Act I: Decide
The hardest part, to decide.
To make the decision to actually start your journey. Sadly, it’s at the very beginning where most people and businesses fail.
They hesitate, research more, second guess, seek approval, look for permission, procrastinate, and then repeat the cycle.
Let me be clear – you already have everything you need to decide, but you need to do that first.
You don’t need approval or permission – just do it.
Embrace the market feedback, good, bad, and ugly, and don’t worry about failing, (the sooner the better) as it allows you to learn and refine along the way.
Remember, there are no magic success formulas, despite the buzzed-up tactic- pedaling, headline pusher-like biz gurus who scream into their digital megaphones with proclamations like the one at the top of this little ditty.
And don’t get addicted to an endless loop of advice-seeking – because marketing buzzards love to give advice.
And too many of them are salivating like a hungry dog to provide “professional” recommendations before understanding what problems you’re trying to solve in the world.
Can you imagine if your physician did that?
I’ll give you some sage-less advice that won’t cost you a penny but maybe be worth more than an ounce of gold…
…before you seek advice, invest that time into yourself…
…educate yourself, gain knowledge, understand the subject matter…
…thirst for knowledge about the audience, you seek to serve…
…what are their problems, fears, constraints, obstacles, limitations, hopes and desires?
But don’t get lost in the spin cycle so you never make a decision.
The ability to be decisive is a super-power that most people fail to understand.
It’s easier to hide behind the crowd and stay unnoticed than to stand out and say, “hello world, I’m here.”
The simple act of deciding will empower your spirit to move forward.
Just do it.
Act II: Act
Now that the hardest part is behind you, it’s time to act.
The Webster’s Dictionary defines an act as…
…the doing of a thing…
…the process of doing something.
Ah, that feels good right? And so simple.
Progress is at hand – you are now acting on your decision!
Best of all, you don’t need to pretend to be the smartest person in the room, (the market will do that for you.)
The market will tell you what’s working and what’s not – keep your eyes and ears open and soak it all in.
When some of your actions are received favorably by the market then that is your clue to double down. When they are not working, it’s time to adjust, refine and try again.
It’s in the acting where you’ll gain all the knowledge and experience, you’ll need.
Acting is how you liberate and free yourself from the confinement of standing still, waiting, and being stuck in indecision.
Ultimately, acting is how you earn autonomy…
…the self-directing freedom and independence…
…the ability to gain control of your future, your dreams, your desires…
…the power of forward progression.
Act III: Keep Going
I could have used a fancier word for step number three, but plain ‘ole English will work just fine here.
Be forewarned – this part isn’t easy.
In fact, it’s the part where most people and businesses fail.
They give up.
Or worse, they stopped doing what had worked in the past – perhaps falling prey to “shiny new object” syndrome.
The “keep going” part will test your resolve, your will, and your very soul.
But it is also where the “success” part lives – or “dies.”
You get to decide.
Here, it’s all about the “3 P’s.”
Persistence, perseverance, and patience.
When you “keep going” you get better at what you do!
It’s a built-in continuous improvement mechanism that by default creates a virtuous circle…
…a chain of events in which one desirable occurrence leads to another which further promotes the first occurrence and so on resulting in a continuous process of improvement, (thanks for the clarity Merriam-Webster.)
So, there you have it.
A (insert the verbose, bombastic, gibberish headline here) 3-Step business plan to get you in gear and moving forward.
After all, the very definition of progress is “a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal,) – a gradual betterment.”
A gradual betterment…
…who can argue with that?
To your greatness ~
