Plant Today What You Want to Harvest Tomorrow

With Spring around the corner, the ground is thawing and seedlings are sprouting up from the soil. It raises the question: What’s your plan for growth?

Like cultivating your garden for growth, successful entrepreneurs realize that what is happening on the inside will always be reflected on the outside. In a survey that my company completed with 373 business owners, over 1/3 said their second biggest frustration related to:

Quieting their inner criticr
Balancing work and personal relationships while seeking new businessr
Motivating oneself to take risks

In addition to the inner critic nipping at you, lack of clarity on how to stay motivated, and not having your ideal client clearly scoped out, it’s no wonder 50 to 60 percent of businesses fail in just their first year.

Just like the poor soil that attracts weeds, if you aren’t focused on your own growth, you will end up networking, collecting business cards, and try hard to pitch your services without success.

You look exte
ally by haphazardly reworking your website, get caught up in the day-to-day operations, and try to do it all yourself. You might even ask yourself:

• How do I make more sales without feeling pushy?
• How do I implement focused marketing?
• How do I find my ideal clients?

If you lack the confidence, you very well may feel pushy in selling your product or service. If you lack a clear plan on exactly how to grow your business, you’re going to play it safe rather than do what it takes. If you feel desperate, your prospect no doubt will feel your push. If you’re unclear about your exact target market, then implementing focused marketing will be nearly impossible because you don’t know where your target market hangs out, their preferences, and even what and where they buy. What is happening on the inside, is reflected on the outside.

The more you nurture your inner entrepreneur, the more it affects the outcomes of your business. So what is the secret ingredient to grow that inner entrepreneur? According to Carol S. Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success there are two fundamental mindsets that people use: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.

She describes that those with a fixed mindset believe their abilities and talents can’t be enhanced through any means. They believe that they are born with a level of talent and generally don’t challenge their abilities because of the possibility of failure. Instead of viewing challenges as an opportunity for growth, individuals with a fixed mindset view challenges negatively. They also don’t invest in themselves and try to figure it out themselves.

Yet, people who practice a growth mindset believe things such as intelligence, talents, and abilities are and can be developed over time. When presented with a challenge, individuals practicing a growth mindset tend to rise to the challenge. They do not give in to the fear of failure. They stretch themselves, seek out assistance, and invest in themselves. They look at those investments as valuable nutrition that aids in their future growth. They begin to see and do things differently because they are continuously developing themselves.

Each time I invest in myself, it has paid off many times over. In just these past six months, I invested in myself with a program that has already provided a healthy return on investment personally and professionally. Take a moment to ask yourself, “What specific steps am I taking to invest in myself so that I yield a strong harvest this year?”