20 Things You Need To Do To Develop Your Business
Over the past years I have read a lot of material on how to improve myself, for I am of the belief that, no matter what I do, I must improve myself for me to see improvement in what I do, whether it is my marriage; my physical, emotional and spiritual well being; or my business.
Here is a list of 20 things you need to do to develop your business:
Set aside one hour each morning for personal development matters. Visualize your day. Take this time to vitalize and energize your spirit for the productive day ahead. I love going out into my backyard and water my plants and check out the sunrise. Starting the day off well is a powerful strategy for self-renewal and personal effectiveness. Try your best to stay away from anything that would put you in a negative frame of mind, don't watch the news.
Do not allow those things that matter the most in your life be at the mercy of activities that mater the least. Always manage your time. Ask yourself "is this the best use of my time and energy?" Time management is life management, so guard your time with great care.
Always answer the phone with enthusiasm in your voice and show your appreciation for the caller. Good phone manners are essential to success. When talking to someone, stand up and walk around, it will relax you - I personally go outside and walk around, the fresh air puts me in a positive state of mind - this will help your confidence which will be portrayed in your voice.
Inspiration and excellent ideas pop in our heads throughout the day. Keep a small notepad and a pencil in your pocket - I personally use the free Evernote android app - to jot down your ideas when to pop in your head. When you get home transfer your notes to your computer so that you can properly keep track of them. I use Evernote because I can jot down notes directly via my phone and organize it right then and there, and it syncs to the cloud. It helps me eliminate doing triple work and all my notes can be found in one easily, organized location.
Set aside every Sunday evening for yourself and be strongly disciplined with this habit. Use this period to plan out your week, visualize your encounters and what you want to achieve. Read new materials and inspirational books. Listen to relaxing music. YouTube has many playlist to choose from. Search "Relaxing music" for example. This habit will serve as your anchor to keep you focused, motivated and effective throughout the coming week.
Communication is the key principle for quality of life. This means that the way you communicate with others and, more importantly, the way you communicate with yourself. You get what you focus on. If you look for the positive, this is what you get. This is a fundamental Law of Nature.
Stay on purpose, not on outcome. Do the task because it is what you love to do or because it will help someone or is a valuable exercise. Don't do it for the money or the recognition. Those will come naturally.
Make your home an oasis from the frenzied world outside. Fill it with great music, great books, and great friends.
Learn to be still. Most people don't even spend 30 minutes a month in total silence and tranquility. Develop the habit of sitting quietly, enjoying the powerful silence for at least 10 minutes a day. Think about what is most important to you in life. Reflect on your mission. Silence is golden.
Become a highly disciplined time manager. I will always talk about time. Be ruthless with your time.
Associate with the positive. Most people get up and turn on the news and then get on Facebook to rant. I am guilty of doing this from time to time. However, I consciously control what type of energy enters my psyche. This is habit that will always be development. Get rid of things, and people, that creates negativity in your life. It is hard, but the long term ROI is worth the effort.
No one can insult you or hurt you without your permission. One of the golden keys to happiness and great success is the way you interpret events which unfold before you. Highly successful people are master interpreters.
Read, read, read. Reading is a powerful way to gain many years of experience from a few hours of study.
Remember people's names and treat everyone well. Everyone wants to feel important and appreciated. This is a habit that takes effort. Deliberate practice is the key.
Be soft as a cloud when it comes to kindness but tough as steel when it comes to principle. Be courteous and polite at all times but never allow anyone to push you around. Ensure that you are always treated with respect.
Never discuss your health, wealth and other personal matters with anyone outside of your immediate family. Be very disciplined with this habit.
Be truthful, patient, persevering, modest and generous.
Learn to relax. Believe it or not, most people don't know how to relax. If you don't learn to relax in your own home, no amount of vacation will help you relax. Learn to clear your mind and just let your muscles relax. Take a massage at least once a month.
Read "How To Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. Anyone who wants to be successful should make this book their bible. It contains a wealth of insights into developing your emotional intelligence, that is, how to deal with people.
Learn the Kaizen Principle. This is the practice of improvement. Always keep improving yourself. One of the most notable features of Kaizen is that big results come from many small changes accumulated over time.
Believe me when I say, this is a very short list of all that you can do to improve yourself. However, these are the practices, habits and skills that stand out most to me. I hope this helps you to get started on improving yourself and thus your business.