Think Outside Of The Box

I saw a very interesting social media post from someone I know. The post was basically saying people have a tendency to complain because of situations they find themselves in. However, their frustration is a result of doing the same things over and over again, but expecting different results.
Do you know someone like that? Could that someone even be YOU?
It takes a mature person to not only admit that fact, but to take action to do something about it. Sometimes it's necessary to assess where you are in your life, so you can conquer the challenges and move ahead.
When these types of conversations come up, I often think about a training I had gone to several years ago with a very dynamic speaker. She started out by saying this:
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. If you want something you've never had, you must do something you've never done. If you always think like you've always thought, you'll always get what you've always got." (Dr. Kim)
What she said was a combination of several sayings from a variety of people, but when you think about it, it all makes perfect sense.
If you keep doing exactly what you've always done, of course your results are going to be the same. Why would it be any different? In order to get the things you want in life, you have to be willing to go and grab it. And sometimes that is just so uncomfortable. It is human nature to not want to step outside your comfort zone. I get it. I've been there as well. Who wants to be uncomfortable, right? But you must think differently, to get different results. Period.
So, if you are at this point with your on-line business, what can you do about it? You need to pause, think and assess.

PAUSE
Sometimes we can get so caught up with wanting and needing to get good content out there, that we don't pause long enough to get a real feel for where we are in our business. We want to make that first sale, get ranked in Google, post several times per week, keep up with all the necessary components here in WA including emails, blogging, helping in live chat, etc. etc. etc. PAUSE.
Sometimes it's just too much and it can get overwhelming. PAUSE. Take a deep breath. Have you thought about maybe you're biting off more than you can chew in this space? Consider these steps:
1. Write down your short term and long term goals. Don't only write the goal itself, but also three steps you need to take to reach that specific goal.
If you don't wish to write goals, build a vision board.

2. Post your goals or vision board in a place where you can see it every day.
3. Check your goals to see where you are on a weekly basis.
4. If your goals are too lofty, adjust accordingly. (Yes, it's okay to adjust your goals. Trust me.) It doesn't mean you've failed, it means you need to be more realistic...and that's okay.
By taking these steps, you may get a true feeling of not only where you are currently, but where you need to go and how to get there.
THINK
Truly think about where you are in your business and where you see yourself in a few months and years from now. Are you headed in the right direction?

In addition, ask yourself:
1. Are you giving your site visitors what they want and need?

2. Are you engaging in your content and your replies to comments?
3. If / when you get stuck, do you ask for help?
4. If you need help, where do you go? Who do you ask? What resources do you use?
Some people don't like to ask for help when they need it because of a variety of reasons. If you don't use your resources available to you - especially in a community like WA has to offer - you are truly doing yourself (and your site visitors and customers) a disservice. Think about it.
ASSESS
Assess your situation and be ready to adjust if you need to. If you are heading in a direction that looks like a dead end, don't give up. You may need to PIVOT. Sometimes businesses must do that in order to succeed. There is nothing wrong with pivoting to get going in the direction that is going to help your site visitors and customers. You have to find out what they want and need so that you can provide it. That's the whole point of all of this - right?

In order to pivot, it may mean doing a little thinking outside the box. Yes, and you may be uncomfortable doing it. It's hard to sometimes think outside the box. We can all, from time to time, get stuck in a rut - because it's so comfortable. But is it the best thing for us to do?


IT STARTS AND STOPS WITH YOU
The bottom line is if you want to change something, you - and only you - can make that happen.
Ask yourself: Are you doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results? And if you are, what are you going to do to change it?
I hope you have an awesome and productive weekend.

~ Yvette ~