Much like technology that (unfortunately) is so crucial to our lives, we, too, require periodic updates to refresh our skills, knowledge, and mindset.
You turn on your phone, and a familiar message flashes across the screen. It’s a request to update to the new and improved version of some app or software. You ignore it.
The next day, the same message comes up during an important meeting. And once again, you hit “not now.”
Then, a few days later, it happens again. Annoyed, you ignore the message, telling yourself that you’ll deal with it later.
A couple of weeks later, you find out that some of your friends and colleagues have certain helpful features on their phones that you don’t have, making you feel outdated. The only difference? They took action—they clicked “update.”
Much like technology that (unfortunately) is so crucial to our lives, we, too, require periodic updates to refresh our skills, knowledge, and mindset. Change is inevitable, and understanding that is a major mental hurdle for entrepreneurs as their businesses, customers and market shift over time. The need for improvement is your motivation for creating new plans, setting higher goals and objectives, making sounder decisions, and better coordinating with your team on any project, large or small.
The million-dollar question is now, how does one make these necessary “system updates”?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but here are a few Ptex Practical Pointers to follow as you take the next steps toward the new you:
1. Clarify your vision
The most important upgrade you can make to yourself is clarifying a vision for yourself and your company. To get somewhere in life or business you need a clear destination in mind. It’s easy to get stuck on “How will I achieve this goal?” but forget about the “how” for a second. Your primary focus should be on the “what.” What is it you want to be? What do you want to accomplish?
2. Focus on strengths
The world rewards to those who are really good at what they do, so leverage your talents, skills, or assets by developing them to the utmost. It’ll give you a shot of confidence, energy, and motivation that will inevitably increase your productivity. Although focusing on weaknesses also has a time and place, it can lead to a negative, defeatist attitude, so spend the bulk of your time concentrating on what comes naturally – your strengths.
3. Move toward your fears
The things we’re afraid to do are often the things that offer the greatest potential for positive change. We tend to push off uncomfortable commitments until we “feel ready,” but in all likelihood, that time will never come. Embrace discomfort as an indicator that this is a door you need to open each day.
The hardest thing to do when trying to change habits is getting into that mindset of change. People tend to see themselves through the same lens, day in and day out. To truly grow means accepting that the world changes – and so must you.
You 2.0 is available for download. Would you like to upgrade?
