eBusiness Weekly
Arthur Marara
Leading a business is not easy. I can even bring it closer to home, leading and running a business in Zimbabwe is not easy. But who said it will be easy? The success or failure of an organisation is directly connected to the quality of the leader leading the business. In the same difficult business terrain several people have distinguished themselves and are successfully leading business through this terrain.
How do you navigate this terrain? This is a very important question that every business leader should constantly ask in order to succeed in this environment. I want to isolate and address one important aspect that can help you during this time, that is to focus on the controllables.
There are two things in business, things that are not within your control, and those that are within your control. The reason why you are hired or why you lead a business is because there is faith in you that you can actually drive the organisation in a better direction. You are never hired to just describe the problem, you are hired for solutions.
What is within your control?
This is the question that ordinarily follows. There are so many things that are actually within your control, and I want you to begin to focus on these controllables.
I have listed some things that are actually within your control. I have expanded on some and left some.
1. Your Beliefs – You are a product of your belief systems. You need to work on what you believe. If you allow yourself to believe that you are not going anywhere, that will be your truth. Create better belief systems.
2.Your attitude – It has often been said that your attitude determines your altitude. Even the great psychologist William James observed after several years of study, “The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.”
3.Your thoughts – Solomon says, “Be careful how you think your life is shaped by your thoughts.” (Proverbs 4:23 – GNT). What are you thinking currently about the direction of your business? That is within your control. You can improve your thoughts.
A certain man was walking through an elephant camp, and he spotted that the elephants weren’t being kept in cages or held by the use of chains. All that was holding them back from escaping the camp, was a small piece of rope tied to one of their legs.
As the man gazed upon the elephants, he was completely confused as to why the elephants didn’t just use their strength to break the rope and escape the camp. They could easily have done so, but instead, they didn’t try to at all.
Curious and wanting to know the answer, he asked a trainer nearby why the elephants were just standing there and never tried to escape.
The trainer replied; “when they were very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them.
As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”Elephants have very strong memory. They grow with the memories of the past attempts to break away. The only reason that the elephants weren’t breaking free and escaping from the camp was that over time they adopted the belief that it just wasn’t possible.
The minds of the elephants settled on the thinking that they could not do anything to free themselves.
The secret to turning around your life is turning around your way of thinking. The mind needs to be reconditioned for success and growth.
You can turn around your business state, through turning around how you think. You are what you think! Solomon says; “For as he thinks in his heart” (Proverbs 23:7). The word “heart” does not refer to a physical organ that pumps blood, it refers to the mind.
Former United States President Franklin Roosevelt once remarked; “Men are not prisoners of fate but prisoners of their own minds” How so true! Your mind has the power to imprison you. If you do not control your mind, it will control you. No wonder, why Solomon remarked; “be careful how you think, your life is shaped by your thoughts.” (Proverbs 4:23). You cannot change your life until you change thoughts.
You are your thoughts. There is nothing as powerful as a person with a changed mindset. Everything starts in the mind. Every big business starts in the mind. Every invention starts in the mind. Every financial breakthrough starts in the mind. Your mind is powerful, it can create and it can destroy you. You can change your clothes, your name, your address, your mobile phone, but if you do not change your thoughts, you will still be in the same place. Mind what you allow yourself to think.
There are even further things that are within your control.
4.Your perspective
5.How honest you are
6.Who your friends are
7.What books you read
8.How often you exercise
9.The type of food you eat
10.How many risk you take
11.How you interpret the situation
12.How kind you are to others
13.How kind you are to yourself
14.How often you say “I love you.”
15.How often you say “thank you.”
16.How you express your feelings
17.Whether or not you ask for help
18.How often you practice gratitude
19.How many times you smile
20.The amount of effort you put forth
21.How you spend/invest your money
22.How much time you spend worrying
23.How often you think about your past
24.Whether or not you judge other people
25.Whether or not you try again after a setback
26.How much you appreciate the things you have
Choose to be grateful
Rather than just groan and mourn, make a conscious choice to be grateful. Despite the many things that you may have gone through if you are alive you have something to be thankful for. This attitude of gratitude is within your control.
Arthur Marara is a corporate law attorney, keynote speaker, corporate and personal branding speaker commanding the stage with his delightful humour, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. He is a financial wellness expert and is passionate about addressing the issues of wellness, strategy and personal and professional development. Arthur is the author of “Toys for Adults” a thought provoking book on entrepreneurship, and “No one is Coming” a book that seeks to equip leaders to take charge. Send your feedback to [email protected] or Visit his website www.arthurmarara.com or contact him on WhatsApp: +263780055152.
