Good afternoon all

I have had the privilege of reading some great books. Over the past two weeks, I shared two of these. Here is the third book that I rate as significant in impact. The title is “Boom! 7 choices for blowing the doors off business as usual” by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg.  I first read this book in 2009 and continue to use it in helping to focus on making better choices.

The purpose of the book is to clarify the value of choices. Here is what it says on these:-

You are designed to Choose, and you are defined by choices. The freedom to choose may be the most powerful attribute and precious resource in your life.  It shapes who you become, how you express yourself, the success you achieve, and your influence in the world.

 

Here are the 7 choices

    1. I choose to be a player:- In the game of life, there are players and there are those who shrink from their God-given abilities. Players charge onto the field with passion, energy, and a desire to win – sometimes they get their hands dirty, their faces sweaty, and their bodies bloody and bruised by giving their all to the game.
    2. I choose to be accountable:- Using “I don’t have authority” is an excuse for doing nothing. Leadership is neither a title nor a position: it’s a choice. I will lead where I am planted. My happiness, my job satisfaction, sense of accomplishment, and ultimate success depend on ME, not THEM. When I refuse to shift the responsibility for these things to someone else, I stop being a victim! I recognize that the REAL OPPONENT is out there among our competitors, not in here among my teammates. I will collaborate.    People can be foolish, stupid, abrasive, insensitive, self-centred, and dishonest, but I will not be held hostage by anger and resentment. I will forgive.
    3. I choose service over self interest : The world is not here to make me happy. My happiness comes from using my gifts to serve the world. To give unselfishly is to gain immeasurably.
    4. I choose to focus forward: I can focus on what isn’t working, why it can’t be done, and who’s to blame, or I can focus on what is working, how it can be done, and what I want to achieve. I can be part of the solution or part of the problem.       I will move from “Yeah, but…” to “Yes, and…” and “What if…?”
    5. I choose to play to my genius: My work is my signature – a statement about me; it determines my reputation. I will make it a masterpiece. To know that my work counts is to know that I count. If I engage in work that makes me come alive, the world will beat a path to my door.
    6. I choose to get it done. No one is paying me today for what I did yesterday. When I stop bringing something of value to the game, the game is over. I am dedicated to results over rhetoric and red tape.
    7. I choose to risk more-that I may gain more.  Life without risk and adventure is a life not fully lived. I will never discover my true capabilities unless I explore the boundaries and test the limits of what I can achieve. How I handle fear is my choice. If I choose to face it and step through it, fear loses its stronghold, giving creativity and innovation a chance to flourish. If I repress or run from fear, it gains strength and enslaves me. Life is not a dress rehearsal.

 

A friend wrote 16 books, and one of the last he wrote before he died was titled, “The choices you make, make you”

Small businesses and entrepreneurs face such formidable challenges. (Load shedding; the effects of the Corona virus and a very sluggish economic environment to name but three.)

I trust that these few nuggets may help you to make better choices, that help build your business…..and a stronger you.

 

Steve