Most entrepreneurs and business owners start their businesses because of a deep passion and purpose that they have to improve the lives of their customers. And we all know that most businesses do not survive past the five-year mark.
What is it that sets those that continue to thrive and grow in business to those that fail? There are many elements, both internal and external that lead to success in business. These may include funding, understanding how to get your product or service out there to the masses, the economy and many other factors. But, before any of these factors become an influence on whether you succeed or fail, we must look at internal factors, and that is do you have a winner’s psychology for business?
A winner’s psychology starts with your self-image. Most people, as I did, think that self-image is your style of dress, the image that you have on the outside. Sure, this is a part of your self-image, but it is a small part, and not really what will get you from where you currently are to where you want to be in your business.
The self-image that will bring you greater success is the image that you hold of yourself in your mind. Evidence shows that the way you see yourself will determine the results that you will experience. Dr. Maxwell Maltz in his classic 1960s research stated that although within you, you have the potential to achieve any success you aim to achieve, you will never achieve results that are greater than your self-image.
The mistake that many first-time business owners make is they aim to serve through passion for their product and service with a low self-image. They go into business with an image of being mediocre or in fear. They think that working harder will get them to their business success only to be burned out and feel that it has not worked out for them.
So, how do you change your self-image to match the success that you would love to have in business? The formula is simple and requires you to be consistent.
1. Goal clarity
Be absolutely clear about where your business will be in 12 months or longer. Goal clarity is essential because your mind is a goal-seeking mechanism. If you do not have a clear goal, it will not know where to take you. Goal clarity is also important to assess whether to keep going or to change something. Make sure you write your goal down. Only three per cent of adults have a clear goal and only one per cent of adults have a goal that is written down. Dr Gail Matthews, a psychology professor from Dominican University in California stated that a person with a written goal has a 42 per cent more chance of achieving it than the person who does not have a written goal.
2 .Create a new self-image to match your goal
Ask yourself what characteristics a person who has achieved this goal in business has. How do they think, feel and act? What is their daily habit? Write this description down and practice becoming that person everyday. When this new way of becoming your new self-image, your business results will naturally start to align with that image. You will be solution-focused during challenging times and you will start moving closer to your goal with confidence no matter what the external situation presents.
