It’s completely normal as a business owner to get stuck in a rut of some sort; making new steps towards progress can be challenging and intimidating. However, sometimes we don’t push ourselves to reach our full potential because we are focused on what has happened in the past when we were working towards goals that didn’t work out, instead of being hopeful for the future.
Maybe the last time you worked towards a goal you were diligent and pushed for it really hard for a couple weeks, but before long your efforts fizzled. Maybe you’re ashamed of how things turned out. Or, maybe you never really even tried because you didn’t know where to start.
So what?
Who cares about what happened in the past? Our past experiences do not define our future results! Focusing on the future, not looking to the past, is how we really make progress.
What does having a future focus look like then? Start by defining a few questions about your business. Who is your target market? What do you want your business to be known for? What role will your business be serving? Finding the answers to these questions helps us to be intentional about our future, which makes all the difference.
Next, picture yourself as the version of yourself you will be when you’ve reached your goals in the future. What will be different about your routine? How will you think, feel, and act? There’s no reason to wait for the future to make these changes! If you make the personal changes now, you’re immediately putting yourself on the path to success that will lead you to your ideal future.
Having a future focus will help you to become more purposeful and flexible. It will broaden your vision and help you put your setbacks into perspective.
Now, when you reach a bump in the road, try not to get discouraged! Instead, ask yourself what you would do in the same situation later down the road, when you’ve achieved the level of success you’re aiming for.
We create the future that we focus on. The past helps us to be aware of our thinking habits and patterns, and where we currently are. However, knowing where we are doesn’t matter if we don’t know where we want to go! This is why emphasizing future focus will help you as a business owner to know what steps will lead you to your final destination.