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If we were all the same, if we were all logical, reasoned and entirely sensible human beings, we would rarely do anything at all that had even the slightest risk associated with it, but we're not, so we do.
We climb that mountain, we sail that sea, we go on a blind date and we apply for that new job we think we'll never get (whilst secretly hoping that we do).
Life and the world at large is a series of challenges and tests, but it's those difficulties, those battles we fight to be better humans that make it such an incredible experience we have to embrace.
Succeed In Business Against The Odds
The business world also comes with its own set of challenges to conquer too, but not everyone gets to experience those.
You can succeed in business, against even the most challenging odds. This is not only possible, but within each of us.
If you're thinking of starting a new venture and envisioning what's ahead, you'd be forgiven for deciding it's just not worth doing because the chance of success is too small.
To succeed in business, no matter the industry you're targeting, chances are the odds will seem to be stacked against you, but however long the odds might be, someone has to win.
That can just as easily be you as anyone else. It's time to flip the table and rewrite the rulebook in your favour.
If you're starting your own business journey but not looking forward to the battles ahead, we've come up with some strategies and habits that can help you look at things in a new light. It took us a long time to learn them, but we will share them with you here.
1. Believe
Here at P45 Consultancy, belief is a cornerstone of everything we do, so much so that we include it in our tagline and social media hashtag; #BelieveInSuccess. Belief, particularly in yourself and what you're doing, goes a long way in helping you succeed.
Belief is a great leveller. Believing that you can succeed actually helps make it happen. This isn't just some nebulous concept, it gives you a foundation, something tangible, to build upon, to aspire to and to reach for.
Believing you can isn't the same as hoping you can.
Belief lasts long after people have told you that you can't do something, that you won't achieve anything or that you'll never get anywhere. Belief will drown out those fears.
We've all been told those things by someone at some point in our lives, but those that believe know that it isn't true.
We know this because we believe. That core belief helps us understand that, because we want it so badly, that it becomes engrained in our soul and drives our every action to make it a reality.
Success is a belief that anything is possible....... because it is.
2. Hold Yourself Accountable
Success in business, even with belief isn't enough in isolation. Every building needs a foundation, but not every foundation needs a building.
For your business to succeed you'll need to build on your belief and hold yourself accountable. That might not be a comfortable feeling at times, but one you'll need to embrace.
To know what you want to achieve in life, you'll need a plan to execute it and it's exactly the same in business.
You need to know where you're going and how you're going to get there, but it's up to you to figure that out for yourself.
Write yourself a plan to make it a reality. This doesn't have to be a business plan (although they're a great idea too) but write down your plan, whether that's in your phone, in your notebook or on a piece of paper. Create a tangible goal to drive towards.
Once you have it, share it with the world and look at it every single day because it holds you accountable.
Every time you look at it, ask yourself "what did I do today to make it happen?" or "what have I done today to bring it closer to reality?". If the answer is nothing, ask yourself why not.
Make a change to do something to change that answer so that tomorrow, you can answer it in a more proactive, positive way and it's YOU who has made that happen, no-one else.
Every time someone tells you that you can't achieve it, you'll have both the belief and the determination to prove them wrong day after day until they'll never say it again and if they do, you'll be too far on the road to success that you won't hear them anyway.
3. Surround Yourself With The Right People
The road to success isn't a perfectly straight line, the destination doesn't lie just around the corner and the path is not always on even ground. The loads we carry aren't always light and we all need some help along the way.
That same road has its fair share of nay-sayers and negative voices that can make the journey seem longer and more perilous than it seems, but having companions on your path to support you will always take you further.
Surround yourself with people who, not only have your back but your front too.
Those who will inspire, encourage, motivate and support you. Whether they're family, friends, online groups, your religious leaders or your faith itself, you want a support network who are going to be there for you every step of the way.
Create, build and maintain those relationships with people who are as excited about your success as you are. Those that will be ready to pick you up, not keep you down.
This won't be everyone in your life, and that's OK, so choose wisely. Find those who can join you on your path to success, enjoy the journey with you and help you reach your goals.
If you do this, the journey will be straighter, shorter and less turbulent because of it.
4. Learn To Fail
Failure isn't a pleasant feeling, but something human beings have to experience. We all fail occasionally, but the lessons we'll take from those missteps are exactly what we need on our journey to success.
Because failure is so uncomfortable to most of us, we often have a hard time accepting it. Subsquently, that lack of acceptance means that recovering from those mistakes in the future is harder, and some may not recover at all and just give up. That's not you.
It's absolutely fine to make mistakes. It's part of any process to fail, to not quite reach the levels you want to and that's OK. We live and we learn.
Failure isn't the end of the line, it's a kink in the road. Pick yourself up, learn the lessons it's taught you and move on.
You'll be more knowledgeable, more experiernced and so much wiser from it. Just imagine how much better success is going to taste with a sprinkling of failure thrown in.
5. Do.... Something
Sounds a little vague, right? Well, maybe but it's arguably THE most important one.
Creating a life for yourself, whether that's a successful business, a happy family life or living one in service of others, none of it is going to happen by magic, or just by wishing it into existence. That isn't how the world works.
To create something, anything, that you can be proud of takes time and effort. It might not happen overnight, but it will happen if only you do something that gets you a little bit to your goal every day.
I don't mean those days when you're motivated and ready to tackle anything that's thrown at you, but even on those days when you barely want to get out of bed. Get up and do something.
Don't wait for someone else's permission or promise, do it, whatever that is, for yourself and then repeat ad infinitum until you have the life you want. That, my friends, is success.
Conclusion
" Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrew 11:1
When people talk about 'the odds' being stacked against you, it's not literal. Life isn't a game of poker, or of chance, but it does require focus, belief and integrity to succeed, just like a business.
When you feel the odds are stacked against you, remember those odds will even out. Focus on what you think, what you feel and what you want.
Don't let anyone else determine your success. Only you can make it happen but similarly, only you can stop it, so believe in yourself, hold yourself accountable, surround yourself with people who are going to push you onto greatness and if succeeding means learning to fail, then do that too. #BelieveInSuccess
We hope you found something here to inspire you. How have you dealt with success or failures in your life? What did you do to overcome the odds against you, either in business or in your personal life? Do you have any tips that we've missed? Let us know in the comments below.
If you're about to embark on your own business journey and need some help from people who have been there and done it themselves, then please get in touch with our team and we can have a conversation. Please use the form below to contact us and a member of the P45 team will be in touch with you very soon.
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