Finally, after all of your hard work and dedication to your goal, your business has found success. That’s an awesome feeling, and you should enjoy it. But often, there is a part of you that can feel as if this success is owed to you – after all, weren’t you the one who put in all the hours and effort to achieve it?
Feeling a sense of pride when you achieve your goal is perfectly normal and healthy. But a problem creeps in if instead of feeling grateful for your success, you start expecting it, instead. Allowing yourself to believe success is owed to you is an attitude that leads to a slow poison of your business attitude and, in turn, to your business itself.
Success in business – just like any aspect of life – it requires a lot of hard work, planning and focus. Success is earned, not owed to us. It has to be appreciated, not taken for granted.
After you achieve a level of business success, look for opportunities to pass on your knowledge, wisdom and experience of how you achieved that success to other business owners who have not yet accomplished what you have. It’s a “Pay It Forward” process that can help others achieve their own goals and dreams in business. This is how you take action on your feelings of gratitude and thankfulness for getting where you are today.
There are opportunities to reach out to others to help them in many ways – business consulting at no charge, business mentoring and leading a mastermind, to name a few. Your local Small Business Administration will be able to help you find up-and-coming business owners that truly need a helping hand.
Don’t forget about the people who helped and mentored you when you were that new kid on the block in the business world. Few businesses get started without help in some form from others. Your expressed gratitude to those people goes a long way towards creating and maintaining the attitude of gratitude you need in business.
The success of your business may not rise or fall depending on your level of gratitude, but having an attitude of gratitude will definitely help your business and will also help your overall life.
I have a number of people to thank for their contribution to my success. As I begin this new year, I think of all the twists and turns on the path that led me here, and all of the people who encouraged me along the way. I even thank the folks who made things difficult or threw obstacles in my path, because through them I learned how to stay the course while dealing with adversity. So, in the end, I’m grateful for it all – the good, the bad and everything in between.
Robert Holden Ph.D., author, and motivational coach says, “The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see.”
I completely agree.
Thank you for being here, and Happy New Year.
