It is important to be instilled by a strong sense of purpose and also by goals that are in line with it when we do our work. There is no doubt about that. But when it comes to execution on the small scale, we often fall out of integrity. Why? Because we tend to forget how everything is connected. The big with the small, and the small with the big.
Of course we align our actions ideally with that which we want to achieve. But it’s when it comes to the really small steps that noise corrupts the signal. I work with my clients to create clarity for focus and alignment in their professional decisions. The goal here is that they know precisely what they need to do in order to create a business that is sustainably successful and gives them fulfillment.
This is because as human being we want three things more than anything:
-We want amazing experiences that create memories
-We want to grow in every way we can and that is important to us
-We want to contribute to the betterment of others
These three pillars make up a truly valuable member of society – and entrepreneur.
If we can cross off these three things with our work, we are well on the way to create sustainable value for us and those around us. Nothing beats that. But this needs to be reflected even in the smallest of our steps.
When you woke up today, did you ask yourself:
-What experiences do I crave to have? Maybe you want to find time for yourself or enjoy dinner with a coworker you haven’t talked to in a while
-How do I choose to grow? Maybe you choose to carve out an hour to read that book on online trading or teach yourself about facebook ads.
-What contribution am I set to make? Maybe you invest 15 minutes into researching how you can support a local group with your services, or decide to donate part of your day’s profit.
These questions, as silly as they might sound, make the difference between a day used to work on your impact and yet another day in the hamster wheel. It’s these questions that keep entrepreneurs on their human mission rather than on mindless business mode. We are humans, we want to have a human experience. So we have to set the context for it.
When you can go to bed and say with confidence “this is the amazing experience I had today” and “this is how I grew today” and “this is the contribution I made today” you can’t help but feel great about yourself and the day behind you. And it infuses you with desire to rise to a new day of experiences, growth and contribution. You don’t need to wait until you are in the position of philanthropy to do these things.
When we set a plan for these three things, we change the context of our work. It is no longer about the grind, the money, the turnover, the bottom line, closing a deal or surviving. All these things are concepts that are unnatural to us. They are acquired and become a false framework. Instead, we need a framework that is designed to make us feel better and improves our work. Experiences – Growth – Contribution is such a framework (based on book by Vishen Lakhiani)
Alignment of your actions, be it for today, for the month, the year or your life, will change your outlook and how you do business. And it will bring to those who truthfully embrace the concept of personal experience, growth and contribution all these things we were working towards before: the money, the closed deal, the bottom line, the better employee, the healthier relationship.
A shift of mindset can make all the difference: From an unnatural framework to one that is natural to us. The experience of being an entrepreneur is not supposed to be a stressful, inorganic one. It is supposed to be an amazing journey towards greatness, impact and transformation.
It begins with every single day. You can set the rules.
