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Do you suffer from the Rat-Race syndrome? Are you constantly doing the same thing day-in and day-out? Or perhaps you are doing fine, keeping pace with your business' workload, every day telling yourself that 'someday' you will break out of the mold and learn something new to further the development of your business.
No matter which is your dilemma, if you find yourself in a rut that you can't seem to find your way out of, it's time to get yourself unstuck and moving forward again. To do that you'll need to find a way to reinvigorate yourself.
To breathe new life into your business and life, start by looking outside of your normal sphere of influence. What follows is a list of eight places you might consider looking.
1. Be open to change
If you always do the same thing in the same way, both your life and your business will become stagnant. The first thing you need to do to help yourself climb out of the rut you find yourself in is to embrace change. Until and unless you allow your brain to accept the fact that you need to consider other ways of thinking, you will never adopt any changes.
2. Learn a new skill
Learning a new skill does not have to be hard. It could be as simple as picking up a book on a subject that interests you. However, just purchasing the book will do you no good unless you open the cover and investigate the content and concepts within.
3. Take a course
Check into online and offline courses that are offered in your field. Even if you are a veteran business owner, you can still learn and grow. As an example, I recently invested in Lynda.com's training. While I have been working with my business software for well over 10 years, I am now learning new skills to enhance my talents and abilities, making the investment in cost and time well worth it.
4. Hire some help
One of the best ways to grow your business is to expand your ability to service your customers and clients. One person alone can only do so much. So, when it is time to let go and grow look at some areas where you can free up time to operate your business by hiring or subcontracting work. Sometimes this means hiring accounting personnel and other times it means getting a marketing person on board. As you see, it doesn't have to mean farming out the work you love to do, but there will come a time that you will need to consider this possibility as well if you intend to really expand your ability to grow your business.
5. Attend events
Whether local, online, or some distance away, business events are a terrific way to expand both your business and your thinking. Live events are always my favorite as I am forced to get out of my computer chair and meet and greet others in the industry. However, many business owners have accomplished great things attending webinars and other online events. So, consider joining your local business meet ups, chambers, or other industry specific groups. This will allow you the opportunity to learn new skills, talk to others who may suggest new ways of doing things, or who may even open a door to new possibilities. This is the next point we will discuss.
6. Explore new opportunities
This is something we always should be ready and open to consider. When you see a chance to take your business or life in a new direction that you think will enhance your current position, why not at least check it out? Think about it. You might even grab a pen and paper and write down the pros and cons. Talk to others who might help you decide if this opportunity is worth considering. That brings us to the next point.
7. Hire a coach or mentor
Change often requires input from others. If you want help with speaking in public, consider hiring a speaking coach. If you want help with basic computer skills, a mentor or coach might just be the person who will tip the scale in your favor. Be sure to seek out the person who has the skills you need and not just a general coach or mentor if you have a specific area of growth in which you wish to succeed.
8. Befriend a senior
There are seniors in your community who might have the experience and knowledge that you seek. Often they are lonely and wish for someone to befriend them. They are more than willing to share with you and can be readily found in senior citizen communities or churches.
I found a list of five things you can do in your search for the right senior mentor at Ehow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2057758_find-senior-project-mentor.html. Here's what they recommend:
I. Ask your friends, family, teachers and neighbors about people who know something or work in the field you are researching. The first place to start with finding a senior project mentor is with people you know.
II. Make a list of people to contact after you have talked with people you know. Start by contacting them on the phone in order to set up an in-person meeting.
III. Use judgment when interviewing people who might be a mentor. Some people may not have a schedule that fits yours. You might need to adapt your schedule to someone else's, so be sure it is convenient for both of you.
IV. Pick someone with the right kind of experience. You want to find someone with specific tools and resources that can help your project meet its objectives.
V. Investigate further. Sometimes, it is not possible to find a mentor through your immediate friends and family or teachers. Your specialized research project may require some further investigation. Some other resources are your own employer, people you know from church or other religious groups, or community and civic organizations, or sports teams and foundations. You may have to get even more creative and research professional groups, company stakeholders, colleges and universities, newspaper articles or a phone directory.
Take the time to think about what is the best way for you. Consider where you are in the life of your business and life and break out of your cycle of monotony. Grow your business and yourself as a business owner, using these tips. You'll be glad you did.
© Copyright 2015 Ginger Marks
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