No matter the business subject, there are always multiple ways to view it.
As the saying goes: There are always two sides to the coin – or two sides to the story.
There’s the classic Joni Mitchell song, Both Sides Now, which explores looking at clouds and life from both sides.
The key to success is to know and understand business.
To be a success in business requires looking at business from both sides – in fact, from all sides.
With no illusions.
To do that you need to live each business day fully in the now, in the present moment, not in the past.
But let’s look at it from both sides to understand why.
The Past
Know what was in the past. Be aware of it. Understand what the mistakes were.
If we don’t understand our business mistakes then we are going to repeat the same mistakes over and over and over again. We won’t make the business progress we would like or expect to make.
There’s a saying you’re probably familiar with: History repeats itself.
If you observe what’s happening in the world of business and with the world, in general, you’ll find that a lot of comparison can be made to what’s happened at other times.
For example: Pre-2008 housing prices were increasing by big percentages every quarter (especially here in Florida where I happened to be living); then after the Great Recession, housing prices in some areas lost up to 50% of their market value. Only now is the housing market on the comeback in many cities. It may take years for some property owners to fully recover.
People tend to repeat what they’re doing over and over and over again. Learn from your mistakes so you can be more successful. Learn from the mistakes of others so you don’t have to make the same mistakes to learn the lessons of business success.
Or as the saying goes:
Mistakes are stepping stones to success. -Unknown-
The Now – The Present
Always be thinking about today.
Always be thinking about the now, the present, and how you can do better. It doesn’t have to be in a big way. Small, incremental steps often work best and can add up to making a big difference in your level of business success!
Remember: Yesterday doesn’t count. Only today counts.
Your success or failure yesterday are over. Done.
Ask yourself: What are you going to do today to be successful?
It’s always about today.
It’s always about the moment.
Remember: If you take care of today then the rest begins to take care of itself.
If you take care of today then by this time next year you will be enjoying the business success of your conscious efforts made each day. Starting today.
What you don’t want to say is: I should have done (fill in the blank) six months ago!
The only way you can ever stop saying phrases like that is to take care of things today. To not put off the inevitable till tomorrow.
What’s happening now is important. If you focus on now, the present, and be in this moment, your business success will take care of itself today and in the future. Business success will be yours to enjoy!
Remember: Always be in ACTION. Make it HAPPEN!
If you’d like MORE business success, and you are a CEO, president or business owner, contact Howard directly at 888-738-1855 to talk about business strategy that will improve and grow your business. Or connect with Howard on LinkedIn; follow Howard on Twitter: @HowardLewinter.
This post was also published on LinkedInToBusiness.