I don’t know when it happened but there came a day when I stopped being innovative about my business.  I believed that I was great at what I do and my methods were perfect.  I could turn on the creative anytime I wanted and wow clients.  I did the same things over and over and expected great results.

I was INSANE. My methods were insane. I had this insane habit of preparing a presentation to deliver to prospects by waiting until the last 24 - 48 hours to produce the presentation.  I would finish several hours before my meeting, rush in and give my presentation. In my mind it worked, I was better under pressure and I didn’t see the need to change.

I did a presentation in front of several fortune 100 corporations with two months to prepare, I did the same thing waited until the last two days to start preparing.  When I got the critique forms from the people I presented to one of the critiques was “a good presentation but you read from the screen too much.” Of course I read from the screen I finished the presentation at 10am and presented at 1:00pm.  But even that critique wasn’t enough to get me change my comfortable ways.

Eventually, with assistance with from Discover Leadership Training I learned that if I change my Modus Operandi, the way I do things, if I’m willing to step out of my safe zone, take risks and unleash the passion that I locked up I can achieve all of the success that is meant for me.  We’re all meant to be successful and each one of us have gifts that no one else on this earth have. But we have to step out of what makes us comfortable to achieve what we never had.

I got the message. I prepared a presentation a month ahead of time and practiced it in front of my corporate mentors.  I got great feedback made several changes and when I presented again, I was relaxed, calm, poised and able to focus on the client needs.  Taking the time to do something different and prepare early allowed me to present a GREAT presentation instead of a good one.

The lessons I learned are:

• Change my focus change my outcome
• The person in the mirror is responsible for the successes and failures in life
• No real learning accures in my comfort zone
• Successful People Do What Unsuccessful People Won’t Do

There are too many of us doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.  Step out of your comfort zone.  Push yourself to achieve the big goals.  Attempt new and innovative ways to achieve your goals.  Because as I learned the things that make you successful can make you unsuccessful.

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