Making a difference

 

I recently read an article about how to excel in your entrepreneurial life and it sparked a memory of a conversation I had with my father over 40 years ago!

 

The basic premise of the article is “if you want to be the best that you can be, you must put yourself in situations where you will extend your comfort zone and bring about lasting change and development in your attitude and behaviour”.  My father took a different approach, but no less effective; he asked me what my ambition was (I used to do Karate).  I answered with youthful bluster, that I wanted to be British karate champion and captain of the England Karate squad.  He replied, “Then why are you training in Preston?”  Where is the best club in the country; find it and train there?

 

Such a challenge does test a person to the core; do you really have the desire to improve or are your words, just words?  Self-improvement does not come from a book, it is borne out from the actions that you take; the decision to expose yourself to new environments and be around people that will not only test, but challenge you, is critical to growth for you and your business.

 

What action can you take?

 

– Approach a person that you respect or admire and ask to spend some time with them (I have done this many times over the past 28 years in business and never been knocked back).
– Be bold and ask direct questions; how have they overcome adversity? What drives them to aim for greater achievements? (I have always found – be that sport or business – high performers are willing to share).

 

My father was of course correct; in this case the best club was in Liverpool.  I trained there for several years and became junior British Champion and also captained the England Squad.  The advice holds true today – be around people that will assist you in raising your game.  Remember, no one can make you the best; you have to want to be the best.  Being around the right people will increase your chances of success significantly!