Some beliefs help us get the best out of ourselves, while others put limits on our chances of success. Here are three of my favourite business mantras for helping soloists thrive.
I’m in charge of my mind…
I’m in charge of my mind and therefore in charge of my results. The fact that we’re in charge of our own minds is something we all forget, and consequently we allow things to ‘just happen’. Ever had a morning where you’ve woken up in a bad mood, and the day’s gone downhill from there? In that case you know exactly what I’m talking about!
In neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), we often ask the question “Who’s behind the wheel?” (In other words, “Who’s driving your brain?”) It’s a stark question for those who tend to allow their brains to run at random, because to get the results you want, you need to be in charge of your mind, not the other way around.
We all have control over our thoughts. If I ask you to think of a blue tree right now, you can choose to think of a blue tree, or you could choose to change your thinking at any given moment. The same applies to all the thoughts that go on in your head: you are in control of each and every one of them.
Next time your thoughts take a turn for the worse, use this mantra to take control and get yourself back into a productive and successful state.
I have all the abilities I need to succeed
We all have a tendency to stick to what we like and feel confident doing in our businesses, and to avoid or procrastinate on those things we dislike or believe we cannot do.
Central to the philosophies of NLP is that everyone has the ability to do what they want to do and to succeed at what they want to succeed at. There are no unresourceful people, only unresourceful states of mind.
There are also no limitations to a person’s ability to learn. So as a soloist, you can indeed wear each and every hat if you want to, you just need to learn how. In some cases that means developing the necessary resources, skills and knowledge, and in others it involves getting rid of whatever it is that’s currently holding you back.
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There is no failure, only feedback
As soloists, we don’t often receive the performance appraisals that we’d get in other work environments, and our view on feedback from clients can become slightly distorted through the inevitable subjectivity that comes with isolation.
In addition, as we get better and better at what we do, the possibility of getting really good feedback gets less and less.
Always ask for and welcome feedback, as it allows you to improve. Whatever the feedback is, listen to it, incorporate it and change your behaviour in a way that helps you improve your results and take them to a new level.
I hope you find these business mantras as helpful in your business as I do in mine. And if you’ve got one of your own to share, I’d love to hear it!