In all aspects of life there are peaks and there are troughs, ups and downs, good times and not so good times. The world of business is no different. Sometimes everything will run smoothly and it’ll all seem easy, at other times it’s an uphill struggle from dawn till dusk, and maybe longer…
No successful business on earth has had it plain sailing, and they wouldn’t be as fruitful as they are if they had; the tough situations, challenges and obstacles are what develop and strengthen individuals and companies alike. Each and every day you learn something new, address a situation differently or call upon past experience in order to streamline processes and become more efficient.
So even though the tough times may not be much fun in the moment, they sure are a benefit in retrospect. At RedSeven we thoroughly encourage our team to make mistakes (within reason…), trial and error systems and take different approaches in order to discover what works for them. If you never try you’ll never know, and doesn’t that sound more fun than repeating the same thing every single day anyway?
The popular quote from Albert Einstein, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”, is overused for a reason!
Capitalise on the Positives
So we know to embrace challenges as learning opportunities, but what do we do when everything is fantastic? Bizarrely, people take their foot off the gas, and sit back and relax. And although they may truly deserve to, we think they might be missing a trick. More capitalising on the good times please!
You see it regularly when people are on a weight loss mission; they work really hard, eat the right foods and exercise, then as soon as they receive a compliment from someone, they turn to their binge food of choice as a reward. We’re all for everything in moderation and rewarding yourself, but shouldn’t seeing results spur you on to keep going and capitalise on your efforts?
Where business is concerned, entrepreneurs may put in every hour possible, work their bones to the ground to reach their target, whether that’s profit margin, expansion or team size, then see it as a win and pull back personally. They may feel they’ve now “made it”, earned the time off and the business will take care of itself, but in actual fact it needs you more than ever. Standards now need to be met and upheld, your customers have come to rely on you and new business is starting to hear your name. You need to be there to ensure everything is as it should be, after all, you’ve worked hard to get your reputation to where it is, you can’t now abandon ship and assume it’ll keep sailing!
If you step away and leave the business to fend for itself, who’s got it’s best interests at heart? Before you know it, troubles may start to arise: issues with otherwise reliable systems, employee disengagement, customer service problems etc. Who will have to swoop back in and bring it back up to speed, preparing any damage caused? You.
Who wants to be “Fine” anyway?
The trick is to strike while the iron’s hot! Ensure that when everything is going well and running smoothly, you’re going that extra mile to do a fantastic job instead of a good one;
- Taking the time to meet with your clients face to face instead of sending an intern
- Investing your profits instead of taking personal dividends
- Attending another networking event (even though they may not be your favourite thing to do) to spread your company name further – you never know who you might meet!
Committing yourself to showing up, going the extra mile, and adding personal touches is what’s going to keep your business on the map. When you have the choice to do just what’s necessary or be that little bit special you should always opt for the latter.
That’s the difference between long-term success and one hit wonders. No-one said entrepreneurship was easy, no-one fooled you into thinking it was a little bit of hard work for a lifetime of wealth, you knew (or you should have known) that it was a substantial commitment for the future.
But hey, wouldn’t you rather be heavily investing your time and effort into your personal success than forever investing it into someone else’s? We would, and that’s why everyone who works with RedSeven is self-employed. We want them to have autonomy over their reputation, success and outcomes. It benefits our clients, the entire team and especially themselves.
Here for a good time, not a long time?
You can apply this, ‘capitalising on the positives’ logic to all aspects of life.
- Feeling on top of the world in your relationship? Make the most of it! Go on extra date nights, take unexpected trips, take more photos
- Loving how you look at the moment? Wear that outfit you weren’t sure about last year, take risks with your fashion, change your profile picture!
- Your personal schedule freeing you up a bit? Take up that hobby you’ve always wanted to try, visit that friend you’ve been promising for years, pop in and see your loved ones more often!
There are so many opportunities to utilise the positives in our lives yet unfortunately we sometimes take them for granted instead. Make it your life’s work to make the good great, and the great incredible.
To see how the RedSeven team make the most of every day, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
#RevolutionaryRedSeven #PositiveLiving
