WHEN WE ARE SELF-EMPLOYED it is vital to keep our head’s in the right spot! If something throws you off into a fit of frustration, anger, of other form of stress, you are not being as effective as you can be. Not only are you not being effective personally, you are also negatively effecting your staff and your customers.

Here is the reality of how staff react to frustration and anger you display. When you take out your anger and frustration in front of employees, they lose respect. When a superior yells and screams at work, it puts everyone on edge. People become afraid to speak up or give feedback, in case you yell and scream at them. When this happens, they are not just fearful, but they lose respect and trust in you. When they lose respect and trust, they don’t have a sense of security. This leads to poor culture, unsupportive co-workers, workers calling in sick, some may steal and this could be something as simple as stealing your time. They are not putting in the work you are paying for…they are spending more time thinking about or doing something else, and are not committed to you. This isn’t just a discussion about how YOU overcome challenges, it is a discussion about how people lose their business because they don’t get their own head’s straight.

So how does one do that? Especially, if up to this point, it is your nature to fly off the handle, and yell and scream, you may think you are not capable of this. If this is the first time you have read my one of my articles, I want you to know, ANYTHING I teach you in my articles is a result of it working in my own life. I do not teach you from “theory”. I teach you from my own experiences of what actually works. I WAS that person, who flew off the handle and had no patience. That was 30 years ago. I have learned and found principles to live my life by that changed every single part of my life into a positive result.

Today I want to share one of the most powerful principles I have learned. Don’t overlook the simplicity…THAT is part of what makes this so very effective.

A very simple, but powerful concept is to say to yourself –“don’t make it a thing.”

When we make something a “thing”, we take a small irritating thing and blow it up to be like a mountain. The key is to stop yourself and remember this statement. It takes all the energy out of “the thing” and allows you to deal with whatever it is from your “higher self”, your more “creative self”. I have used this in all aspects of my life, business and personal, with great success!

Here is a small example from a business perspective: Something goes wrong in a business. The owner (we will call him Joe) used to be the “fly off the handle” type of person. Joe decides to apply this principle, and says to himself “ok Joe, don’t make it a thing”. It doesn’t remove the challenge Joe was having, but it does allow him to deal with it differently….more calmly and more pro-actively.

From there, Joe can ask himself – what are the solutions-? who can I ask-what can I do? Joe can gather the employees that would be dealing with this (or have knowledge about) and tell them the issue and ask for ideas to resolve it.

This does a couple of things – gives Joe more respect, trust and credibility, along with new ideas he may not have considered. It gives the employees a feeling they are valued, there is a great culture of improvement, creates new leaders within the organization that take on more responsibility, and employees are happier and more fulfilled…they feel like a team. This is important to retain talent, and when this is accomplished it transmits out to the client, who will feel that positive vibe happening within Joe’s organization. That makes people want to come back, and refer their friends.

I challenge you over the next week….every time something happens in your life or your business, take a deep breath and just say to yourself “don’t make it a thing”. Then allow yourself the space to find a way to creatively deal with it. I would love to hear your feedback on this…let me know what kind of results you are getting from making this one small shift in thinking into your life.
​
P.S. The great news is, if you commit to doing this for a week, not only will it change things for you, but you will have such a positive experience, it will be EASY to keep doing this…..

As published on:   http://bizcatalyst360.com/how-to-overcome-challenges-in-business-life/

SEVERAL YEARS AGO I learned a powerful principle that has shaped every part of my life. Prior to learning this, I found myself being swayed by the opinions of others, without really knowing deep down what my own opinion was. This is a slippery slope and can lead one to compromising their own ideas, beliefs and goals, which leads to feeling frustrated and a lack of control within one’s life. We see this demonstrated every day, if we recognize it. So many people in life, just follow the herd mentality….doing what everyone else does. And so many wonder why they are stressed, frustrated, unfulfilled, and unhappy.

The principle is simple – Know for Yourself, and is based on educating yourself to find your own truths, without buying into the opinions of others. This is an extremely powerful principle to build your life around and truly affects all aspects of life. Today we have so much information at our fingertips, if we recognize and take the time to find our own truths.

Employee vs Business Owner – Why does most of the population go to work every day for an employer, and in many cases, hate what they do? Because it is the perceived “norm”….everyone does it, people don’t believe they have choice, and they “need” someone to provide a perceived “security” for them. The truth is there is no such thing as job security today…downsizing, layoffs, underemployment etc., are all indications of this.

Health – In my community there are signs everywhere, and discussions in Dr.’s offices and social gatherings about the “need” to get the annual “flu shot”. This is based around fear. I see people lined up, fear mongering signs, etc., and people in society blindly following what everyone else does, without thinking this through for themselves. There is also a huge debate on vacines for children, and often parents blindly follow what everyone else does.

Relationships – Very often we form our opinion of someone based on information someone else has given us. This is not fair to the individual. When we take the time to know someone, and have our own criteria to base decisions on, we find our own truths, which can be vastly different from the “gossip” we may have heard about this person. This also holds true with “groups” of people – we cannot put everyone under one “label”. This causes prejudice and close mindedness.

Successful entrepreneurs think differently and build their success based on principles for success. We realize we don’t have to agree with everyone, and there does not have to be a confrontation to have your own opinion. We are capable of doing our own research and finding our own truths. We have confidence to take another direction and don’t have to be part of the herd mentality. We are not afraid to take a stand for what we believe in. We understand it is important to embrace risk to find new opportunities.
​
When you know for yourself, based on your own research, experiences and evidence, rather than blindly following the mass opinion of our social circles, media, government or education, you build an internal confidence and feeling of peace inside. You are not afraid to test new things, have your own opinion, take different paths, make different decisions, and truly live life on your terms. You don’t feel controlled, or stressed…you feel like you are making decisions that support what YOU want in your life, not living a life that is controlled by others. This mindset is not reserved for entrepreneurs….this mindset helps anyone live a more on purpose life.

As featured on:  http://bizcatalyst360.com/our-mindset-affects-our-success-as-an-entreprenur-and-more/_ 

Debbie Ruston has been an entrepreneur and trainer since 1986. She works with individuals, and groups interested in developing their entrepreneurial leadership mindset. Was this article of value to you? Feel free to share it on your social networks and with your contacts, join in the discussion below, and FOLLOW her on the top right corner of this page.

Debbie's also on:

FB

Twitter

YouTube

Pinterest

G+https://plus.google.com/+DebbieRuston-TheSuccessEducatorAnd now on iTunes

WE HAVE ALL BEEN THERE ….feeling like we have more to do than we have time. This is where overwhelm sets in. It can be frustrating, stressful and leave one feeling inadequate. Through my own experience I have learned some powerful techniques to push through this feeling. 

Take a step back – Don’t attempt to tackle everything at once…this is why you feel overwhelmed. Look at everything that needs addressing from a bigger overall perspective, and put things in priority.

 Breath and relax – When you are overwhelmed, your feelings can get out of control. Whenever you feel yourself getting into this state, stop, close your eyes, and take some calming breaths. Allow yourself a few moments to relax. Yoga and meditation is a great way to get yourself centered and calm. Equally beneficial, go for a walk in nature, or have a bubble bath. Do something that relaxes you, so you can regain control.

 Identify the first step to take – We don’t have to have everything figured out and we don’t have to finish everything at the same time. Taking the first step will often help in identifying the next step to take, and the next, and so on.

 Delegate when necessary – Learn to let go of things that do not need to be done by you. If you are a perfectionist, it’s time to let go of that, and strive for excellence instead…it is far less stressful and more maintainable long term. Devote your time to the things that can only be done by you, and make sure you delegate the other things.

 Surround yourself with great people – This goes hand in hand with delegating….when you have great people in your business, it is much easier to delegate allowing you to focus on the bigger things.

 Don’t make it a thing We can blow things out of proportion and make small things big things that spiral out of control. Use these words – don’t make it a thing – in your self talk and consciously make a decision to stay calm.

 Tick completed tasks off on your list This is a surprisingly overlooked practice that makes a big difference. When you are checking off all those “to dos” it gives you a sense of progress and accomplishment.
​
 Recognize your capability – You are more capable than you realize. The key is to not allow yourself to feel overwhelmed and trust yourself that you are fully capable of handling what is in front of you.
 
Successful entrepreneurs have all the same struggles…the difference is developing your mindset to effectively deal with challenges, understanding is is all simply part of the process towards success.

As published on:  http://bizcatalyst360.com/what-do-successful-entrepreneurs-do-when-overwhelmed/