On the football field, knowledge is gained at the rate of play. The clock is running out, your adversary is continuously assessing you, and your team is counting on you to contribute.
Although the effort required is a little different, an entrepreneur’s survival and success have more in common with sports than one might initially imagine. Growing businesses must be agile and quick-thinking due to potential dangers and mistakes; entrepreneurs might take a few cues from athletes who have overcome adversity.
Here are four mindsets essential to achieving successful outcomes:
1. Flexibility
One of the first lessons you get in athletics is that the unpredictable will always occur. There are only truly two possibilities, regardless of the situation, be it an injury, the weather, or something else. Either you can panic and lose your cool, which is practically a surefire formula for failure, or you can change direction and adapt.
Outstanding athletes are able to react to any situation. Even when conditions are less than perfect, they
manage to adapt and turn the tide in their favour.
Many entrepreneurs and executives believe that by having a clear plan in place, they are taking a safer risk by staying in their lane. Unfortunately, that strategy frequently turns into a phoney sense of security. In a perfect world, everything would go according to plan every single time. Goals are necessary, but you also need the wisdom and humility to recognise when it’s time to slow down, zoom out, reevaluate, and make adjustments.
2. Persistence
There is a sense of urgency in athletics created by quarters, periods, and innings. Time constraints give you a sense of where you stand and help you choose when to stop holding back and commit fully. When you’re behind and only have ten minutes left, you should push yourself hard and begin taking the baby steps necessary to accomplish your
goal.
In business, there is no such thing as a time clock. There is no scoreboard countdown that indicates when it is time to sell or go all-in. Without a self-imposed sense of urgency, it is impossible to succeed as an entrepreneur. If you don’t assign yourself a deadline, when you encounter the inescapable difficulties or challenges, everything starts to seem overwhelming. Setting smaller steps and smaller goals that keep you going in the direction of the bigger win is necessary when you find yourself in a rut. Small wins lead to larger victories.
Reality check: Things will go wrong, and they’ll frequently be completely out of your control.
Your attitude will have a greater impact on the result than anything else. In those situations, some people give up, but I’ve come to believe that when horrible things happen, something truly fantastic is about to happen.
You’ve probably witnessed what is referred to in competitive sports as a “momentum shift.” When all hope appears lost, something happens.
Entrepreneurs and executives must adopt the same mentality. Sometimes you just have to keep going in order to learn the lesson hidden in the difficulty.
3. Perspective
Athletes need to understand their bodies. They need to be able to distinguish between pain and an injury since doing so can mean the difference between playing through discomfort and risking their entire career.
There will be problems in every industry, organisation, and department. It is your responsibility to distinguish between issues that require your time and effort and those that are merely bothersome difficulties or annoyances.
So much time and effort is wasted on unimportant things. Is it really worth your time and attention to focus on anything if it doesn’t jeopardise important connections or the successful outcomes you’re seeking to achieve?
4. Humility
Without self-confidence, it is impossible to launch a successful company. No matter how talented you are, though, difficulties will occasionally arise. Many times, it was just that you weren’t good enough.
There are many instances in competitive sports where things don’t go as expected. When they don’t receive the results they expected, athletes push themselves harder rather than giving up. They are aware that they need to improve, develop, and become stronger if they are to achieve the desired results. Disappointing results in business now take on unexpected shapes. It’s simple to feel depressed when a customer doesn’t sign a contract
or a supplier misses a deadline. Instead of shifting responsibility. Consider the opportunity.
Decide what could have been done differently, then use that information to improve. It’s crucial to keep in mind that building a great organisation requires setting your eyes on winning the championship, not just a game. It requires dedication, hard work, and skill. Put yourself first if you want to succeed. Your business improves when you do.
If you want help sorting out what is possible versus what is probable… please click here and set up a free 30 minute meeting and I’ll tell you if I can help.
Here’s to mastering your stress.
The Stress Master
Ches Moulton
About Ches Moulton, The Stress Master
Ches Moulton, The Stress Master, is the UK’s leading authority on stress management. His career has spanned more than 25 years, during which time he has been a much sought-after executive coach, psychotherapist, and trainer. His most recent work has been about helping people with high levels of stress solve their problems and live productive lives without the physical and mental effects of long-term stress.
During his time as a business performance consultant, Ches has served as an advisor to both private businesses and government in Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Africa, and the Middle East. He is the author of ‘How to Get Control of Your Stress: Instead of Stress Controlling You’, and the international best-seller ‘Choice and Change - How to Have a Healthy Relationship with Ourself and Others’.
For more information… including videos,resources to download,and an opportunity to join Ches when he is live… please visit him at thestressmaster.com
