One of the concepts we are constantly talking about are the 3Cs, which once properly understood, are the secret to your success.
What do we mean by that?
Clarity is essential if you intend to create the lifestyle you want, whatever that may mean for you. However that picture looks for you, you will want that to include increased choices and freedom to do what you want, when you want and how you want.
Once you have the picture of the life you want, then you need to decide upon the vehicle that is going to get you there. Whether that be a job or a business, it needs to be something that fits in with your life goals.
I always remember a conversation I had with a neighbour many years ago, a successful salesman in the technology sector of the time. He was so valuable to the company that they sent him all over the country, troubleshooting problems and selling the right solutions.
The conversation led onto lifestyles and the importance of living them now, not at some distant point in the future. He suddenly broke down in tears halfway through, completely surprising me. When I listened to his story, it turned out he hated his job. He was very well paid and had the trappings of success, but it was empty.
His values were family and a loving relationship with his wife. His reality was five days on the road, staying in hotels and speaking to his kids on the telephone. He would be shattered when he returned home on the Friday, would have only one day to spend with his family, as Sunday was taken up with repacking his suitcase and driving off to a hotel somewhere, to be ready for a meeting with another prospect on the Monday.
His job was the wrong vehicle for him. It didn't motivate him because he wasn't building the lifestyle he wanted. After the breakdown, he realised he had to leave his job. He set up on his own as a consultant, using his sales and technology skills to help two local charities gain the funding they needed.
He was much lower paid than his previous job but he was much more happy, home every night with his kids, getting to see their school plays and having a much closer relationship with his wife. Once he built his vision and gained clarity, he knew what he wanted and started to be intentional about working towards it.
> Giving inspiration and motivation to you and any other people involved, creating a sense of purpose and understanding about how their work contributes to the company's success.
> Customer attraction and even investors, who share the same values and beliefs as your company.
> Ability to differentiate your business from its competitors and stand out in the marketplace.
> Measuring progress and evaluating whether you are on track to achieving your long-term goals or if you need to make changes to your strategy.
If you don't get a crystal clear picture of your driving vision for your business, not only may you lose your way but you won't be able to articulate clearly in a Vision Statement. You won't be able to communicate that precisely with your staff and your prospects won't be able to understand or relate to you.
Your prospects will struggle to have confidence in your products or services, your staff may become unsure what you stand for and lose their confidence in your business and as you see that your business is not making the goals you set, your own confidence will suffer.
