Now Build a Great Business

One of my favorite business authors is Brian Tracy.  In his new book, co-authored with Mark Thompson, Now Build a Great Business, there is a wealth of information and ideas on that subject.

Even though I have only read half of the book so far, I will strongly recommend this book for any manager.  Despite all of what we might hear in the national media about the economy, and despite the many obstacles to business success, we can build a great business if we really work at it.

Tracy and Thompson offer lots of great advice in this book.  Check it out.

You are gifted at something

I like to play golf but I am only average on a good day.  I love skiing but realize that I am only an average skier.  Even still, I like doing these things but I know that they are not my best talents.  The good news there is that I only do these activities for fun and know that I will only be so good a them.

When it comes to your career, find out what your strengths are and utilize them for making a living.  This way, you will always be working from your strength.  Maybe your gift is working with and being compassionate with people.  There are careers best suited for this gift.

Maybe working with numbers and calculations are your strengths.  There are many careers involving these talents. 

It is very important to realize that you are gifted at something.  Find out what it is and take advantage of it.

Read, read, read

Reading in your area of professional interest for one half hour per day seems simple.  It may even seem like it will probably not produce results.  It will.

Get books and CDs on your profession and make this a daily habit.  You will be ahead of others in your profession simply by knowing more and having more ideas.  Give it a try.

Read, study, work hard, be your best

Work hard to be your best self.  Start with reading every day in the area that will help you the most.  Avoid activites that bring you down.

Everyone is gifted in some way and if you try your best to constantly improve to become your very best, it will pay dividends.  Invest your time wisely to reach your goals.

Don't just float along complaining about others and giving reasons why you can't succeed.  Only you can determine how successful you will be in your career and in all areas of your life.  No matter what your age is, you can enjoy improvement in what you do, so get going.

All you can do ....

All you can do is all you can do!  Given the concept that hard work leads to success, you must remember that there is only so much that you can do.  Hard work sets up the ability to admit, all I can do is all I can do.

If I know that I have given all that I can on the job and I meet with failure or worse, termination, I at least know that it was not me who let me down.  If you take that attitude, you will succeed, by the way.  Give 100% in all that you do and never fear failure.

If you do concentrate single-mindedly on all that you do, you will not need to worry about saving your job, your employer should be more worried about saving you.  An all-out worker is attractive to any employer and word gets around on how you perform on the job.

We are all limited in what we can accomplish.  Remember that because it is important.

More About Hard Work

I am more convinced than ever about the importance of hard work.  How do I define hard work?  Simple.  Concentrate your efforts all of the time that you are at work on the most important task at hand.  Concentrate single-mindedly on completing your assignments in a thorough and timely fashion.

What leads me to this belief about hard work.  Well, think about the things that you can and cannot control.  You cannot control your competition and you cannot control your co-workers' performance.  You certainly cannot control your company's management and their policies and decisions.

If you want to be successful, what is the one thing that you can control?  Answer, your own efforts.  We are competing every day for success.  In our competition with others, we might be underpriced, we might be mismatched by the size of the competitors workforce or the size of their funding, and we might be disadvantaged for other reasons.  Maybe your competion is smarter, or more experienced, or more outgoing.

The one thing that we should never be if we want to be successful is outworked.  Just like in sports competition, you should never be out-hustled, you should never be outworked in your profession.  Be honest to yourself in the assessment of your work efforts.  Give your best effort always!

Avoiding Anxiety

I really think that we can all do better at this.  So many situations in life cause us anxiety but part of the solution is what frame of mind that we bring to the situation.

Often, small problems can be easily fixed without anxiety but we often take that anxious route anyway.  Try to ease your angst by taking a calm approach to every situation you face each day.  Think of the people with positive mental attitudes and take a lesson from them.

Your positive approach will then rub off on others which will further empower your own self confidence and control.  Give it a try.  We can all do better.