It is human nature for most people to resist change. However, we should all understand that all progress results from change. For your business and life to change for the better, YOU must change; otherwise, nothing will change. But you should not change just for the sake of change because not all change results in progress.
When you take your STOP (Strategic Time Out Process), you should look at what’s not working in your business and life. List what you like about your business and life along with what you do not like about your business and life. Ask yourself, “Why do I do this? What could I do differently? If I change, what are the most likely results that will come from this change? Will the results of this change be positive or negative?” If the results appear to be negative, you need to rethink the changes before implementing them. If, on the other hand, the changes appear lead to positive results, then you should proceed to implementation. Once implemented, you should monitor the results to confirm they’re positive. However, please remember that anything, including things are working very well, can always be improved.
Change takes courage. It’s hard for most people to admit that anything they’re doing might be flawed or, worse, broken. Because you’re human, you become comfortable with the way you do things. Take a moment to cross your arms as you normally do. Now reverse your arms. Chances are you had difficulty doing it and were uncomfortable. You basically get the same uncomfortable feeling when you change the way you do things in your business and your life. You must be able to allow yourself to be uncomfortable in order to implement positive change. You will also become more comfortable making changes once you experience the great feeling you get when you successfully implement positive change.
If you are the type of person that can self motivate and honestly evaluate every aspect of your business and life, then what are you waiting for? Get started. If you truly want to change for the better but you’re not a self-motivator and need help in the form of an accountability partner or perhaps a coach, then your starting point should be to get the help you know you need.
Once you implement STOP, you need to keep in mind that your business and life are constantly changing. As a result, you need to routinely review all systems and methods you use in your daily business and life. In other words, you need to repeat your evaluations on a regular basis. Use the STOP process every time you review your business and life. The key here is the repetition of the STOP process. By repeating the process, you become more effective in using STOP every time you use it. As you get better at using STOP, your business will improve incrementally with the positive changes you implement. Another advantage to using the same process is you also learn to more easily identify the duds you think of and can avoid implementing them.
The fifth century Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be.” Do you have the courage, and are you willing to make the changes to stop being who you are, to become who you might be?
Rick Brines is the owner of The Growth Coach of Chattanooga. He can be reached at 423-886-6095 or R.Brines@TheGrowthCoach.com.