Destroy and Sabotage Yourself the Business Success with a Reality TV Mindset

Sept. 28, 2012 - PRLog -- If you have watched any reality TV recently, it would be hard to not notice a popular trend of how to think about a huge opportunity.  Almost all contestants from X-Factor, to America’s Got Talent, and American Idol will say, once they pass the first milestone or two, or some even before that, “You don’t know how much this means to me.  It means everything.”

Ah, it makes a person want to throw-up. —Yes, they have a huge opportunity, but  do they really put the whole value of their life on this one event— this one chance of fame?  Really?  Come on, there has to be more to life than winning this one coveted spot on some reality TV show.  If the meaning of life boils down to winning a contest, then our society is in serious trouble.

Wake up.  Yes, progressing through a contest and getting national exposure is a huge opportunity.  For some, it will be enough to launch their careers.  For others, it is a step along their journey, and if they use the opportunity well, it may have a positive impact.

You might not be on a reality TV show, but as you journey to grow your business, are you guilty of the myopic thinking of a reality contestant?  “I have to get this deal” or “this launch has to work” or “I need this client.”

If you are guilty of that kind of thinking, you are putting way too much pressure on your performance in one moment’s time.  That isn’t healthy, and in the long run won’t get you the results you want.

Those who fare better on the reality TV shows are those who are grateful for the opportunity and are committed to trying their best, but know if it isn’t meant to be that there are always other opportunities that will come along the way.  They are learning a lot and getting much needed skills for what comes next.

That same mindset works better for a small business owner.  It relieves the pressure of one deal, one campaign, and one company, allowing you to actually perform better in those instances.  The more “opportunities will come attitude” also makes room for you to fall more into the right place for you and your company for the long term, and to ride out the inevitable waves of hit and miss without drowning.