Being a successful business owner and leader doesn’t come easily - it takes hard work, dedication and the right mindset.

Let’s take a look at how you can create a mindset that will not only enable you to develop more skills but also to improve as a leader, enjoy business success, and create a balanced lifestyle.

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Misconceptions of the mind

The mind is a marvellous mechanism but there seems to be a misconception that we are born with a brain that thinks for us. Or, that it is somehow influenced by an external entity called the universe, that often “gets in the way” of our success.

We’ve been lucky enough to meet and work with extraordinarily successful people in all walks of life, and we’ve noticed one of the key reasons for their success is their understanding of the brain and how to train it.

The brain is commonly termed these days as a neuro-plastic mechanism, meaning it is flexible, adaptable and is able to change its mind, so to speak. How? By you choosing to practise new beliefs.   They use an effective l strategy for this even if sometimes they are not consciously aware of it.

Having a solid foundation

Like anything in life, where we become good at something, we practise  an effective strategy. We practise our muscles to be flexible in yoga; we practise breathing to hold our breath for longer; we learn skills in sport; and we practise good behaviour over and over again.

We learn to practise the basics, even when we become high performers, because they are the foundation for the behaviour we want to be instinctively operating. It's practised to the point where we no longer have to think about concentrating on it or doing it.

This is where most people fall short. When things “aren’t going right”, most people wait for the brain to deliver  and tend to give up when the things they want don’t manifest themselves.

Instead, you need to learn to understand that if you want to excel in some way, or grow your business, you need to first identify excellent behaviour in that area.

To do that, look at what you want to achieve and at people who are getting the results you want for yourself. With the help of a coach, you can pick out the behaviours responsible for those results.

Undoing bad behaviour

Once you narrow it down to particular behaviours, you can start practising those  more effective behaviours and work to get rid of those that aren’t up to scratch.

The work is learning to undo bad behaviour - the habituated thinking and beliefs - which takes practise, coaching and patience. Rather than thinking you’re lacking, inadequate or just not smart enough, and giving up, you need to recognise the only way to overcome it is by changing the way you think and behave.

They say practise makes perfect.  More importantly to understand is that practice of a behaviour makes it more permanent in our nervous system.  Practice of a useful behaviour makes it perfect for the results we want. Just as practice of an unuseful strategy makes it perfectly performed but not for the results we intend.

But you mustn’t overlook the journey you will take to get to where you want to be - everybody is unique and the time it takes to learn new habits or behaviours to reach success varies from person to person.

The variables are never-ending. It can depend on how attached you are to the old (bad) behaviour, and how far you are from reaching your desired goal in the first place. Yet, it is inevitable that, with the right  practise, you will become a master over time.

When you let go of the idea that you are not capable of achieving what you want, you will realise that you are not your behaviour or your thoughts. Your thoughts are practised and habituated more than you might realise.

More than 90% of the time, we think we’re coming up with an original statement or thought, but it’s actually the same sort of statement we always make. It’s easier to notice this in friends or colleagues; they might repeat certain cliches or statements that actually link to a way of believing or to ideas that are not supportive of what they aspire to.

The importance of perseverance 

This is something I’ve been learning myself recently since I decided to try my hand at rope jumping, or skipping. I’ve watched fighters and boxers do it, and like plenty of others, I thought ‘I will do that”. I soon realised I was not a natural and after trying and trying but being defeated by the rope, I started thinking, “Maybe I haven’t got the gift, maybe I’ll never be able to do it”.

Instead of giving up, I decided to practise a little each day until I’m able to do it consistently. I looked up Buddy Lee on the internet, who is an Olympic gold medalist fighter , and signed up to his course that teaches you to jump rope.

Of course the first thing he said was, "Start with the rope behind your legs, bend your knees and make sure the conditions are right and just do one." So I did. When I got good at doing one, I tried to do more and more. I found that over time, my brain was trained and able to understand what it was that I intended to do.

Now, I can do 50 or 80 with a little rest and then another 50 or 80 at quite a fast pace. I know that over time, if I practise a little every day, I will get better and better because that is how our brain works.

Everything we do, everything we aspire to, requires practise and it all starts with one movement, which we need to get correct and which we can build upon. Eventually, the unconscious mind takes over once it gets into the rhythm. It becomes like muscle memory and therefore becomes natural.

Open to change

How can you apply this to your business? Take a look at your business, where it’s excelling and where it needs work, and think about what you need to change so it operates the way you want it to. Then think about what your lifestyle would look like when your business is doing well.

It doesn’t matter how much money is in the bank, or whether the business is struggling. Let go of your judgement of yourself and your team, and be prepared to go through what it takes for you to get the result you want consistently.

If you’re willing to change the idea that you’re failing, and open to finding a new mindset to bring to your business, you’ll soon start to feel and see the difference.

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