Has this ever happened to you? You’re going along your merry way and suddenly it hits you right between the eyes that you’ve been looking at something all wrong? That your priorities or perspectives have been the limiting factor to your own business growth? In other words … you’ve identified the problem and the problem is you?
Yes, that happened to me last week, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Be honest … you’ve experienced it a time or two yourself. And actually, it’s a good thing! That flash of revelation sparked some profitable changes for my business endeavors. So let me ask you … what are you waiting for? How much cash are you leaving on the table because you’ve not yet implemented that great idea you had last week, last month, or last year?
I’ll admit that it takes time for an idea to germinate. Generally speaking, a seed doesn’t sprout overnight. Permit me a gardening / forestry analogy … some seeds only need water and a short amount of time to sprout. Others first need to spend time in cold storage; still others need the heat of a forest fire.
But regardless of what it takes to get that seed to begin to grow, one thing is certain, it’s going to need water, light and protection if it’s going to survive and thrive. Are you tending your garden? Are you nurturing your innate creativity? Are you taking steps to move your ideas forward? And if you’re feeling the scorching heat of today’s economic climate, might you take some comfort and hope in the mighty Lodgepole Pine, which makes up nearly 80% of the forest in Yellowstone National Park? Its resin-sealed cones require the intense heat of a forest fire to release the seeds inside! That’s right; there may never be a better time to release that great idea you’ve been sitting on!
The Back Story:
As you may know, we launched a new business about a year ago: Zero To Sixty Marketing LLC, a virtual marketing firm. It took off with a bang, even without much of a Web site – relying instead on word-of-mouth and the luxury of exiting the starting gate with a few strong customers. Within the past two weeks, we’ve devoted considerable time to a major Web site upgrade, sparking many new ideas and implementing many that I’ve sat on for far too long.
The Zero To Sixty Marketing Web site has its own team-written blog, and its focus has been very similar to Express Marketing Memo … too similar, in fact. So, I’ve decided it’s time for a change. From this point on, Express Marketing Memo will focus on rock-solid, actionable ideas that you can implement in a half-hour or less. Zero To Sixty Marketing’s blog, “Inside Line,” will pick up where Express Marketing Memo leaves off, and cover the bigger picture. There may be some overlap, but I guarantee that each blog will carry useful information for the small business owner. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to subscribe to both blogs today!
Photo Credit: SpaceRitual on flickr
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You are so right about that, although I usually realize that the problem is me and that something is wrong when I get nervous and restless. I try to stick with the 80/20 rule, but sometimes I still find myself doing other things that just waste my time…
Linda, I agree about trying to stick with the 80/20 rule for time management. The 4-Hour Work Week book by Tim Ferris was a real eye opener with the way he explained that concept. Have you read it?
Not yet, but this is the second time I hear about it this week.
Maybe it’s a hint
That’s absolutely right. Some people get more discouraged when they realize that they’re the problem. The worse thing is that even if they think of some new and good ideas that can work, they don’t really act on it anymore because they are too overwhelmed by the discouragement. They should realize that not all good ideas work instantly.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
You make an excellent point, Marq. We can view that realization as a new starting point and move forward, or get stuck in a rut because we feel overwhelmed.
I think a lot of it has to do with how we talk to ourselves. I’ve been eliminating a lot of phrases from my vocabulary this year. “I’m overwhelmed” is one of them that got the boot. It means “to make helpless … to overthrow or overturn” according to Webster’s. It’s hard to win while you’re saying “I’m beat!”