The Art Of Thought

Thought is a precious commodity.  It’s not that that we don’t want to think but that we lack the precious resource of quiet time.  The art of thought is frequently overlooked by business owners but it is a critical piece to long term success.

In the past I have stated that everything is overrated except for doing work. Basically I was saying that you need to take action.  I still believe that to be true but there also has to be time for quiet reflection.

Why do you need quiet reflection?

1. Identify Issues– Creating the space for thought allows you to identify areas of your business that aren’t working and to come up with solutions to those issues.
2. Creativity– Some of your most creative times come when you are in the shower or driving home from the office.  Writing and journaling is another activity that allows you to get creative and come up with new ideas, systems and process and new concepts.
3. Analysis of The Path– Do you know where you are going?  Are you headed in the right direction?  Are you on track with your objectives?  Do you even have any objectives?  How often do you get to sit and think about those questions?  Do you know why you are doing the things that you are doing?  If you are like business owners, then it’s probably not enough.

Why don’t we take the time for reflection?

This is where action can be a bad thing.   Taking too much action without enough thought can be disastrous to your business.  It leads to moving down paths that aren’t the right fit for your business.  It’s also much more difficult to course correct or make changes when you are going going going.

Sun-Tzu said that “Strategy without tactics is the slow road to victory.  Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

Some of you may avoid action as well because you don’t want to get real with yourself or your business.  You mask your feelings of fear, doubt and uncertainty with action.  Sometimes you can work your way out of a problem and sometimes you just need to step back and reassess the situation and get real.

What can you do to create more time for thought?

1. Join a mastermind group– Get involved with a group of people that are at various levels of their own business.  This can be a great way to share ideas and think about what’s working and what’s not working and brainstorm solutions in a group setting.
2. Hire a coach– One of the biggest benefits of coaching is the opportunity to see your business from an unfiltered lens.  That’s just one of the things that coaching brings to the table for a business.  If you have thought about hiring a coach, take my assessment to see if coaching makes sense for you.
3. Do a power hour– I have talked about this a lot but creating that space every day for your mind, body and spirit first thing in the morning is an essential way to start your day.

If you have noticed that your routine is lacking in some quiet reflection or you notice that you haven’t been doing it as much as you should.  If you notice that you are constantly going going going with no time for anything else.  Create an outlet for you to make that happen and get that outlet in a consistent rhythm.  You and your business will be happy that you did.