Happy New Year! For many of us, this is when we reflect on the past year and then think about the changes we will make to achieve our goals in the year ahead. “Qualities” are unlikely to be what we’re thinking about. Whether it’s full-blown New Year’s Resolutions or minor changes to lead healthier lifestyles, it’s most likely “actions” we’re focussing on.
For all our good intentions, I think most of us can confess to not seeing something through from last year or the year before! I’m far from perfect, and one thing I’m (again) committing to myself this year is to get blogging!
However, regarding business, we’ve achieved the same goal of 100% growth year on year. This is the same goal that was set for 2019, as per our business plan that was written a few years ago! So, how have we (my business partner, team, and I) managed to achieve this?
Well, a year ago today, I shared an Instagram image with three words: focus, determination, and perseverance. My caption read, “Be a finisher, not a constant new starter! We achieved 💯% growth in 2017 and we’ll be doing the same in #2018💥”
At this time of year, it’s easy to get caught up in “change” rather than re-aligning with our long-term business plan as an Entrepreneur. Of course, change is often necessary to survive in business – we need to be adaptable, and we need to innovate, but what’s really led to us achieving our targets is staying focussed and questioning what we’re doing to keep moving towards the bigger plan.
Focus, determination, and perseverance
I still stand by my words today and believe these three qualities, which sound pretty similar, are needed to succeed in business; focus, determination, and perseverance. Here’s my take on each of the three:
Focus – this is where your attention is. It’s just as easy to get distracted in business as in general life. I know this only too well as someone who is visionary and full of ideas, but I draw myself back to what we’re actually looking to achieve as a business.
Determination – to me, this is a more elegant way of saying “grit”. Whether it’s a bad day in the office or a relative who thinks your business idea is crazy, your end goal isn’t changing!
Perseverance – no matter how determined you are, you need something more to keep you going over more extended periods in the tough times. Consistency often comes to mind with perseverance, and as we all know, in business, there isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme!
These aren’t the only three qualities I think you need as an Entrepreneur, but they are certainly needed at this time of year and as things don’t go to plan over the year ahead! Perhaps I’ll apply them blogging this year too!
What other qualities come to mind for you?
