3 factors that determine your progress in business and life

I really love my private space and I would rather stay in a quiet room all day and read a book than go out and slay giants. I had this conversation with a friend some time ago and she was really surprised that I was more introverted than she perceived.

I told her that the little girl in me just wanted to stay in a quiet space and be, but the purpose driven woman knew she had to step up and slay giants if she wanted to make a significant impact in the world.

For many years, I have been fascinated with human behavior. I would notice two people with similar educational and economic background, and one would go on to do big things while the other one would stay small.

I always used to think it was due to personal ambition alone, but as I examined the situation closely across several people and I also dealt with the struggles in my mind, I realized there were several factors that made one person play bigger and the other stay small.

I want to highlight these factors today because they determine if people would make significant progress or not.

1. Mirroring: this is one of the most significant factor that determines how far you would go in life. Someone said the easiest way to perpetuate poverty is for two poor people to get married and have children. The children would most likely mirror what their parents are if an intervention does not happen. We unconsciously mirror the lives of people who have influence on us like our parents, siblings and guardians. I notice I have a similar grocery shopping habit to my Dad. I never like anything to finish in the house before I replace it. I always like to have some extra so that I would not be caught unawares. The planner in me is a mirror of what I grew up experiencing with my Dad.

People also mirror negative things. They mirror the money habits, work habits and even ambitions of people who influenced them growing up. If no one in your sphere of influence achieved significant success, it would be hard for you to see it as a possibility for yourself.

2. Exposure: this also builds on mirroring because it is only what you are exposed to that you can believe is possible for you. In the bible, when God wanted to show Abraham that he would be Father of many nations, he asked him to look at the stars and try to count them. His mind was exposed to the possibility of who he could become by looking at the stars.

I have experienced the importance of exposure in transforming my mind and desire to play bigger. A few years ago, I wanted to grow a bigger Company, but I was too afraid to do it. I didn’t not have many people within my circle of influence who had done it because a lot of my older family members were civil servants or had stayed in one job for decades. I went for a leadership fellowship that exposed me to a group of people in my cohort that were doing significant things in the world. That exposure opened my eyes to what is possible and it gave me the motivation and blueprint to move ahead.

3. Limiting beliefs: A client once told me that she had never reached out to do anything significant because her Mother used to say it was not for people like them. She let that voice limit her for many years until she had a strategy session with me and I helped her uncover what was holding her back from doing the things she desired to do and she shared the story with me.

 I have seen many people count themselves out of opportunities in business and life because of limiting beliefs. I also used to count myself out until I started doing the work to change my mindset and see myself the way God made me and not what people have said I am. Henry Ford said; if you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t you are also right. If you want to play bigger, you have to overcome limiting beliefs, count yourself in and not out.

These three factors might be the reason why you are playing small when you could be playing big. So ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I truly content or have I settled for my last success?

2. Am I comfortable in my comfort zone because of past failures or disappointments?

3. Am I where I want to be in life and am I willing to do what it takes?

The answer to these questions will reveal if it is time to go big or stay small.

If you need help getting clarity on the next moves to go bigger in business and life, you can apply for a free 15 minutes clarity call with me: https://forms.gle/e46YL1oL4yTvyLBH9

If you want a practical resource that would help you Uplevel in business and life, I recommend my Uplevel books. You can get them HERE