The more successful you become the more distractions that seem to appear. Learning to stay focused is the key.
This is a fact I have witnessed time and time again: as your business grows and you become more successful, distractions will start to appear around every corner. This is a dangerous time for any business and any easily distracted entrepreneur who loves new, new, new.
It is simple to argue that these distractions are wonderful opportunities coming your way and I am sure many of them are, but keeping focused on your core business is essential. If you lose sight of this, by the time you regain your focus it may be too late.
I have witnessed this many times with growing businesses. The focus shifts from the core business to the new opportunities and before long the main business starts to suffer. It is all about finding the balance between being open to new and exciting opportunities whilst keeping an eye firmly on your main business.
OPPORTUNITIES ARE LIKE BUSES
The hard part with this is that distractions are often more interesting and exciting than the day to day of running our business. They often appeal to our egos. The wonderful thing about distractions and opportunities is that they are not limited—if you miss one today, another one will come along tomorrow. Or as Sir Richard Branson says, opportunities are like buses, there is always another one coming along.
Accepting this takes some of the urgency out of treating every opportunity that comes your way as if it the last.
When the next distraction (or opportunity) heads your way, stop and think about how it is affecting what you do. While contemplating this new possibility are there other parts of your business you will be neglecting? Being aware is halfway to solving a potential problem—the other half is having the discipline to say no.
SO THE GOLDEN RULE IS?
The smartest and most successful of entrepreneurs know the Golden Rule is always to protect your core business, because if it is solid and strong, you will always be in a great position. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t look at new opportunities, just be smart about them.
Until next week, stay focused,
Andrew
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