Strategies and Tactics for Women by Dr. Shannon Reece

Performance Tip of the Week

…What a person plants, (s)he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others – ignoring God! – harvests a crop of weeds. All (s)he’ll have to show for his/(her) life is weeds!… Galatians 6:7-8

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded of the harvest. This verse applies directly to business and life on so many levels no matter your religious views. The bottom line is what you plant is what you will reap. There’s no getting around that.

You can’t expect to create a profitable business if you aren’t putting your best effort into it day by day. Quality breeds quality, and attracts quality in the form of ideal clients. As you’ve been reflecting on the legacy of business giant, Steve Jobs, who knew how to plant great seeds, and how to create a legacy in your niche, you have to ask yourself — “What am I doing today that will produce a bumper harvest in my business tomorrow?”

Planting the Seeds of Peak Performance

A healthy “harvest” begins when you take the time to plant the right seeds. The seeds of peak performance are within you — it’s just a matter of understanding how to identify and harness them in your business. Some of the best seeds you have include –

• Your Gifts – No one else has the exact same gifts you have to leverage into a successful business, that meets a direct need for which people are actively seeking a solution. So don’t squander them — apply them in everything you do.

• Your Perspective – No one else’s opinion of you matters more than your opinion of yourself. You choose your worth. Whether you view yourself as a winner or loser, your self-perspective will be communicated in everything you do. So assess your value and embrace the best parts of who you are so that you can actively share them with the world, and engage rather than repel the people around you.

• Your Attitude – Before your feet hit the floor in the morning, you must decide HOW you want your day to unfold. You can’t control the people around you or many circumstances in life. What you can control is how you will react to them, and the example you wish to set on a consistent basis. When you are resilient in the face of challenges, those challenges become opportunities rather than roadblocks.

• Your Heart – When your focus is service to others, you engage your heart in all that you do. Don’t be afraid to let others see your passion come shining through in your decisions and actions. Be true to your heart, never settling for mediocrity. When you push for excellence, you naturally inspire and attract others to join you in your mission.

As another year comes to a close, and you prepare for new opportunities ahead, make sure that you have a plan in place to get to your desired destination on the straightest path. A full, rich, harvest is greater than just financial gain. The more you tend to your business crop, and stick to your purpose, the easier it will be to prevent the weeds from choking your dreams.