What you don’t do, eat or spend makes the difference.

 

In a hyper-stimulating world, that craves constant peaks of new-ness, those with the ability to grind will out-succeed those that make impulse decisions and routinely make big life changes. Resisting temptation in a world of abundance can be your ally.

 

Many leaders develop great models that could someday yield long-term success.  The trouble is that they do not stay the course.  They shift away from their plan before it comes to fruition. 

 

Why?

 

• Because staying the course is boring. It requires that we defer the immediate gratification of doing something new, making headlines, optically growing and being in the spotlight.  It means we have to grind along a mundane path when a more exciting path pops up.

 

• Because staying the course is confrontational.  It means pushing away distractions, saying no to people that pull you away from your goal and continuing the work hard when others are not. The grind sometimes even centers you out since the average person might give up earlier.  And sometimes those people ask you questions that you do not owe answers to.

 

• Staying the course makes us question ourselves. The social media world shows us that everyone else is having fun and therefore other must have better models. Internally, the by-product of having a plan is sensing a picture of what the end goal will look like and imagining having it now. This works against us when we see others posting snippets of what our end game might someday like.

 

To be successful in business, stick to the business plan instead of taking on more than you can chew. Stay true to the core of your plan and adapt the details as the environment requires it. Believe in the plan and surround yourself with people that can help you make it happen.

 

Self-questions when deciding to pivot or not:

• If you sway from your plan and win, how will you feel?

• If you stick to your plan but lose, how will you feel?

 

 

Sometimes the best decisions in business and life are the ones you say no to.

What temptations are currently weighing on you that you could simply let go of?