Focus on What Makes You THRIVE!
Be relentless and unapologetic with what makes you thrive! Too often we stray from our motivations and become influenced by the outside world. This clouds our desires and pulls us in different directions. As we lose the connection to what makes us thrive, we find ourselves ping-ponging from one person’s opinion to another’s, until we start second-guessing ourselves, don’t recognize our mission, and even feel dissatisfied with what we’re doing. Once you grasp this destructive insight, it will drastically change your business.
Entrepreneurs tend to be edgier, more creative, and more receptive to implementing new methods. At least, that’s how we start. Over time, our ingenuity begins to get chipped away from listening to the opinions of too many people. They mean well, but they start to soften our edges, and we begin to conform. We start leaning to the tried-and-true. We no longer trust our gut instincts.
Certainly, entrepreneurs need thought groups, mentors, and sound advice. But we should never stray from what makes us thrive – from what ignited our journey. This is the heart and soul of our businesses, and it should shine through everything we do, both to keep us engaged and to keep our businesses going strong.
Nancy Friedman, founder and chairman of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, says, “I am ADD and easily distracted. I have 15 screens in my head, which often are playing at the same time. That’s what drives/thrives me. I don’t take medicine for it; I enjoy being ADD and believe it’s partly what has driven my success.”
Ricki Wilkins, senior franchise developer for ZeeSprout, states that stroking her competitive nature helps her thrive. “I always ask myself, ‘Am I doing everything right, or am I finding the right things to do?’ There is a difference,” she says. “Doing things right simply restores normality and finding the right things puts you in a winning position!”
It’s important to ferret out what drives/thrives each of us. One way I stay focused on what makes me thrive is to think about what I want the legacy of my businesses to be after I’m gone. How do I want the organizations to continue, and how do I want my influence to impact their continued movement forward? The answers help me stay focused on the things I love and thrive at.
Another way I stay focused on what makes me thrive is to stay true to the Core Values I have in place. If I start moving away from my passion and what makes me thrive, it pulls me away from the company’s Core Values. Doing well by doing good, moving forward in innovative ways, and building synergistic teams all make me thrive.
“Stay true to core values.” Alesia Visconti, CEO, FranServe Inc.
- Integrity is Everything
- Grow or Die
- Teamwork Gets Results
Jack Monson, chief revenue officer of Social Joey and host of Social Geek Radio, says that saying ‘NO’ at times is the key for him. “That may sound strange, but after years of saying ‘YES’ to every project, opportunity, industry boondoggle, and potential partnership, I realized that I was cheating my team, my business partners, my clients, my family, and myself. So now, I am thrilled to say ‘NO’ unless my gut says that there is a serious opportunity. Now when I say ‘NO’, I also no longer feel that I need to explain ‘why not.’”
As business owners and entrepreneurs, we can easily be distracted by a seemingly never-ending agenda of to-do’s. It is critical that we resist being consumed by them and, instead, keep our eyes on the prize, on our goals, and on what is best long-term for the people in our company. When I feel consumed by daily business operations and tasks at hand, one of the quickest and simplest ways for me to reconnect to what makes me thrive is to initiate what I call “Random Acts of Communication.”
With Random Acts of Communication, I call one of our franchise consultants, or a franchisor, or a funding partner to chat. I ask them about their day, their businesses, their challenges, and their victories. I ask them what’s harder than it should be, and I ask how I can help.
It’s an unexpected call that takes them by surprise, but it is always appreciated. Inevitably, these calls leave us both feeling upbeat, inspired, and most definitely connected to what makes us thrive!
– Alesia Visconti, CFC
Alesia Visconti, CFC, is the CEO/Publisher of Franchise Dictionary Magazine and the CEO of FranServe Inc., the world’s largest franchise consulting and expansion organization. She has 20 years of experience as a C-level executive, driving organizational development and taking companies to the next level. An author, professional speaker, and entrepreneur, her motto in life is “Work hard, play hard, help others, repeat.” As a self-proclaimed nerd, Alesia loves all things “superhero.”