Work On Your Business and Not In It

The new year is a perfect opportunity to stop working IN your business and to work ON your business. There is a difference. One of the most impactful ways to work ON your business is to focus on your future. When is the last time you just dreamed about what you could do, be, or have?  Just a few minutes of intentional envisioning can transform your culture and profits. You probably did this when you first accepted your job or started your company. The cobwebs of complacency can easily set in and cause the status quo to be accepted. Dust off those dreams and rekindle your passion.  Think again about the possibilities for your company or career. What amazing things can you accomplish? How big can you grow? Which organizations can you partner with to impact the community?

If you can see it in your mind, then you can experience it in your world.  One proven tool is a vision or dream board where you can foresee and predict your future. How about creating a vision board for your company? “If you want to reach a goal, you must “see the reaching” in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal,” said Zig Ziglar.

Having a vision for your business can make your dreams a reality. This isn’t the idea of setting goals for sales or earnings. That can come later. Envisioning your success can transform your year.  One way to do this is with a dream or vision board.  This poster or even one-pager gives a tangible example of your desires.  Here, pictures and words display goals and lofty aspirations of that expansion, profit margin, dream vacation, career goals, or finances.  There is nothing magical to a dream board though!  Creating a panel of all the things you want your company to do simply places these ideas before you.  They are in your line of sight – thus the name “vision board.”  Simple and small choices can compound to help you reach all you ever wanted. Success takes one step and one day at a time.  With a goal board it is much easier to make wise choices that support your hopes because you have created a visible reflection of your ideal outcome.  So, go ahead and dream a little.

Visualization works!  Scientists have tested its power and in a recent study, Psychology Today reported that the same brain patterns are activated when a weightlifter lifts heavy amounts or if they just imagine or visualize lifting the weights.  Your board can have the same power for your business and your personal life. If money or time were not a hindrance, where would you want to live, what would you like to accomplish, how many people would you like to employ? Think about these questions and then put pen to paper.  Dreams lead to goals, which can be broken down into steps, producing results.

You work IN your business everyday as you oversee your staff or help clients. Work ON your business and you’ll find your dreams come true. “If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise,” wrote Robert Fritz.