Refuse To Stay Confused

When you think about your business, where do you see yourself a year from now?

Surely you see yourself more successful, enjoying higher profits, working with great people… most people see good things in their future – as they should.

Do you have clear vision?  If pressed, could you pencil out a rough overview of the plan that takes you from here to there?

If you couldn't, you're not a alone.

I'm not a fan of detailed long term planning, but I know where I'm headed. I'm clear about the ‘big rocks' in my business plan over the next year and every three months or so I fine tune plans to keep things headed in the right direction.

There's one thing I simply won't tolerate in my business: Confusion.

I'm not immune. I get confused as easily the next person, especially as my business ventures have multiplied.  I just refuse to stay in a confused – and that's what I want for you too.

You might be thinking, ‘Hey Kel, nobody wants to stay confused.'  

Actually, in my experience, a lot do.  Being confused comes with a built in excuse for inaction.  People say things like, ‘I would have finished that project, but I was confused about how to set it up – or which tool to use – or who to ask for help.' 

I accept this from someone when they're referring to why they didn't finish something yesterday… assuming they've jumped right into getting some help.  All too often though, I hear stuff like this as an excuse for why someone didn't finish something last week – or last month!  They didn't just get confused, they stayed there.

We have more access to information and support than any generation that came before, so for any one of us to accept a state of confusion as if it were unavoidable is kind of ridiculous.

That last bit feels a little mean – and I don't mean to be.  What I really want is pass on some good news.

Staying confused is a habit.

It is a passive tendency that shows up in every area of our life, from running our businesses to choosing what we're going to have for lunch.

A state of confusion shows up in a couple of common ways.

• First, there's lack of outside information. There are dozens of new learning curves to face down and with every new level of success, we run into a few more.
• Second, there's a lack of inside information. To put it plainly, we don't know what we want.

Next time you're feeling confused, check in:  Are you confused because you need more outside information – or is it about making a choice with inside information?

We can always get more outside information.

Whatever has you feeling confused, the sooner you can formulate an ‘ask' and reach out for support, the better.

Ask Google, ask YouTube, ask Wikipedia… ask anyone – just ASK!

It would be amazing if you had a business coach to turn to. If you don't, there's always great communities like my Business is Better Together group on Facebook.

Ask and keep asking until you get the clarity you need.  Treat confusion like a bad smell in the house – do whatever it takes to get rid of it!

Getting more inside information is a challenge.

When your confusion is centered around making a choice based on information you already have, you could reach outward to invite opinions from others, that's what most of us do. Those opinions may only compound your confusion though.

Its far more valuable to develop the personal skill of knowing what YOU want.

A few years ago my life coach called me to the carpet on a strong tendency towards being passive about personal choices.  If you asked me where I wanted to have lunch, I'd ask you to choose and say I didn't care one way or another.  She wouldn't let me get away with it and pushed me to express my desires.

Digging deeper, I realized my tendency to be passive was a defense mechanism I developed as a kid of alcoholic parents. I never wanted to be the one to rock the boat and learned ‘going with the flow' was safer in most situations.  This served me pretty well as a kid – but it sucked as an adult.

Not making decisions, being passive, staying confused – it all rolls together in a weird way.

Let's go back to my original question.

When you think about your business, where do you see yourself a year from now?

Are you at all confused about where you're going or how you're going to get there?

Kick that confusion to the curb, make some choices and take action.

If I can be a resource to you in some way, I'd love to  – and hey, a great first step in that direction is joining my Momentum Monthly program.