DrBillToth-Blog

All you can do is all you can do, But all you can do is enough; Do all you can do. Here’s why;

“You don’t know what you don’t know and you won’t know until you DO.”

So many times “wannabe” entrepreneurs get frozen in the paralysis of anal-ysis and miss good or great opportunities. In many cases the underlying cause is their fear of the unknown. And it manifests in phrases like; “But I have to know this before I start…”.

Here’s a metaphor we use that sometimes helps these folks be bold, step up to the plate and swing the bat.

College: We willingly pick one. Pay our money up front. And then we go. We have no clue who are teachers are going to be, what books we’re going to have to buy, whether or not we’ll read them. We have no clue who’s going to be in class or if we’ll like them or they us. We have no clue if we’ll even like our chosen major, no clue if we’ll pass any test or class. We have no clue if we’ll graduate. And after we graduate – especially these days – we have no clue if we’ll get a job.

Yet we willingly submit to all of these unknowns because we’re there to get a “degree”.

When we start a business the “degree” is freedom. And along the way there will be many unknowns, detours, potholes and rewards. The biggest reward being who you become in the process.

Live With Intention,
Dr Bill Toth

Over the past 12 years of working with entrepreneurs and “wannabe” entrepreneurs, I’ve heard these more than any other;

1. I don’t have the time
2. I don’t have any money
3. Now I want to talk to my wife about it (or hubby, significant other, relative, dogcatcher etc)

Note: All 3 are “I” “I” “I” / “me” “me” “me” statements. Wealth and abundance – in any form – come from Serving Others.

The first two are exactly the reasons they would want to start a business. People ALWAYS make the time and money available for the things they’re committed to. Note what they are committed to most by watching what they DO. Complain, watch TV or Self improvement are choices.

As for #3 – Whenever possible present to both spouses, partners simultaneously.

Below is a 1 min video clip that goes through the next 97 or so top excuses people use for not starting a business, not taking supplements, not drinking enough water, not exercising, not making more money, not making any money…and more.

Watch and see how many you’ve heard – or used

Business and Life is about Serving Others.

Live With Intention,
Dr Bill

Are you playing to win? or are you playing to “not lose”?

Playing to “not lose” or to keep what you have costs way more than playing to win.

To use a baseball analogy, people who “play to win,” feel comfortable walking a batter to load the bases. They are fine with trusting people and taking some calculated risks if it increases their chances of winning.

On the other hand, people who “play not to lose,” are driven by their fear of getting hurt, fear of loss. They seek to hoard and “protect” themselves at all costs. They are very hesitant to trust other people and are focused on avoiding risks.

And yes there is a wide spectrum in between. I learned the hard way that a strategy solely focused on “playing not to lose” is more costly in the long run and makes it absolutely impossible to win. For me living in fear was a slow painful death. Compromise, concessions, and settling for less ALL erode the Spirit, relationships and bank accounts.

Being obsessed with protecting oneself from harm is a “negative” strategy, because it is focused on what you “don’t want” to happen. There is sufficient research from neuropyschology to show that this strategy actually draws the unwanted events to you, helps you actually create the situation you’re seeking to avoid.

We see this in sports regularly when a team has the lead. They start to think about how not to lose instead of how to win. They hold on so tight to their lead that they start playing safe and scared. You can see it in their energy and body language. As a result the other team takes chances, plays with no fear and eventually gains the momentum and wins. We call this “going for it” or “doing whatever it takes”.

In summary; the paradox of playing to win or playing to “not lose” is this:

When you’re playing to “not lose”, the very best you can hope for is “not losing.” It is absolutely impossible to win when you’re playing to “not lose”…….and in the long run you lse way more than if you played to win.

When you’re playing to win, there is no such thing as “losing”; there are only learning experiences and the worst that can happen is that you keep playing…..and you gain so much more than the goals you started playing for.

Playing to win requires a commitment to yourself that even if you fail, you will never give up and never let your goals and dreams die. Those who play to win know that success is earned. It is pursued with all the energy, passion and excitement along with fear. Obstacles and struggles are part of the journey and serve to test our commitment to our goals and to make us appreciate our success. If everything came easy we wouldn’t know what it felt like to truly succeed.

How are you choosing to play?

Live With Intention,
Dr Bill