Success Blog

There’s this myth in the business industry that some people are just “different”. They are broken from a mold that others are not. They have been blessed in a way that most people aren’t. I’m going to break this to you…this myth is wrong.

There are three things that successful people do that others fall short. The best part is, it is all controllable. Each and every person can decide, in a moment, they are going to start on the path to do these things.

Will it happen overnight? No. Will it happen if they don’t make the choice? No.

Personal Growth

What are you doing each day to develop yourself?  Are you taking the time to be intentional about it? Where do you start? What can you do? These are the many questions I hear.

The first thing you can do. Read. Read a book. Not Game of Thrones. Read a book that’s going to make you better. Maybe you want to develop something. Read about it. Maybe you are down? Read about it. What is it in your life, your industry, your being that you want to do? Read about it. There are CD’s, DVD’s, coaches, trainers, seminars, mentors, podcasts, Audible, industry experts, business training, degrees, or research online just to name a few.

Are you taking advantage of what’s at your fingertips? Only YOU can make YOU do it.

Accountability

I’m not talking about the accountability with someone asking you at the end of the day or week what you did.  Yes, we all need that. We should be doing that!

I am talking about those people that truly hold you accountable. These are the people around you. They are watching you. If you don’t know that, open your eyes to it. You are either teaching them to be stagnant or teaching them to own their life.  Your kids, family, friends, parents, spouses–you are accountable to all of them. Are you giving them what they deserve? Are you showing them exactly what you are capable of? If not, it might be time to reevaluate where you are.  Time to do something about it.  Time for a change.

This is where true accountability comes in.

Discipline

Finally, we have Discipline. Tying it all together. Doing what we said we were going to do long after the feeling we said it has left us.

Don’t show up just on the days it feels good. We can all do that. Have you ever done something challenging, conquered it, and looked back and thought, “I wish I wouldn’t have done that”?  Probably not. Having discipline is hard. It’s supposed to be. The courage of doing it will keep you doing it over and over again.

You know what happens when you do that? You keep doing it. It becomes a habit.  This is discipline. You get up, get off your butt, and go make things happen. Be intentional. Put the work in. Over and over and over and over until you have it. Until it becomes part of you. Until what was once scary becomes normal.

You have people that care about you watching you. Prove to them what you can do. Show them if you put your heart and mind in something you can achieve it.

Don’t be the person standing in the corner watching others become who they choose to be.

Brent Widman
Partner
Southwestern Consulting
bwidman@southwesternconsulting.com

There’s a myth out there that some people just have IT. That they have this given talent that just makes them better at what they do. I’m going to break this to you. IT doesn’t just happen.  IT is something we must create. The question so many people want to know:  How do we get IT?  Answer:  GRIT.

1.  Purpose and Meaning
We all have something that drives us. The reason we do what we do. That something is our purpose, and everyone’s purpose in life and work are different.  Our habits, money, family, freedom, vision, goals or just plain work ethic—we are all driven and seeking our purpose differently. The first thing we must find is what purpose and meaning drives us.  My point is you have been given a gift. It’s up to you to figure out what to do with that gift.  Figuring out what to do will help you find your GRIT.

2.  Be Confident but Realistic
If confidence was easy, everyone would have it. That’s the thing.  You want to be confident in what you are doing daily. Confidence comes from your commitment to development and training. To becoming the best version of what you can be. Stop with the “I can’t, I might, I could, I should, I want to”. Scratch that crap from your vocabulary. Those thoughts and feelings are not doing anything for you but holding you back. Eliminating those emotions gets you on the path to IT and the beginning stages of starting to develop your GRIT

3. Prepare, Prepare…. Prepare
There is power in planning. No one, I don’t care who you are…No one walks out and just plays the game. There are hours and hours of preparation that go into winning, being the best, being on top.  There’s a perception top producer’s just have IT.  Do you know how they got IT? GRIT, the hard work of truly committing to the preparation to become better every day. What are you doing?

4. Focus
This quality is a big one. Too many people pride themselves on being busy. So much that the day gets away from them, but…” they will get to it tomorrow.”  Then, they get into the habit of busyness and are stuck in that routine. Focus is power. Do you know how much you can get done in 30, 60, 90 minutes of focus? Try it. It’s truly unreal. Block everything out and focus. You will have a newfound perspective, and IT will be around the corner.  Focus is another critical characteristic of GRIT.

5. Give Help to Get Help
We can’t do IT alone. The people that give of themselves, the people that become coach-able, and the people that are humble enough to know that we are all in this together are the people that get to the top. The people that think they have IT all figured out are the ones that will stay stagnant. You will never have IT all figured out, and you will never “be there”. If you are, I’m sorry. That’s too bad. Pour into those around you.  When you can teach IT, you know IT.  Then, find something else to learn.  Your ongoing need and desire to improve or learn something new shows that you have GRIT.

6. Find a way to Laugh
Enjoy what you are doing. Have fun with the process. When we take ourselves too seriously and put too much pressure on ourselves, bad things start to happen. You don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself. This is life—your life. You are doing something amazing whether you see it or not. You CAN control how you feel about your situation.  Take a step back, breath, and look at the situation with a clear mind. Find the good. Those individuals that take the time to examine the situation are the ones that truly make IT.   They are the ones that find and choose joy.

They have found GRIT.

Brent Widman
Partner
Southwestern Consulting
bwidman@southwesternconsulting.com

Why hold yourself back?  Have you ever actually taken a chance and… “Bet on yourself”.

I was having a conversation the other day with someone important to me. I was listening as she talked about not being in a job she wanted. Not being in a relationship she wanted. Not having the life she wanted.  Her life wasn’t hers, her life was all about others.  She didn’t have the time she wanted to have. She didn’t have the freedom she wanted. She didn’t have the income she wanted. Believe me, this is a talented person.

That is where she stayed. And where she has stayed for years. Stuck in life.

There’s nothing that pains me more. Nothing tougher to watch. Nothing that sucks worse than to watch someone you truly know and care about, that has the ability to do so much in life, but doesn’t.

You know why this happens?

We are scared to BET on ourselves.

Believe me, I get it. This isn’t the easiest thing to do. We go through life just doing. Just being. If you look at where you are right now, are you safe?  Good for you. Are you where you want to be playing everything safe? Is there something you’ve always wanted to accomplish? Something you want to do?

This is about taking that leap. It’s about walking up to that cliff and jumping. You are going to have hard times. You are going to struggle. You are going to wonder if you made the right choice.  That’s where it starts to happen.

This is where you bet on yourself.

There’s something in all of us that we want. That we truly want out of life. The sad part, most of us won’t find it. We make the excuse. The excuse of work, family, income, not sure, scared… whatever the excuse is for you. We all have them.

Stop.  I don’t know how else to say this. Stop. This isn’t to motivate you. This isn’t to get you jacked up in the moment you read this and then not do anything about it. This is about taking a step back and looking at your life. This is about actually doing it.

This can be spending more time with family. More time with friends. Getting in shape. Running a marathon. Climbing a mountain. Taking a vacation. Taking a day off. Starting a business. Being with that person you want to be with. Why not just go do it? Because you are scared? So be scared doing it.

Even if you fail. EVEN IF YOU FAIL at least you tried. It may hurt if it doesn’t happen. So what? But tell me this, really, wouldn’t you rather try and not succeed then to not ever try?

I’m asking you.  Almost pleading with you. Bet on yourself. Write down all those things that are important.  Those things that you haven’t done, start checking them off.

You know as well as I do that you have the ability to do the things you want. It’s just about figuring out how. And it’s also about…

Betting on yourself.

Brent Widman
Partner and Sales Coach
Southwesternconsulting.com

Why do so many of us not enjoy our success?  We struggle with this. Always more, more, more. We want to be the best. We want to do the most. We want to be the top one, two or even top 10 in our company. We have goals, aspirations, things we want to achieve. We will work harder, try to accomplish more, go longer than anyone else to achieve those goals.

But…we don’t enjoy it.

I was talking to a client the other day. Their story is pretty fascinating. When they started in their position, they took a big leap of faith. They went out of the norm and safe way to do things and followed exactly what their heart told them to follow. Their significant other, friends, family, everyone asked them what the heck were they thinking. Even the job they left asked them!

THEY knew there was something.

The first year they made $42,000 total. Not a bad living for some, but not for them, they were just starting to build it. By the second year they were up to $97,000, third year was $138,000 and now in their 4^th full year they are on pace to hit into that $150,000 plus range. Why do I tell you this? Because they are still not satisfied.  When is it enough? More. More. More.

That’s the beauty of it, for the grinders, this is normal.

You must learn to enjoy it though. Be happy when your name is up on the board in the three or four slot.  Take time off to enjoy it with your family.  Know it’s okay. Be able to take a step back, take a break or just let loose.   Many of us just don’t have that mentality. We don’t have the ability to do this.  This is actually harder than working hard.

1. Plan a vacation. Take the time to make this happen. Put it on your calendar.  It’s not negotiable
2. Let go of the anxiety, nervousness, and scarcity that your business will fall apart if you don’t. It’s okay.  Consistency pays off.
3. Enjoy what you’ve accomplished. Take a break, take a breath, take a step back. Enjoy it. Set aside time to know you are doing well. It’s okay.
4. Work ON the business, not IN. What does this mean? Hire a coach, take a morning, an afternoon, take time to reflect on what you do well, and what you can get better at.
5. Hire an assistant. This can take some of that off your plate. It’s okay. Don’t live in the scarcity mentality. Make sure your business is a well-oiled machine.

These are just a few of the things you can do to make it easier.  We  need to be happy with what we have. We shouldn’t take it for granted. Life is short, and we only live once  So many times we hear that, but when someone else that you truly care about, that you truly love says it, it’s time to think about why you do what you do, and who you do it for.

Enjoy Life. It’s worth it.  Give yourself permission.

We all have stuff.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you have probably gone through something. What do I mean by something? It can be any number of things.  Let me name a few…

Divorce. Someone passing away. Someone getting sick. Car accident. Allowing yourself to be negative. Family. Running yourself ragged. Not feeling like it. Not having the right tools. Not happy in your job. These are just a few…..

For all of us, it’s different. It’s how we handle things like these that set us apart from others.  I will never, ever sit here and say don’t let it bother you. It’s inevitable, it will have an impact on our life, who we are as a person and what we think about.

Just don’t let it take away from your ultimate goal. Don’t let it get you sidetracked.

There are things you can do to allow yourself to get past it….

A smart man once said, “We all go through seasons, this is yours.”

1. Give yourself permission. What does that mean? Give yourself permission to wallow in it for a time. It can be 5 minutes, 10 minutes. It can be 2 days, 7 days. Whatever it is, give yourself time to get past it. Then, get back to who you are and what you do.
2. Ask for help: None of us can do it alone. NONE OF US. I don’t care how strong you are. How much you think you know. How big your ego is. We can’t do it alone. You need someone there to talk to. Ask for help. You have more people that care about you than you know.
3. Own it. You have a part in this. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be part of it. Either you allowed it. You were in it. You were present or you didn’t do the things to get away from it.  Own it and know you can do something about it. You’ve got this.
4. Leave it at the door. When you walk in to work. When you punch in. You punch in. No one can take that away from you. You control that. I can’t control that, THEY can’t control that. Only YOU can control what your attitude will be. When you walk in, leave it all at the door. You can pick it up on the coat rack when you walk out.  If it affects your work, it affects everyone around you.
5. Know WHY you do it. Kids, providing, life, goals, achievements or anything else that is your WHY. It can be big. It can be small. It doesn’t matter. It’s what’s important to YOU. Not me, not anyone around you. But come back to it 10, 100, 1000 times a day if necessary.

I’m here to tell you this too shall pass. No matter what it is. Whether it’s something that is going great, or something you may be struggling with. It’s never, ever as great as it seems or as bad as it seems.  I promise you that. You can always find a way.

Always.

Brent Widman
Partner
Southwestern Consulting

Have you ever given up?

Is it a work out? On the job? On that minute, that hour, that day, that week? That goal? That person? That relationship? And worse…. YOURSELF?

There’s a reason why so many of us give up. We may not know what it is, which is exactly why I hope you read this, and more importantly, why I hope it hits home.

We give up when our Vision isn’t strong enough. The Vision has to overcome the reason you are quitting. Ask yourself in this moment, this very moment, why are you here? It may be for your family, your kids, to change the lives of others, to pour into people. It may be because you want someone, someday to remember you. Who you are. What you gave back.

Whatever your reason is, will that Vision pull you to do the things you need to do?

This is how we begin. The habit of losing no longer happens, it’s not an option. Take the time to think about these questions. Write them down. Give yourself this favor. Most people won’t do this, but those of you that do, and continue to read it, you will see a change, a shift start to happen.

Create the Reality you want to live into

1. Career Reality
2. Family Reality
3. Friends Reality
4. Life Reality

Slow down, breath and write down what you want your reality to be. What does it look like 1 year from now? What in your life can you start working towards every day? What if you just started? WHAT IF you said today is the day you are going to start doing it? Whatever that “What” is for you. You. Just. Start. Now, let’s look out 5 years. 10 years, even 20. Do you want to be that person that looks back and says “I should have started that?”

Do me a favor. Do yourself a favor. Create this for yourself. Because it doesn’t happen until YOU see it first.

1. Map it out
2. Break it down into daily things you can start doing – always adding to it
3. Review it. Might be end of week, month, year. You will be astonished at how life changes

Don’t let losing become something you are just used to. “That’s just the way it is” should not be in your vocabulary. Whatever you want your winning to be. You have the ability to start doing something about it.

This is on you. Only you have the ability to change it. Stop accepting it.

Life is going to hit you. The minutes and hours will pass. You might as well do something with them.

Brent Widman

Sales Coach

Southwesternconsulting.com

Brentwidman.com

Are you searching for that huge change? Searching for it in life, in business, in your current role, in your leadership roles, in everything you are doing?

Life is okay, you’ve had a few jobs that you really enjoy. The thing is, there is always this empty feeling. Maybe you are asking yourself: Is this me? Is this all I was meant to be? Is this all I’m capable of? You start job hopping. Or the flip side, you stayed in something that was comfortable. It’s not that we want to. No one really loves to look for the next “thing” or be complacent, let’s not kid ourselves. No one wants to be one foot out, always looking, always wanting something else. Do we? So why did I keep doing it?

You have the opportunity to do something about it.

Stop jumping. Stop looking. Stop just being okay. Commit.

I was right there with you. I never committed to the little things I needed to do. You see, I’m in sales. I always thought that someone out there had to pay me. I was a hard worker, right?  Maybe. At least I thought I was. It wasn’t until I dug my heels in and said no more. That’s when things started to change. It wasn’t about working more hours than everyone else. It wasn’t about telling everyone else how hard I was working. It was about actually doing the work. Actually. Doing. The. Work.

It was about me. Is it about you?

At some point you have to make a commitment. Not to the job, not to others, but to yourself. You are not promised anything. No one owes it to you. I don’t care where you are in your career. You are capable of more.

Don’t just show up. This isn’t working. Show up, punch in and make it happen. Drive it. Move your business, your career, your life forward. The question is, are you doing the LITTLE THINGS that are going to get you there?

In sales, this is 5 -10 more calls. If the standard in a week is 100, do 150. If standard meetings for you is 15, do 18-20. If it means talking to 5 people a day, talk to 8. If it means you have 30 minutes to make calls, you do it. If it means you listen to a book while driving, then do it. If it means you have the ability to listen to those that sell more than you, do it. If it means you come in a bit earlier to plan you day, do it. If it means getting your mind right, do it. If it means finding a coach to help you, do it. If it means some of these are hitting you, or you are thinking of other things you “should do”, stop thinking, do it.

There are so many things that we can do. It’s the consistency, the habits that we create.

Do me a favor, take a step back and look at what you are doing. Would you do the same things all day if I was sitting beside you? If not. It’s time.

Brent Widman

Sales Coach

Southwesternconsulting.com

Brentwidman.com