Building your business

BUSINESS BITS
Aileen Santos

How to make full use of your “entrepreneurial gene” by getting addicted to (business) success.

Studies have found that many people actually have the "entrepreneurial gene." This means that, whether or not we decide to go after the dream of building our own business, many of us will always want to take control of our future and our professional (and financial!) growth.

But having the predisposition to become an entrepreneur can only get you so far. If that was ALL you needed, then you won't be needing resources like Entrepreneur.com.ph to help you become a successful entrepreneur.

One interesting way to "turn this gene on" and maximize its full potential is to combine it with another natural tendency possessed by many people: the ability to become "addicted."

There’s a reason why so many people "waste time" on Farmville other games amd distractions. In the 1990s it was Solitaire. Studies back then found that so many employees were spending more time on the game than working that it was costing companies billions of dollars in lost productivity worldwide.

With the advent of high-speed internet, people are now addicted to Facebook (and more specifically, FB games like Mafia Wars and Farmville). There are two reasons why these "addictions" develop: people get a natural high after achieving a goal they can be proud of and also become naturally (and positively!) challenged when, right after they achieve something personally fulfilling, they are given an opportunity to go for a slightly bigger and related goal.

This is especially true when this new goal also helps them develop skills that they're motivated to develop. In addition to these, the more addictive games even take it two steps further by celebrating the players' successes with rewards and promotions and making the process more exciting by including social interaction and friendly competition into the mix.

Build your business by developing your addiction to success.

Taking the cue from these games' "addictive hooks," you can make business-building more satisfying (and fun!) for you by training yourself to become addicted to success.

Here's how: Make it easy for you to experience small successes. Structure your business building tasks and goals so that you can immediately achieve easy successes. When it's clear and obvious to you that you've moved another step closer to your big goal, then it's easier for you to recognize how much you and your business are growing, encouraging you to move steadily forward.

Celebrate each success with corresponding--and satisfying--rewards. It's not enough to recognize your small success points: you have to celebrate them! Remember that what you focus on grows: so focus on the feeling of achievement, and it will naturally push you to seek more achievements.

Celebrate skills building, not just money-making. Make sure that each goal will allow you to develop specific skills that you can be excited about. And here's a tip: for virtually almost any skill, you CAN find something to be excited about, even if it's just the simple knowledge that "I was able to do this--and I survived!"

Aileen Santos is an internationally certified Work-Life ReInvention Coach and A-Ha! Trainer who helps overwhelmed leaders and entrepreneurs achieve balance and success in the things that truly matter. If you want more "LightBulb Moments" of clarity and direction for your own situation, sign up for her free tips at LightBulbOnYourHead.com.