written by john c ashworth
How to make better decisions, earn more money, and increase your confidence.
Think Different.
A marketing slogan initially created by Steve Jobs that was brilliant and that represents the fundamental shift most people need to make when they want to achieve MORE and get better results.
Changing your thinking, however, is not always that easy. Most of us discover as we get older and wiser that unhitching ourselves from engrained belief systems is hard and often very uncomfortable.
Or, we discover that choosing a new way of thinking and acting can be fun and exciting at first, but that it's all too easy to quickly go running back to the old way of doing things when the new way feels so unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and scary.
The truth is that if you want to achieve MORE, Be MORE, and Earn MORE money, YOU need to start thinking differently MORE of the time. Doing things the same way you've always done and expecting different results is a common and silly form of denial.
Change is hard because transformation takes great courage. In this case, the courage to explore new ways of thinking and acting that will make you feel uncomfortable and force you into new territory. Often very uncomfortable territory.
That's OK. But you have to be ready for it. Otherwise, what happens is that we make changes, start to think differently, and quickly realize that we have walked into the room naked and afraid. Vulnerable. Suddenly, our survival instincts tell us that the easiest thing to do is to run back into the other room and put all of our old clothes back on as quickly as possible.
Yes. In the short run, that will alleviate the feeling and fear of being exposed; and ultimately make you feel more safe.
But safe from what?
I'll finish with a quick example of what I'm referring to here.
Most small business owners spend the majority of their time trying to manage their businesses and the people that work for them. That's their job, of course.
The problem is that when problems and challenges arise inside the business, owners often don't take a close enough look at what they might be able to do or change personally that would help them correct their course.
Try spending a little more time focused on managing yourself and not others, and you will very likely discover that with a little humility, open-mindedness and honesty, you will be able to find the courage to admit you're wrong about stuff and correct your course.
Try spending some time managing yourself, your bad habits, your compulsions, your environment, and everything else that has the potential to negatively influence your personal growth, and by extension, your business. This presence will help you make better decisions that lead to more personal growth and MORE income.
-John
PS One of the best ways to begin this process of better managing yourself is through regular exercise. Not only will regular exercise bring you more energy and more clarity, but the simple act of deciding to commit to it day to day will force you to take a much closer look at how you're managing yourself in general. This is why so few people re able to make it happen. It requires a little more than good spandex and a fancy watch.
