Many direct sellers and small business owners are committed to growing their businesses and taking steps to achieve their financial goals. This often involves some degree of self-reflection; after all, every decision about the business falls solely on you. By making some improvements on yourself, you will be able to reap the benefits in your business.
- Make a list of what you want to improve. The act of writing your goals on down on paper (or typing them, most likely) is the first step in committing to change. Put them in writing to help you identify what exactly you’d like to improve, and then prioritize them accordingly. Chances are you have some things you’d like to change right away, and others that may require some more time to work on. You are in charge of your list, so adjust it when necessary, but take the time to create it so you can get right to work.
- Decide why you want to improve. Within your list of things to improve, write down why you listed it. Doing so will help you decide its level of importance and how it will enhance your life. For example, one of your items is to stop procrastinating. You may decide that by tackling tasks and projects right away and well in advance of deadlines, you will be relieving unnecessary stress and anxiety as well as performing better overall because of the increased time allotted to complete these tasks. Since these are some very important benefits of self-improvement, you may want to make this a top priority.
- Implement deadlines. So you’ve made your list, prioritized the items, and identified the reasoning behind them. Now you need to create deadlines by which to complete them. Without deadlines, your list simply becomes another piece of paper or electronic file that gets pushed aside and forgotten about. Giving yourself a deadline helps you envision your endgame and draw up your plan of action. Don’t be too rigid, however, as you don’t want to set yourself up for failure. Give yourself enough time to realistically achieve your goal, but not so much time that you forget where you are headed.
- Utilize your strengths to improve your weaknesses. Everyone has a certain skill set; you know what you can do well and are confident in your abilities. Use this to your advantage on your path to self-improvement. For instance, one thing on your list to improve is your tendency to procrastinate. If you are a detail-oriented person, that strength could help you stop procrastinating. Decide that when a task or project presents itself, that you will map out an action plan complete with all the details needed to perform the job well. Because you have now dealt with all the details, beginning work on the project right away will become much easier to do. Knowing your strengths is just as important as identifying your weaknesses when making self-improvements.
People don’t generally like to be told what to do or how to do it. Your commitment to self-improvement must come from within. Find your inner motivation, do some real self-reflection, and take the steps above to improve yourself and your business. What ideas do you have about making self-improvement? Please share them with us in the comments section below!