What makes you enthusiastic about your business?

“The greeks gave us one of the most beautiful words of our language, “enthusiasm”. The word enthusiasm translates to “a God within”. Within you is an infinite passionate soul that wishes to express itself.”

Wayne Dyer, The Power of Intention

Each of us has created within our minds, a vision for what we see for our business, we create wonderfully detailed images of what success and fulfillment look like. We create wonderfully detailed images in our minds consciously and unconsciously. We "see" happy customers, new products and services and financial success. Ultimately we feel happy when we think these thoughts.

Our minds naturally create plans that are possible. We create the story of success with each daydream, each conversation, each list of to do's.

The mind cannot create a vision that is not in someway possible. The mind consciously and unconsciously pieces together ideas, facts, and experiences to design a new reality based on your history.In essence it creates history, waiting to be created.

It is then up to us to get the story of the of the new history expressed. It is called your business plan. It is your vision wanting to be created.

It is up to us to get those unconscious thought out into your conscious mind, so you can bring it to life, It is in this expression, the conscious mind can accept it and apply logic and reason to create tactical plans for its realization.

Speaking about the ideas allows for the written word to be created. The connection between the verbalization of an idea opens the pathway to the written word, the visualization elements and the emotional connections. The act of storytelling allows us to connect to our experiences in a organic way. Our brains naturally connect ideas as we access our experiences, our knowledge and passions.

Brenda Laurel in her book, "Utopian Entrepreneur" states, "Story telling is a nurturing act. It is not simply the transmission of narrative material. It is a purposeful action that is intended to communicate, to teach, to heal. Stories are content, storytelling is relationship."

The stories we create around our goals, be them personal or business, respectfully, recreate from our past experiences, failings and successes. They gently blend all these into a healing salve. They take the lessons, insights and wisdom that were deposited over time and weaves them together into a new version of reality.

The sheer act of telling these new stories, allows healing, forgiveness and an honoring of the past. As it is expressed, we open the door to be able to use it to plan the future, tactically and tangibly. It moves from our mind to reality.

Tom Peters, business guru, his book RE-IMAGINE, calls us to re-look at everything we know about business. He asks us to face, "It is not your... father's world" He compels us to see anew and re-imagine the business we know are possible. One where design, planning, strategy and fulfillment are possible.

We must he says be willing to do the work. We must take time to flesh out our visions and share them. It is in this act he states that a new way of doing business will come to life.

What is the story you are creating?

Who can you tell your new story to?

Do you believe in your plan?

Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.
Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931)


Do you have a plan?

For your business? For your life?

I love this quote by Edison, it teaches me to come back to plans, to ponder, analyze, appreciate and revise. So often we create plans and because they do not work out we leave them by the way side and miss out of all the wisdom they hold for us.

When we are diligent, we continually re-look at plans and adjust actions and forecasts. I recently met with a very successful accounting firm partner. He described the quarterly review of their business plan and ongoing adjustment to marketing, staffing and resource strategies. He was able to speak with authority on where the company had been, where they are now, as well as where they want to go.

He had insights into trends and was able to speak intimately about the business with confidence and ease. As I reflected on the meeting, I was struck at the ease with which he spoke about the numbers. It was of course typical for an accountant t be able to spew out numbers with confidence. What I was struck by for myself is my lack of confidence as a business owner to talk with such confidence about the numbers, about the forecasts, the trends in my numbers. I was humbled, as I am sure most of us would be.

It really gave me deeper insight into the many facets of business and how we as responsible business owners need people around us and on our teams who can speak to the many facets of a business. Finance, marketing, business development, etc.

Is there a part of your business plan that needs a re-look, a readjust?

Marketing?
What are your three key brand values?

Sales?
What are your three key competitive differentiators?

Strategy?
What are your three key business drivers?

So take some time to analyze and possibly even bring in a pro to help!!