” is a famous saying to divert blame from growing out of hand. I believe blame is the worst emotion in business, whether you think it, act it or live it. Blame can be the demise of a business yet can be solved with one question…. “Can I fix it?” A question when asked can take a lot of weight of one’s shoulders. “Can I ask for someone else’s help?” If the answer is “no” - well get over it, learn from it, move on and do not carry the problem from this point! If the answer is “yes” – well fix it; learn from it, move on and do not carry the problem from this point! For every problem there is a solution – find it! So now, can you tell me how a business can still associate blame with their problems – if there are no problems, there cannot be any blame… What a wonderful environment to work and live in.
Ever wonder why successful people seem to have karma about them? Is it because they have mastered these two deathly emotions, thinking about it… did it really matter whose mistake it was? If you are confident in what you are doing, I believe you will attract a certain amount of luck, so be reassured you are doing the right thing, keep fit and enjoy whatever ride you have chosen.
Author: Jan Tinsley
