Are you indecisive?

Indecision isn’t just struggling to pick what to order off a menu or whether to go with the leather or fabric sofa. It can also look something like this…

You have wanted to hire a virtual assistant for months now. You interview a well-recommended candidate. Her references check out and she seems qualified for the job.

You think to yourself: “Okay, I should do this. I’m spread too thin and I definitely need the help to grow my business. Sure, it’s a considerable expense, but I’ve done the math and I can afford it right now. I’m going to do it…okay, I’m taking the leap”.

You’re about to pick up the phone to let the VA know she’s hired, but you hesitate: “WOAH, hold on a minute…what if it doesn’t work? Can I really afford this? What if she doesn’t work out? Are you nuts? This might be a crazy thing to do!”

Can you relate?

If the answer is “Yes” then indecision might be holding you back in your business.

Indecision kills opportunity.

When you hesitate to make decisions in business, you can miss out on countless opportunities. If you hold back from offering an innovative new service, you give your competitors the ability to be first to market. If you hesitate to accept an offer to speak at an upcoming conference, you lose out on the ability to get your name out there and reach prospective new clients.

Jim Rohn refers to indecision as “the thief of opportunity and enterprise.” He says that it steals your chances for a better future if you let it. Unfortunately, I’ve met many entrepreneurs who have allowed their indecisive nature to limit their success in business.

Indecision also kills time. Think of all the time you spend overthinking all the reasons why you should or shouldn’t take action. Instead, imagine if you made a decision first and invested your time strategizing about what practical steps you can take to make that decision a success.

Indecision kills confidence. The more you second guess your choices, the more you wonder whether you’re really cut out for entrepreneurship. After all, entrepreneurs are leaders that constantly have to make decisions that affect the growth of their business. When your confidence wavers, your ability to network, market and sell effectively suffers.

Over the years, I’ve met many brilliant, talented and driven entrepreneurs who struggle to achieve success because they were stuck in indecision.

You deserve better than to allow indecisive tendencies to kill your opportunities, time or confidence. It takes decisive action to build a sustainable, profitable Legacy Business.

Here are 3 practical action steps you can take today to become a more decisive entrepreneur:

1. Recognize the outcome of indecision.

When you find yourself faced with a difficult decision, think about what impact NOT making a decision or delaying the decision will have on your business. For instance, if you aren’t sure what the best strategy to use in your social media marketing is so you don’t post on social media at all, consider the impact. You won’t build rapport with prospective clients and your competitors will dominate the conversation! Spend a few minutes contemplating the impact of your indecision. What will happen if you do nothing? If this outcome isn’t acceptable to you, you’ll have a natural incentive to reach a conclusion and move forward deliberately.

2. Set a deadline.

One of the reasons entrepreneurs struggle with indecision is because they often don’t have established deadlines. An account executive at an advertising firm may not know which slogan to go with or which voice actor to choose for a commercial, but when they’re up against the clock, they have to push themselves to be decisive. One way to move past your indecision is to set yourself hard deadlines. Make sure to factor in time to conduct an analysis, do your research and (when appropriate) gather input from those you trust.

If you meet your deadline and you still haven’t decided, flip a coin. It may sound overly simplistic, but if you can’t make a choice then it’s likely your intuition telling you that it’s either not that important or neither option is superior to the other. 

9. Trust your first instinct.

Once you’ve used your rational mind to weigh the pros and cons of each decision, trust your intuition. Your first gut instinct will often guide you in the right direction.

Trusting your gut is actually quite different than flipping a coin. According to Melody Wilding, a licensed therapist and professor of human behavior at Hunter College, your “gut feeling” is the “collection of all your subconscious experiences…It’s this unconscious-conscious learned experience center that you can draw on from your years of being alive…It holds insights that aren’t immediately available to your conscious mind right now, but they’re all things that you’ve learned and felt.”

Have the confidence to listen to that wise inner voice.

The worst decision is indecision.

Remember, even the wrong choice is better than no choice at all. When you make a decision and it doesn’t work out, you can reflect on what went wrong, make appropriate changes and move in a more productive direction. But when you’re crippled by indecision, your business becomes stagnant. It doesn’t have an opportunity to grow.

Many of the clients I have worked with at Celeste Giordano Coaching have struggled with indecision. I always offer my support and guidance based on decades of experience to help simplify the decision making process. But more importantly, I teach the entrepreneurs and sales professionals I work with to develop the tools and skills they need to make their own decisions with greater clarity and confidence.

Michael Haggstrom says, “Indecision is the enemy of progress. Not saying yes to one possibility is saying no to them all.”

Find the courage within yourself to take decisive action. Contact me TODAY to “Double Plus” your income THIS year.

Up Next: You’re Invited

We invite our local community to visit us on June XX, 2017 from 11:00 to 1:00 p.m. at the 1818 Club for the WGC Atlanta Chapter meeting. Pre-registration for the event is $25.00. Click here to pre-register. If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact celeste@thewomenofglobalchange.com.

We are also opening up several other chapters across the United States. I am honored to help launch the Toronto, Ontario Chapter in the summer, 2017. To become a presenting sponsor or sponsor at this premier Toronto event, contact Celeste Giordano here. For additional information about WGC, please visit our website!

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Legacy Blueprint Business Workshop on June 16th 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the 1818 Club. Join us as three business masters, Sara Poe, Nicole Henderson and I, teach the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “Double Plus” your income and become an effective, inspirational leader in your field THIS year. Whether you’re starting a new venture or want to take your business to the next level, learn to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real, lasting success using a proven step-by-step system.

Fee: $30 (Continental breakfast provided)

To Register: celestegiordano.com/legacybusiness

Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with almost 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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