We live busy lives. Some business owners can’t even imagine what life would be like if they had extra time in their lives. They equivocate busyness with success.  

In reality, busyness is the antithesis of success. It’s not how busy you are that determines success. Success is tied to results. Below are several misconceptions about success.

Working hard is a good thing, but working hard does not mean you will be successful. 

Instead of focusing on working hard, focus on working smart. Do you know the specific tasks that produce true success in your company? It’s not the same for every owner.

For example, working in sales might produce your greatest success. For another owner, it might be focusing on operations. Every owner has areas of strength. Areas of strength come easy to you. Working in your strengths doesn’t feel like work. You can spend a tremendous amount of time working in your areas of strength and not even be tired at the end of the day. 

In contrast, if you work in areas of weakness, you might accomplish a great deal, but you will find yourself exhausted at the end of the day. 

To be successful, you want to work hard in your areas of strength. Doing so will produce the greatest results with the least amount of energy. It may not feel like work, but it will be extremely productive.

We think that the more we do, the more successful we will be. In reality, the more you do, the more exhausted you will be.

It’s not the amount of things you do that creates success. Success comes from doing the right things. 

According to the Pareto Principle, 20% of what you do produces 80% of the results. You want to discover what that 20% is and focus primarily on getting those things done. 

That means for most leaders, they could reduce 80% of what they do and be very successful. 

It’s not how much you do that matters.  It’s whether you do the right things!

Be honest! It’s so easy for leaders to become adrenaline junkies. They run from task to task, thinking that if they just complete their daily tasks list, they will be successful. 

We’ve all met people who are just overextended. They don’t have time to think. They don’t have time to relax. They just run from one task to the next one. 

Overextending yourself doesn’t produce results. It just exhausts you. It may prevent you from truly being successful. You become so busy that you don’t have time to be successful. 

Some of the most successful people you will ever meet are not in a hurry.  They have time to pause, to reflect, and to give deep thought to what truly makes them successful. 

Overextended people are always in a rush. They have a long list of tasks that never are truly completed. They live very stressful lives that are not very fun.

Perhaps you have embraced one or more of these misconceptions about success. Maybe you feel constantly rushed or overextended. Work controls your life.

You don’t have to live that way. If you want help sorting through the many activities of leadership, schedule a short call with me. We will look at your task list and make sure you work on those things that will help you become truly successful. Use the following link: https://penncoaching.com/meetwithdave

I look forward to meeting you and helping you become truly successful.