Trusting Your Intuition
One thing that benefits every business is decisiveness. When we are decisive and
move forward with confidence, we build belief that our path is correct and the
results will be achieved. Indecisiveness, coupled with a lack of commitment,
pours tremendous doubt into the whole equation. The seeds of doubt give birth to
fear and fear promotes people making decisions to serve themselves. This is
always the beginning of the cascade effect, where decision after decision is
made to serve self rather than others. This is a direct violation of the
Ultimate Success Principle: “When we help others succeed, we succeed!” and the
cascade effect slowly sucks us in just like quicksand.
There is a clear way through. If your motivation is all about living out of
purpose, serving others (an outward focus), rather than living out of fear,
serving self (an inward focus), trust your intuition! What I find most
outwardly-focused people do is that they hear and understand what their
intuition is telling them, but rather than following the prompt, they
“second-guess” their intuition and take action on their second thought, the
compromise thought and it doesn’t work! Here’s why: The intuitive thought is
powerful and, sometimes, at first glance, it seems radical. The second thought
is always less powerful because it’s a compromise, a compromise between being
“radical” and “safe”. The call to be “safe” is born out of fear and decisions
born out of fear make us inwardly focused!
Each one of us was created for a purpose, given gifts and talents within which
to fulfill that purpose and work prepared in advance to do. Each moment your
intuition prompts you to make a decision, a good decision, is another
opportunity to move you and your team powerfully forward. Our people know when
we are serving ourselves or when we are serving others. When we listen and
respond to our intuition, our people know we’re, ultimately, in it for them.
It’s a powerful and sometimes scary thought; our intuition…isn’t that what all
great decisions are?
If you need an encouraging word or would like to comment on the above, please
write me at
mark@outwardfocus.com
Mark King
Founder - Outward Focus
©Outward Focus S.C.
Fear mongering
Fear mongering is the use of fear to leverage the opinions and actions
of others towards some end. The object of fear is exaggerated; those the fear is
directed toward are kept aware of it on a constant basis.
I came across this definition and thought it was very appropriate considering
the challenging times we’re living in.
Ultimately all of our behavior is the result of our motivation; what we believe.
If we believe things are going to work out and act according to that belief, we
will progress towards things working out. The opposite is true as well. If we
don’t believe things are going to work out and act according to that belief, we
will progress towards things not working out.
Fear is a tremendously powerful motivation that pushes us to violate the
ultimate success principle in life. We know that if we help others to succeed,
we will succeed. Fear cuts right to the core of this belief because what it
promotes is not us seeking to find others to help and then helping them, it
promotes and drives us to abandon our principles and choose to protect
ourselves, to make sure “I’ve got mine”, no matter what the cost. This
“death-spiral” of belief and action can only lead to more doom and destruction.
Good business people have known the answer to this and any other economic
challenge we face. We must control our fear, steel our resolve and fight for the
good of others. In so doing, we fight for the good of ourselves. An agenda
motivated by fear can only lead to destruction.
How many businesses and politicians have made seemingly good economic decisions
out of fear? How is the media fanning the flames of fear rather than belief? Is
there a bigger, unspoken agenda driving these actions? If so, let’s not give in.
My experience in business has been that when good business people decide enough
is enough and get back to the work, the work of helping others succeed, that’s
when we get back on track.
In many ways greed is what got us here. Greed, at its base, is all about fear.
There’s too much work to be done, too much good for us to put in, to be driven
by fear. It’s been said before “be anxious for nothing”. Let’s see this for what
it really is: the opportunity to demonstrate real leadership and courage in the
face of difficulty. Others have persevered and succeeded in challenging
circumstances. We shall as well. For the sake of others, today and in the
future, we must. Here’s to us fighting the good fight together!
If you need an encouraging word or would like to comment on the above, please
write me at
mark@outwardfocus.com
Mark King
Founder - Outward Focus
©Outward Focus S.C.
My experience has shown that
people tend to operate from one of two different perspectives. We either think
things are going to work out or we think they’re not.
Being positive doesn’t mean that you’re being unrealistic or impractical. It
just means that you think things are going to work out. Being negative doesn’t
mean you’re being practical or “dealing with reality”. It just means you don’t
think things are going to work out.
According to Denis Waitley, you can make both perspectives true. Our brains are
incredible in that they are goal-achieving machines. Whatever goal you give your
brain, it begins working to make that goal come true. Where the big challenge
comes in is that the brain cannot discern between a good goal and a bad goal.
The brain always hears what comes after “but”. If you say “my goal is to make
100 cold calls today”, and finish it in your head with, “but I can’t handle the
rejection”. The brain will go about the task of making sure you can’t handle the
rejection. If you say “my goal is to write a book” and finish it in your head
with, “but I’m not an author”. The brain will go about the task of making sure
you won’t be an author. It always hears the “unfinished sentence”. The key to
giving your brain the right goal is to get rid of the ‘buts’!
Life is a faith walk. Step out, believe things will work out and get your “buts”
out of the way. It’ll be amazing for the world to watch and see what you become.
In so doing you give others two great gifts. One, the gift of who you will be
and, two, a model for them to follow. Now that’s accomplishing something…no
‘buts’ about it!
Copyright 2008 Mark King