To create a business you love, and success in ANY endeavor from art to athletics, there is one key ingredient that trumps the others in terms of importance.
You can talk to me all day about funnels, formulas and figures, sales pages, strategy and selling, content, copy and client avatars, but this piece comes first:
Self-awareness.
It’s also what you need before communication skills or “how to fight fair” when it comes to creating a solid relationship with a significant other.
For today, we’re talking business, and I’m going to scratch the surface of this topic by discussing a few key areas where it really matters, and what you can do about it to be more self-aware.
Key area #1: Your Goals
I’m assuming that you know it’s important to set goals and have intentions for your business and life. We create our reality whether we realize it or not, we might as well do it on purpose, right?
I won’t get into why it’s important to be clear about what we’re creating – but I will get into why it’s important to get clear on WHY we’re creating what we’re creating. (follow me?)
Never set arbitrary goals for the sake of setting goals.
Always understand the WHY beneath them, and the why always circles back to understanding yourself.
For example, don’t let the brass ring in the sky you’re trying to jump through be a million dollar business if money isn’t something that drives you.
It’s crucial that you understand what motivates you and drives you so that you can use that fuel to propel you further toward your goals.
I believe that what motivates you is something you’re born with. It’s something you’ve come into this lifetime with.
When you can tap into that and use it as a force to drive you forward, you’ll go a lot further, faster.
Tony Robbins talks about 6 basic human needs. We are all going after these to a certain extent.
These needs are: Certainty, Variety, Significance, Connection/Love, Growth and Contribution.
Which of these needs really get you excited?
Action step:
If you’re setting goals that you aren’t hitting or that simply aren’t EXCITING for you, think about what really motivates you, what basic needs you are craving the most, and set goals in alignment with those.
Key Area #2: Your Business Model
Again, this is just the tip of the iceberg of why self-awareness is absolutely crucial to creating the right kind of business, since it is so important.
From how extraverted to introverted you are, to what your fascination profile is, to your strengths and superpowers and beyond, self-awareness is absolutely key in not only setting up the right kind of business, but also sharing it.
One of the biggest mistakes we make is trying to do it all. When you know your strengths, as Gary Vaynerchuk says, you can “double-down on them.” And get the right kind of support where you aren’t so strong.
Action steps
There are lots of assessments online that will tell you anything from what country you’d be if you could be a country to what your spirit animal is.
One of my favorite’s is Sally Hogshead’s Fascination Test. Do yourself a favor, take the test, and let me know if you learned anything about yourself.
Key Area #3: Your Relationships In & Out of Business
From the connections you make with your clients to your mentors to your colleagues to your significant others…self-awareness is critical in setting up solid relationships.
By understanding your strengths and what sets you apart from others, you’ll be more confident when speaking with prospective clients about how you can help them. You’ll also be clear when you’re less likely to be able to help them and can refer out more effectively.
When you know yourself, you’ll be more likely to gravitate toward coaches and mentors with whom you are aligned. You’ll do a lot better with someone who holds similar values as you than someone who simply is good at sales.
You’ll also be aware of your own areas for growth, and when you get triggered by something, will recognize that there’s a valuable lesson in there (somewhere…!!) You’ll be more likely to learn the lesson, because you’re looking for answers (and that mentor you’re working with will help too, if they’ve got a clue, which they will have, if you’re self-aware enough to work with the right person).
Clear self-awareness leads to clear communication, so you can let important people in your life know what’s up, without having to play any games, conscious or not.
This makes life easier and more fluid for you and for them.
I could go on about the power of self-awareness, way beyond its importance in setting goals, creating the right business and relating to others. It is critical, and too many people are operating with blinders on.
It is not a luxury to delve inward, it is necessary.
Know thyself, and make even more of a difference.
Let me know in the comments one thing you took away from this post, AND, your Fascination Profile (I’m the Secret Weapon).
Cheers to thriving in business & love,
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