As an Entrepreneur or Business Leader with days full of distractions, juggling too many problems and not enough hours in the day, buckets of challenges & worries; one powerful tool to keep yourself on track is a mantra.
Traditionally mantras were used by Hindus and Buddhists to train the mind to stay focused during spiritual practice. Mantras work to shift focus out of the regret about the past or the worries about tomorrow; mantras bring us back to right now. Today, we’ve seen mantras evolve into affirmations, positive thoughts and for some businesses, mission statements. Regardless of what we call these power phrases; mantra practice is an extraordinarily effective way to keep on track when distractions arrive.
As an owner of a small business myself, during most of 2010, I used the Business Mantra: “What Have You Done to Market Yourself Today?” When I caught myself worrying about the economy, beating myself up over negative comments, anxious about the future, or trying to do too much; I would simply ask myself: “What Have You Done to Market Yourself Today?”. Invariably, asking myself that question (repeating that mantra) would shift my focus out of worry, procrastination or anxiety and into actively working on improving my own business performance right now. My current Business Mantra is: “Is this the best use of my time?”.
Some other ideas for business mantras include:
- How have we delighted the customers today?
- Who else needs to know about what I do?
- How can we improve our main product?
- Who do I need to thank today?
- How can we simplify the operation today?
Generally, you’ll want to choose a mantra that reflects the main area of your business needing attention whether it is products & services, marketing, customer relationships, operations & admin or your overall mission.
Repetition of a mantra; using a power question or inspiring statement to replace worries, fear and anxieties can be a strong way to keep yourself, as a leader, on track during the inevitable stresses and strains of leading a business in these times.
Suzanne Andrew is an Entrepreneur’s Coach, Small Business Consultant and Thai Yoga Massage Therapist who often borrows the wisdom of yoga and applies it to the harsh realities of the business world. Contact her to schedule an initial consultation: SuzanneMAndrew@gmail.com or 727-641-6941.
