Your Personal Key to Business Success

How are things going for you? Do you want to get more of what you are already experiencing? Or do you want to improve? The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

While blaming takes away your power, justifying your position blinds you to possibilities. Your desire to be “right” in your choice eliminates other alternatives and wastes your time.

When I was learning to dance, my teacher would go through the room during our exercises to give corrections. We were asked to shift our weight, align our feet or straighten out knees. One day after I had gotten a correction, the teacher stopped and looked at me. He asked, “Do you realize that you always have an excuse?”

I had just finished saying that my shoes were too tight and my leg sore. I was doing my best. My complaints were true for me. Then I learned a lesson I never forgot. Berle Davis, my mentor and teacher, looked me in the eye and said, “The audience doesn’t care. They will never ask you. All that matters is that you make the correction. You don’t need to say anything.”

That day changed my life. I quit justifying my actions. I take feedback and put it into action, and advise my clients to do the same. Feedback comes in all forms. It may be criticism or praise from clients. It may be the numbers in your checking account. It may be an audience who is either enthralled or yawning.

You will succeed in business much faster and easier if you stop justifying your actions. Simply accept feedback and make changes right away. Apologize when it is necessary and resolve to improve your personal best.