Aloha, Tom here. How is your business doing?
Throughout the past year or so, I’ve seen plenty of people start new businesses. I felt encouraged seeing so many people following their dreams and escaping the 9-5 grind. I even got to teach people a thing or two about succeeding in online business.
Whether you’ve been in online business for a short time, or you’re a seasoned veteran, take a minute to reflect on how it’s doing.
If it isn’t doing so well, not hitting the goals you set, or simply not growing the way you want it to, then it may require you to change things up.
However, instead of reinventing your business, you should start by reinventing yourself.
By the way, it’s STILL a good time to start an online business.
Why reinvent me though? Shouldn’t I focus on business strategies?
Glad you asked! Hitting your goals in business isn’t just about knowledge. If that were so, then we would see so many more “armchair entrepreneurs” thrive, instead of just talking about thriving.
Courses, books, and webinars are fantastic, but they can’t carry you all the way there.
Throughout my 11 years in online business, and through the process of building multiple six-figure enterprises, I learned something critical.
Growing your business isn’t about knowledge. It’s about becoming the right kind of person. Transformation trumps information.
Who would you rather have on your team? somebody who has a ton of skills but is a complete pain to interact with, or someone who understands your vision but still needs training on the skills? I’ll take the “culture fit” over the “competency fit” any day of the week.
Becoming the right leader will enhance every aspect of your business, and make more people want to work with you.
The bad news is that it’s really hard to change. Our personalities, habits, and characteristics are products of our families and environments, and the reason we don’t change quickly is that who we are has worked for us… so far. The issue is, who you (and I) are will not work for where we want to go.
The good news is, it’s possible to reinvent yourself. Our brains are surprisingly flexible and able to adapt to the environments we create for them. So, instead of thinking about strategies to build the 7-figure business of your dreams, say this to yourself:
“I want to become the kind of person who does the actions to build the 7-figure business of my dreams.”
And if you’re still looking for a solid strategy after that, then let me share the best one I’ve ever found: I call it The M.I.L.K. It Method.
How To Transform Yourself
Because we adapt to our environments so well, transforming ourselves is all about making intentional changes to our environments. Create the kind of surroundings that allow your best self to rise and flourish.
- Befriend your inner critic
As you start the journey, your inner critic will get really upset. You know your inner critic. It’s the guy or gal who whispers doubts to you when you start projects. It’s the one who scolds you loudly when you feel embarrassed or even plays a highlight reel of your mistakes when you try to sleep.
If that inner critic gets louder when you think about reinventing yourself, good. That means you’re on the right track. See, your inner critic has your best interests at heart, but they never go about it the right way. They want to keep you safe. They want your physical and social environment to be predictable. So they rail against anything that feels scary, or even audacious.
The most confident and successful people I know don’t silence their inner critic. They partner with it. They make friends. They invite it to their inner council and give it a legitimate seat at the table. But they never let that voice take the throne.
In its proper place, it will warn them about things they aren’t thinking through and keep them humble. It can do the same thing for you, too. I need a voice that says, “Hold up Tom, let’s think about this for a second.” I just don’t need it to be the final voice.
Because your inner critic wants the best for you, it will quiet down when it sees you becoming your best self. The first step is to kick it out of the driver’s seat.
- Be selective about what you put into your mind.
When I recorded a podcast about this subject, I called this step “tuning out the media.” I want to go a bit farther here and include relationships.
You do need to tune out the media. Have you noticed that online, everyone has an opinion and wants to bash their perceived enemies? Oftentimes my Twitter feed resembles a political and ideological warzone.
Do not start your day by scrolling through a warzone. Limit your news and social media intake. Just because you have access to so much media doesn’t mean it’s all good for you. Bad and scary news sell way better than good news.
Read the news long enough to understand what’s going on, and then get out of there.
The same goes for old friends and connections that don’t empower you. As you reinvent yourself, some people will discourage it. Your transformation reminds them that they want to transform too, but they’ve chosen not to. The guilt or envy they feel could cause them to lash out in the guise of concern.
You don’t need to block all your old friends by any means, but you don’t need to talk about your business (and invite opinions about it) with everyone from your old life.
Become the filter of what news, media, and opinions enter your head. They will change the way you think, which will change the way you work. I personally give myself a very short time window for news on weekdays.
I also only talk about my business with people who want me to become the best version of myself. As you set out, it’s tempting to tell everyone about your amazing online business plans. Don’t do this. Select a few trusted voices, and tune out the rest.
Remove and Replace
So far, I’ve talked about a few things you need to remove and filter to become your best self. Next time around, I’ll share things you should add to your life. For now, focus on befriending that inner critic and becoming your own guardian of information and opinions.
All of this content was inspired by podcast episodes I recorded during the early days of the pandemic. For more secrets that the so-called “gurus” won’t tell you about succeeding in online business, see my other episodes!
