There are a thousand things that we do every day to keep our business ticking along. I have found over time that when I include these 5 Key Things in my day that I personally feel better, my business day flows more smoothly and I keep on reaching my goals and KI targets. Interestingly for me, these are things I used to do when I was still in a JOB working for some one else. So if you are not yet running your own business, now is a good time to start developing these habits for yourself and you might be surprised at the results.
1. Be Kind. Kindness is one of my key values and underpins everything I do. There are a myriad of ways that Be Kind can play out in my day. Whether it is having that extra moment to listen to what some one is saying, to take a moment to say “Thank you” and actually look at the person as I am saying it. To “lift some one up” in some way. To demonstrate Be Kind in a major transaction or negotiation by really looking for the best outcome for all concerned. Tough Love is an expression of Be Kind and some times my clients need a dose of Tough Love to help them create the business and life they desire.
2. Exercise. Most days I exercise first thing in the morning by attending a class, heading to the gym or the beach or just going for a nice long walk in our local park. It makes me feel energized and sets me up for whatever the day brings. There are some mornings when I have to skip my class due to an early morning commitment and there are days the feel like there won’t be a spare minute for exercise. No matter what, I do something. A walk around the block, up stairs, a few star jumps, some side stretches while waiting for the kettle to boil, or while on the phone, balance on my toes. Moving our spine creates flow in our bodies; a few roll downs can bring new energy. There is always opportunity to move, to exercise in some way
3. Learn some thing new. The only way to keep a business moving forward and continuing to be successful is for everyone in the business to learn new things every day. Many years ago I visited a number of US companies on a “best practice” study tour and one of the things that I was amazed by was how many of the businesses attributed some of their ability to be creative and innovate was due to the fact that they encouraged their people to learn new things; anything.
At that time the brain science didn’t exist to the extent that it does now. All these companies knew was that when people were given the opportunity to learn new things, even unrelated to work, thy came to work with new ideas that were related to work.
Brain science has advanced to the stage that we now know that when the brain learns some thing new neural pathways are created which sparks the brain to have new ideas.
4. Ask a customer for feedback. The only way I know if what I am doing is adding value to my clients and customers is to ask them, regularly. With the technology and the various forms of media and communication available today, being able to ask a customer for feedback everyday is easy.
Some of my best new ideas come from feedback from my clients. When I was still working for a Corporate I often asked my internal customers for feedback. Feedback is how we improve. If we don’t ask, we don’t know.
5. Take time to remind myself Why I do what I do. I am really clear that the reason I do what I do is because over the past 10 years I have worked with thousands of people either directly or indirectly, people who are either in their own business or have a strong desire to create their own business. I have created Healthy Numbers to help people know what it takes to create their own business, and to set solid foundations to create a business and life they love. Every day I review my Why, my Mission and my Plan.
From time to time we waver, get distracted or go off course and this is completely normal in business. Having the Why, the Mission and the Plan means that when we do wonder how this fits in, or wonder what are doing all this for, we are easily reminded and find our way back on track.
Someone told me once that even an A380 aircraft flying from San Francisco to Sydney doesn’t fly in a straight line. All across the Pacific Ocean the plane adjusts course and lands right where it is meant to on the runway in Sydney. Same in business, we might need to explore and waver and then bring ourselves back on course to our Why, our Missions and our Plan.
Am I perfect with this? Probably not. I consider myself a work in progress. Do I have intention? Absolutely. Each of these 5 Keys has equal importance and on different days one may require more or less time. My day does not feel complete if any of these are missing …..
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I’m Ingrid Thompson and thank you for reading this post.
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