Giving yourself own commands...

20.11.2017

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of giving a lecture to a group of starting entrepreneurs of an entrepreneur programme. The subject taught was self-management, so from an entrepreneur point of you most fundamental. The theme is large, complex and full of pitfalls and I guided them through self-knowledge, self esteem, self confidence, taking care of yourself menatlly and physically, managin time at your disposal effectively, the necessity of conducting effective and useful meetings and all that stuff....

The lecture went fine and the participants I talked to before leaving, admitted they had been mentally shaken up at some point of the lecture. So far so good. Being a entrepreneur is no rose garden. However, driving home from the institute I started to reflect myself why we are we so self-going, responsible and innovative on one hand but so stuck to deep-rooted behaviour models on the other. So, when trying to accomplish something demanding us to change those patterns we fail - often at the very beginning of the effort. And I’m totally aware I’m no perfect role model in that sense.

I remember me saying to the participants that it is very easy to give yourself advice that “You must start to chase leads and new customer” or You must take better care of yourself, and start losing weight, 15 kg minimum. But the inner you receiving that command just quits “I will, I will as soon as I have….” and that’s end of that story -even before it began. If you surprise yourself and get started, in a couple of months you are in square one, once again.

So how could I generate new behavioural patterns. Of course you could wait and let pain take over, with no money coming or the doctor making you choose: It is life or death now?

Why not try accountability? You need a person you are accountable to with your change effort. We normally don’t want to let people down. If you need to lose weight, become accountable to a personal trainer, if you want to change your destructive behavioural models, hire a professional coach or at least recruit your spouse or your college to be your mental whipper. I did hire me a coach and it is really makes a difference having the person to be accountable to. At least a couple of postponings have reached their end. And the main feelings are relief and satisfaction..

So try it! The alternative being that your effort is zero, there’s no risk things could go worse, is there.

Herbie