As we move through another holiday season I’m reminded that, for better or worse, in our society a lot of the holidays is about “wants”. As the father of two 6-year-olds that especially rings true – if you don’t’ believe me, ask to see my kids’ Christmas lists. When we’re kids we want this or that toy. That doesn’t change as we get older – the only thing that changes is what kind of toys we’re talking about.
The same thing is true in business. Talk to any business owner and it doesn’t take long before they say something like, “I want ______ for my business”, or “We really need to do ______”. Yet for so many business owners those wants & needs never become reality.
Why not? If you’re a business owner and haven’t been getting what you want, what’s been holding you back? There are a lot of potential reasons, some of which we’ve talked about here before.
One of those reasons hit me today as I visited with a small business owner. This individual listed a number of things he wanted for his business. For each one, we worked through a plan for how that might happen. Each time, we got to a point in the plan where he said, “I don’t think we can do that because…” Time, money, energy, focus, etc. The reality was that in order to change, some old habits had to go, and he wasn’t willing to do it.
Which brings me to the point: all these things you say you want for your business – do you really want them? One of my favorite quotes is from Sidney Howard: “Half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.” What are you willing to do to achieve your goals?
No change ever happens without some level of sacrifice. If you’re serious about making changes & improving your business (or life), something you are doing or something you have today has to go. It might be time, it might be energy, it might be some activity you’ve done for years, it might be $$, whatever.
Think about some change you think you want in your life. What will you have to give up to get it? Are you willing to make that sacrifice?
