If your business plan goes something like “we will seize opportunities as they come”; how will you know what an opportunity is? Do you seize every opportunity? How long do you pursue one before you chase the next? Do any of them get completed?
In this post by Brittany Leung, she shows you what this could look like and why it might be the reason you are not creating lasting results in your business.
By Brittany Leung
We live in a technology-laden, fast-paced, busy world. We’ve become a society that is constantly “plugged-in”. Kids sit on the couch watching TV, texting their friends, and playing Angry Birds on the iPad while Grandma does the exact same thing from the Lazy-Boy 2 feet over. We seem to have equated busyness with productivity. We’ve convinced ourselves that the busier we are, the more successful we will be.
The thing is there are so many different options for things to be busy with. And yet, we only have so much time, effort, and energy available. If we allow our lives to be guided by whatever happens to come our way we can find ourselves spread thin. The reality is that sometimes we have to say no to good things in order to say yes to the right things.
Pursuing a lot of different “good” goals or activities can actually leave you not much further ahead. So how do we differentiate between choosing good things and choosing to do the right things?
You Are The Star
Let’s pretend that your life is represented by a star on a blank page. As you begin to pursue different opportunities, a dot appears on the page. You (the star) follow each of those opportunity-dots wherever they arise. In order to avoid creating a mess of a page with random dots all over the place, there must be a destination for the star to work towards. Without any direction, the star may just run back and forth all over the dots on a tiny portion of the page.
Conversely, if the dots are spread out randomly all across the page, the star has to exert a considerable amount of energy and time trying to get from one point to the next.
Direction, Vision, and the Right Opportunities
However, with a clear understanding for where the star needs to go, the once blank page should now reveal a relatively linear line. Sure, some opportunities may have led you off course, but if you keep your eyes set on where you need to be, you will eventually find your way back onto the path you need to be on.
We can choose to use our supply of time and energy to get us closer to our objective or else the default (no intentional focus) leaves us with a star that wanders aimlessly in no particular direction.
Are you merely moving and pursuing whatever “good” opportunities come your way? Have you created a vision that is compelling and provides direction?
Having a clear picture of where you ultimately want to be or ultimately want to create provides direction and helps you to focus on the right opportunities. Your vision is what pulls you forward while your mission or your purpose is what propels you onward.
Your Ultimate Purpose
“Full Steam Ahead” by Ken Blanchard and Jesse Lyn Stoner offers a guideline for unleashing the power of purpose. It speaks to the importance of having a purpose that provokes forward movement.
- When it comes to business why is it that your company exists?
- What business are you really in? What is the need that you meet from your client’s point of view?
- Are you so clear about your purpose, so committed to it, and so sure about your ability to accomplish it that you move ahead decisively despite any obstacles?
Don’t get caught just being busy. Be busy for a purpose and spend your time and energy pursing the activities that will lead your star closer towards the ultimate destination.
The key that opens the door for you is how you connect the dots.
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About Brittany Leung
Brittany is the Business Operations Manager here at Sunwapta Solutions.
This role includes marketing, sales support, content creation and helping our clients grow their businesses.
She enjoys cheesy jokes, cooking & baking, being active, and learning new things.
Brittany is a notorious multi-tasker and is always (unknowingly) on the lookout to find ways to do things better, quicker, and more easily.
