Things are tough in our economy. As a business owner, it is difficult to see other businesses go out of business. Many industries are suffering, and there appears to be no end in sight.
But, there are some businesses that persevere and are, if not thriving, at least still going strong. Even in industries that may be struggling as a whole, there are businesses with more work than they can handle. What is the difference for those businesses?
Four things make the difference between succeeding and failing in business. Those four things are: passion, persistence, patience and a picture of success. If any one of these four ingredients is missing, it could be the difference between success and failure. Do you have all these ingredients?
1 Passion
Are you in a business that makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning and go to work? If you are not excited about what you do, it is hard to do it when times are tough.
If you have passion for your business, you will probably notice that you are always coming up with new and “better” ideas. You speak with enthusiasm when you talk about your work, and spending many hours focused on your work is routine because you are committed to the results you are driving.
2 Persistence
Persistence is the commitment to keep getting up no matter how many times you fall down. When you get to “success,” people might think you are an overnight sensation if they were not part of the journey, but you and your inner circle will know the truth.
During challenging times, you may find yourself wishing for the greener pastures of a paycheck. It is certainly understandable, but if you can make it through those times, you will come out on the other side stronger for your tenacity. And, there are many who won’t have your endurance, so it will make your victory feel even better because you will know how hard you had to work to get “there.”
3 Patience
It is the rare person who starts a business and has success on day one. Most business owners have ups and downs for several years.
On the days when you feel fear, make sure you have someone who can see your success even when you can’t. People who unfailingly believe in you will help you get through those scary times.
There are stories about Thomas Edison and his 10,000 tries before he created a working light bulb. Or, of Michael Jordan on failing over and over again in order to become the success he eventually became. On any given day, they must have had a doubt or two, but they kept trying. And, it seems that their patience with themselves paid off in a big way.
4 A Picture of Success
It all comes down to the final ingredient, the “picture.” When you think of your success, what do you see? Are you dreaming big enough? Are you spending time with your vision daily, so you don’t lose sight of it?
That picture in your head is why you took the risks you took to become a business owner. Whether you wanted to be in charge of your own fate or you wanted the flexibility and freedom of being your own boss, you had a vision of something that required that risks be taken.
Don’t lose sight of your dream; it is that mental picture that will propel you and your business forward.
Growth comes when you are ready for it, and often it is when you didn’t realize how close you were to your goal. Having all four success ingredients in place will enable you to persevere through the moments when you doubt yourself, so that you can realize your dream.
Alison Herstein-Moran is president of The Growth Coach in Savage. She can be reached at 301-346-2859 and a.hmoran@thegrowthcoach.com.
