Bare Bones Business: Remove stumbling blocks from road to success

Maybe you are.

Many of the stumbling blocks on the road to success are of your own creation. I’ve listed the most common ones below. Recognize any of them?

Wishing and wanting. Do you have a written list of goals? When you write down what you want to be, do and have, you hurdle a big stumbling block. Mark Victor Hansen – the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” author – suggests you write a list of 101 goals, from mild to wild. Why not? Those who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them. Get going and get specific. Break the goals into monthly, weekly and daily tasks. Quit wanting things to be different. Make them different.

Thinking that brainy guys get paralyzed. I love Bill Rosenberg, founder of Dunkin’ Donuts, and Ray Kroc of McDonald’s. These guys – no offense, fellows – were not geniuses. Have you read their autobiographies? They were adequately intelligent. The smarter the person, the more likely he is to set up a stumbling block. The smart set can imagine so many ways that things can go wrong. They see every possible future scenario. They can see all the imperfections in a plan. So they end up doing nothing. No plan is perfect. It’s called “paralysis by analysis.” Do you suffer from it? If so, dumb it down a little. Take action in light of uncertainty. Passion and enthusiasm trump smarts every day.

Laying blame. On the economy. On customers. On competitors. Stop already! What difference does it make? Consider this: If the source of your problems is outside of your control, quit talking about it. Do what you can do. Lay out a plan of action, execute the plan. Assess your results, tweak the plan, and keep moving.

Stating and restating the problem (aka whining). Picture your association meeting. The biggest whiner will find a few other losers and start a pity party. Woe is me; woe is you. Refuse to participate in these conversations. No good comes of them. Find the most successful members of your group. Ask good questions and listen. How did they overcome the stumbling blocks? Find out.

Hunting for the silver bullet. There is no piece of information that is going to make everything all better. There is no item of technology that will make all the difference. There is no single marketing piece that will solve all your problems. You know plenty. You know enough to be successful. Act on what you know. Paul Revere rounded up the revolutionaries by riding on horseback from town to town, shouting, “The British are coming!” Get moving.

Saying that family/health/spirituality is more important. Successes in your professional and personal lives are not mutually exclusive events. Success in one area of your life can build success in other areas. Quit using this excuse. In response to a question about spiritual practice and how it relates to the rest of your life, Buddhist author Jack Kornfield said, “In time, you will realize that all of your life is part of your practice.” You have enough time to devote to the most important areas of your life. Weed out the less important stuff.

Continuing to do that which doesn’t work. This is the all-time biggest stumbling block. Review your time card. Stop doing that which isn’t contributing to the realization of your goals.

You need to ask yourself if you really want to be successful. You are the one holding you back. And you are the key to your success. The choice is yours. You can create the stumbling blocks – or hurdle them.

Ellen Rohr is an author and business consultant who offers systems for getting focused and organized, making money and having fun in business. Her latest book is “The Bare Bones Biz Plan.” She can be reached at ellen@barebonesbiz.com.[[In-content Ad]]