Many success gurus tell us that the world is full of people, ‘waiting for permission to get started’, with their lives or businesses.
I disagree. I believe that people are nowhere near as stupid, as the gurus seem to think.
The need for direction
In my experience, it isn’t permission that people are waiting for, it’s direction.
People know they want to make a difference. They want to do something with their lives or businesses. They are ready to go, but they are looking for their direction; the niche, cause or idea, which they can invest their energy and passion into.
When the direction is clear, the motivation is strong
With a destination and a direction, the motivation comes easy. You may not feel like digging a hole right now, but if you owned a plot of land and were given the exact location on your plot, of 10 million dollars worth of gold, you’d find the motivation to get digging! You wouldn’t sit around waiting for a success guru to give you permission.
I have found again and again that the key to getting started, is to discover what we want – what our passion is, what change we want to make in the world. That then becomes our destination and we know the direction to aim for. It’s no coincidence that this is a key area I focus on with my clients, giving them the clarity they need, often for the first time in their business.
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I get a little frustrated sometimes. I spoke to a prospect recently asking her (follow up)how serious she was about my solution. Her reply was “very, very serious”. Why has she waited for more than a week to get back to me? What stopped her from contacting me? To me it comes across as apathy.
Hi Wade. I disagree. No one needs to me ‘reminded’ to do what they are inspired to do. The issue here is that the lady knew that your ‘solution’ (I hate that word) made sense, but she wasn’t motivated enough to invest her money, time or energy.
It’s like the warnings on cigarette packs. Smokers ‘know’ they shouldn’t smoke, but unless they are motivated enough to quit, they carry on.
Thanks Jim, so it boils down to finding people motivated enough to buy my product? What is an alternative word to solution?
A solution is a fluid, Wade. Like oil or water.
I suggest that rather than look for a global word, you remove the word ‘solution’ from your business vocabulary and explain what you do, in simple terms.
For example: I don’t provide ‘marketing solutions’ – I help small business owners increase the sales and boost their profits.
Hope that helps.
I thought it was just me.
I detest the word (solutions) and avoid any business, which uses the word to describe (or avoid describing) what they do.
Thanks Jim
How about ‘integrated solutions’, Chris?
Thanks Jim. I am going to give this some thought and drop the word from my vocabulary.
I find that many of my prospective clients think they have found a niche, in some many cases invested money and or already experienced failure and certainly frustration. The simple reason was not that they lacked motivation but rather that they never did the foundational research to determine wether they did in fact have a viable product , service , business before proceeding. So it seems to me that yes they do need direction but it’s of the most foundational kind. Do I really have a business to begin with? So I have to disagree with you. While people are not stupid they are often jumping the gun and proceeding with ideas that aren’t viable to begin with.
Hi Tony. So, you don’t think that these guys are lacking direction, when you say:
“While people are not stupid they are often jumping the gun and proceeding with ideas that aren’t viable to begin with.”
Surely they need direction, to stop them making the mistake?
I agree to an extent, we all need some guidance in life. But you learn from experience and the hard way is often the best way to learn; there is nothing wrong with making a mistake, not to learn from it, that is the crime.
I agree that people aren’t waiting for permission, but finding their direction is the difficulty. Motivation is the real problem, and I don’t think you can ever have enough motivation to be truly successful unless you follow the direction that is your passion.
Hi Daniel. Direction is required. If we determine whether we look for it (or do any kind of business work) based on it’s need to be easy, we lose.
Thanks for the comment.
I feel people should have the passion of what ever they are doing and should not wait for any direction and exact time for them to start with their businesses.
Hi Stanley. So, they can do the wrong things and set themselves backwards or into certain failure – just so they get going?
A busy fool isn’t going to achieve anything.
Jim, People won’t admit that they want to be led but unconsciously that is exactly what their actions are stating! Why do people read product reviews or ask sales people to recommend a ‘solution’ for their problem? It’s because they want to be told what to do by someone they feel knows better. But it still boils down to what I really want because sometimes I’ll rather you ask me (get my permission) to make a move than tell me (showing me direction).
Hi Paul. You have thousands of years worth of recorded history, to prove what you just said.
Thanks for the feedback, sir.
Having a direction help someone to motivate continue and not thing
to push them. This is an awesome post.
Very much enjoyed reading this post Jim. Thanks!
Nice post Jim, you have clearly defined the difference between permission and direction. Many people are unsure where to begin.