Get out of your comfort zones!

Today I am really walking my talk. Instead of going to bed early because I’m a wreck from yesterdays dinner party I’m writing this blog and getting other practical stuff done. Yes, it hurts intensely.  I’m forcing my eyes to stay open and my brain cells to work in team. I could have post-pone some of the stuff until tomorrow as Sunday is not really a workday, it wouldn’t matter that much, but the problem is telling yourself that every time you are feeling like shit or you want to sleep in, will definitely slow you down. I believe it is important to be consistent to be able to reach goals as efficiently as possible. I think it is extra important in the start-up process to push yourself a little extra; therefore it is crucial to understand that getting out of your comfort zone is very often what it takes to stay 5 steps ahead of your competitor.

You might not like to get up at 6am in the morning or work long and inhuman hours, and you might not like to be skinned all the time because you are dividing the hours of the day between part time jobs and building the company; but I’m pretty certain getting used to not having it too comfortable will increase the chances of reaching your goal faster and better. If your work-day is too comfortable you are probably not working hard enough. Makes sense to me. 
I’m not saying that you should get an uncomfortable work-chair because its good for you to feel pain, I’m just highlighting the fact that you must be willing to work hard(er) hence pushing yourself further, and dealing with not-so-cool phone calls, meetings, presentations or even arguments to be able to deal with whatever comes in your way…remember; problems...or obstacles as I like to call it very often come unexpectedly. Above all you have to be focused and you have to be persistent; self discipline is also very important, but sometimes its harder for young people, as discipline is often something you learn when you grow older and become more mature. Focus and persistent are two of the most important elements to be able to move forward. Without persistence focus doesn’t matter and the other way around. Take focus and persistence away and all you are is Peter Pans shadow on a fantasy island. You have to be strict with yourself and tell yourself everyday that you will deal with whatever comes in the way and you will deal with it correct and fast with a positive spirit. Sometimes this means staying up the whole night to correct documents before sending in for the deadline approaching the next day. Be aware that complaining or making the extra task an issue will only drain you for more energy than necessary. You must deal with it to move forward either you like it or not, so why waste time and energy complaining about something you have to do anyway? Being negative wont get you anywhere.

I have to admit that I sometimes struggle with staying focused. I have so many things going on in my head, that I sometimes cant hear myself think. It really stresses me out when I can’t focus, however that is not a good enough excuse if I want to be the best in my field. No excuses are good enough. I know that to be able to be the best I can be to reach my goals I will have to change my mindset and then my actions. Personally I feel that it is extremely important to learn how to master persistent and focus in whatever field you work in. Reason why is because if you are not good at mastering both at the same time, you will eventually give up from all the wrong calculations, delays etc. Things will be taking too long because you weren’t as persistent as you thought and it will eat your self-esteem from inside. Well, this is a fact; quitting is a habit, so don’t.

I found a neat little book at Gatwick airport when I was travelling from London a while ago, and Its called ¨The Secrets of Success in Selling – 12 ways to achieve exceptional results¨, by Nicola Cook. I found something interesting that I know I have read somewhere else before and it’s about mantras or your own pep talk if you like.  It’s basically a way of transforming the mindset by self-brainwashing. As a matter of fact it is scientifically proved that it works, but you have to be patient. It does not happen over night. What you do is that you make up a mantra that you will tell yourself everyday. For instance, one of my mantras is ¨Everything I start, I complete with brilliance¨, the second one is ¨I am always on time because I like to be early just in case¨ and the third one ¨I get up early because I am on my way to becoming the greatest in my field and therefore I take advantage of all hours of the day to beat my competitors delivering the best service in the world¨. 

There are some rules for making a mantra:

-      - Make it positive; State your intentions as you want it to be as opposed to what you want to avoid

-       -State in the present tense so that it happens right NOW and not in the future

-      - Say it out loud and say it out proud. Personally I have a sheet on my wall on my desk with my mantra so that I see it every time I look up from my laptop. It is also the first thing I see when I sit down on my work-chair. So I sit on my desk and I say it out loud for myself.

-       -The mantra cannot be about other people changing. We can only change ourselves.

The clever thing about mantras is that it defines the goal, so you are always reminded on what you should always do. When you have managed to brainwash yourself you simply tune into the right frequency and you are on autopilot--- destination; your goal.

It feels a little bit like ¨runners high¨ when you are starting to notice the difference in your mindset and behavior.

Mantras are good tools when you are moving into unknown territories and things starts to get complicated. That’s the time you need to remind yourself of your mission.

When starting up you usually don’t have that much money so initially you will probably end up doing a lot of the work that a lawyer or an accountant normally would do for you if you were able to pay them. Because you don’t have the knowledge that a lawyer or an accountant have you will be spending a lot of time researching just to be 100% sure you are signing the right contracts and that your financial statements are correct.

Not everyone loves every area of running or owning a business. For instance; it is a well-known phenomenon that creative people and especially artist’s cant stand mathematics or anything where you are tied up by regulations and paragraphs, but if you want to be in full control you should know how everything works. You should understand the financial statements; balance sheet, cash flow statement and profit and loss (at least), even if you do hire an accountant and a lawyer. Why? Because someone might want to take advantage of your business at a later point when you are very successful. Maybe someone is trying to buy you out of your own company by securing a bunch of shares. You need to know how to protect yourself if that situation may arise. If you believe in yourself and your business idea you will do anything in your power to protect you company. You will be prepared for war any day and have the weapons ready even before you can see a glimpse of the enemy behind the thick fog in the distant eternity.