The Secret to Success Lies in What You Avoid

Here's the deepest life quote that I've ever heard: "The magic you're looking for is in the work you're avoiding".

Joseph Campbell, the famous American writer and professor who inspired the creation of Star Wars, said something very similar: "The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."

I see so many business owners avoid things that would make them successful. There are a few reasons why: They're worried about the negative consequences-all the what-if.

Here are three things I see most owners avoid that hold them back from success:

Why owners avoid this: Good delegation takes time and patience.

What you should do: Understand that employees need support to do things well. Make sure that you cover what, when, why, and how in their delegation.

Why owners avoid this: They think thay make good money, but they never check their bank accounts and customer relationship management to confirm. They don't see themselves as numbers guys. They get intimitated by all the calculations required to know where their business stands.

What you should do: Get help. Set up a meeting with your accountant this week. Go through your profit and loss statements to understand what each figure means for your business, and what you need to do differently.

Why owners avoid this: It's fun to read books, attend conferences, and get coaches. New ideas are always exciting. What's not as exciting? Implementation. That's why they either procrastinate-lying to themselves that they will do it another day-or they get distracted by the fires in their business-lying to themselves that they have more urgent things to do.

What you should do: Ideas don't make you money. Action does. And you don't need a million ideas to succeed in business. Take the one best idea you learned recently and implement it today. Keep yourself accountable by announcing to your team that you will get it done by the end of the day.

Source: Inc.com