It seems that not a day goes by in business that a challenge is not presented. Some problem or dilemma that you never saw coming. Many times you can just brush it off, resolving the situation quickly and calmly. But every once in awhile you find yourself in the eye of a hurricane, about to be swept into a bit of chaos that does not offer an easy way out.
Maybe this is in the form of a challenging employee or client. Maybe it happens with your software or equipment. Or maybe something seemingly out of your control, such as a vendor or a bank.
What do you do in this situation? You go back to your core standards. Your beliefs for what is the right thing to do and at what time do you need to do it. Everyone has standards, though not everyone is aware of their standards.
I used to drive around in an older car. It had over 240,000 miles on it and though was incredibly reliable, it had some flaws. It fit my standard of what transportation needed to be. My standards were that cars should be efficient, cheap and reliable. Anything more would cost money and money is better spent elsewhere.
Then my trusty steed decided that moving parts do not last forever. My car was challenging me with a dilemma of standards. Do I spend a lot of cash and time to get the reliability back with this car or do I find another car to replace this one? And if I do replace this car, what do I replace it with?
The solution came in the form of a brand new car. A brand new car is something that I swore I would never purchase. They lose value as soon as you own them, they cost money, insert copious amounts of truly justifiable answers here for why this was a terrible option. Then I happened to raise my standards, though a bit unknowingly.
I bought a new car. It smelled great, it ran well, it had ventilated seats, a moonroof, Bluetooth and it played MP3’s. It had just about everything I wanted in a car. And I do not even mind making the payments. My standards before told me that car payments are evil. My standards now tell me that, if the car justifies them, payments are just fine.
As I drove this car around I would see other cars on the road. Used cars. Beat up and rusty cars. Cars that have dents that make me wonder if people drive like pinballs on occasion. The standards that some people have for their modes of transportation made me aware of the standards we all have for each part of our lives.
Let me elaborate a bit.
If the cheapest car available was $100,000 would you have a car? We are talking a used beater with a heater. Would you take public transportation more? Or would you find a way to pay for that car, or even more for a better car? Would you have a different standard?
How about those that smoke? Smokers have a standard and a belief system that tells them they are “a smoker”. Could you quit smoking if you were going against your own identity?
Could you make sales calls if you believed that sales people were slimy, evil people?
Many people are not even aware of their own standards. Are you?
Let’s take 2 minutes to find your current standards. We will start with the question, “Who are you?” If it is easier, you can ask yourself, “What are you?”
Are you a father or mother, salesperson, entrepreneur, fast driver, slow talker, or are you a caring person? Write down the answers to the above questions, coming up with at least 10 labels you have for yourself.
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Now look at those labels. Are there any labels you would like to change? What labels are you most proud of? What labels above are labels that you want to be, but you fail a little bit at actually representing them?
The beauty of this pondering is that you can become aware of some of your standards. This pondering will lead to some of your limiting beliefs. It will expose why you are unable to do what you want to do. What really adds the sparkle is that you can change your standards. You can be whatever you want.
Let’s take 2 more minutes to write down what labels you WANT to have represent your life that you do not have now. Who do you want to be? What do you want to be? Write down the answers to the above questions, coming up with at least 10 labels you want for yourself. These can be replacements or tweaks for the labels above or in addition to.
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Now look at that list. Really think about each item that you wrote down. Is it really what you want? If it is, go through each one and find out why you are not that currently. What is holding you back from achieving that label right now?
Your limiting beliefs will come to the surface as you explore these standards for your life. These beliefs do not have to be permanent. You can release them.
For example, maybe you want to be a millionaire, however you feel that money is evil and only rude people have a lot of money. That is a limiting belief that will prevent you from ever achieving that label. Does this make sense?
So the sequence is to find the Standard and then the Belief that backs it up, followed by a Reason for your current beliefs and your standards. Change as needed. It really is that easy. Find what you want to change, why you want to change and realize what will happen if you do change. Then realize what will happen if you do not change. What will happen to you if you keep your current standards?
Often, many of these standards and beliefs and even reasons will be diametrically opposed, leading to an internal struggle within your own head. This is where you want to write down your standards, your beliefs and your reasons and introduce some clarity into your life. Acknowledge what standards you have. These are your standards, they came to you through your life experiences. These standards have served you for one reason or another. Maybe it is time that some of these standards retire. Thank them for their service and replace them with standards that are a better fit for your life now.
What would happen if you discovered all of your hidden standards and beliefs that were limiting you and holding you back? Would you acknowledge them and keep them? Would you challenge them? Would you replace them?
Taking the steps to find your standards and beliefs and going through them to challenge each one and asking the standards and beliefs to justify themselves will take some time. It will take some grit to really get to the heart of what matters to you. Remember, you are essentially challenging your own self. Who wants to be told they are wrong? This is where the thanking of your standards and beliefs come into play. These standards served you for a time. Those standards may be a bit outdated now.
Perhaps you did not like money for fear that you would become someone that you did not want to be. What if instead of a fear of making money, you found joy in using some of your money to help others? You can keep your future standard of wanting to make money and now you have a supporting belief for that standard. And the world is a better place because of it. That seems pretty sweet, doesn’t it?
This exercise can work in all areas of your life, even beyond business. This exercise can work with your health, relationships and communication with your friends and family, in addition to applying to your business. What are your standards for your family? Do these standards need to be changed? How about applying this challenge to your standards for how you manage your time?
Everything you believe in and do is meant to serve you. These beliefs and actions may no longer serve you as they once did. No one told them to change, how were they to know? Take the time to challenge your standards and beliefs on a routine basis and watch as you become aware of what challenges in your life transform into opportunities.
What this allows you to do is to step outside of a problem and look at it from a different perspective. You can try on different beliefs and different standards to see if they fit what you are trying to accomplish. Only keep the standards that fit who you want to be.
Ask yourself, “What would I have to believe for this problem to be a disguised opportunity?”
Watch as your problems become your basis for growth and education. You can learn and grow and improve from what used to beat you down. The problems you had seemed endless, right? If you convert every problem into an opportunity, won’t those opportunities be endless as well?
James is a Business Coach and Mentor for Draw In Customers Business Coaching in Madison, Wisconsin. When he isn’t challenging his own standards, he helps others challenge and improve their own standards in business and beyond. He blogs successfully to the world at www.drawincustomers.com. If you are considering hiring a business coach, take a moment to call James at (608)210-2221. Raise your standards.
