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Business success is a lot like bringing a pot of water to a boil.  There are only a few factors that determine when, and if, the water boils.

But getting the pot of water to boil is not as simple as it seems.  You see, as a business owner, you don’t have just one pot on the stove.  Nope, you’ve got pots on every burner, and all of them have food cooking.  This makes it extremely difficult to devote proper attention to getting the pot of water to boil.

After some time standing over the stove waiting on the pot of water to boil, the business owner becomes frustrated and decides it’s time to take action.  So, what does the business owner do?  He looks at the pot of water and thinks, “Maybe if I add some more water, it will boil.”

After adding water and waiting – not so patiently – he becomes even more frustrated and decides it’s time for more drastic action.  He decides it is the pot that’s the problem.  So he gets the newest, shiniest, most technologically advanced pot he can find and replaces the current pot with it.

And guess what?  Nothing happens.  The water still doesn’t boil.

But you can’t blame him; he’s been busy tending to all the other food cooking on the stove.  Out of complete frustration he considers throwing in the towel.   After all, his friends and family told him he was crazy for starting a business.  Obviously, they were right, he thinks; he’s not cut out to run his own business.

Out of desperation, he makes a plea for help from a friend who owns a successful business.  She is a little taken aback.  It’s not that she isn’t willing to help.  But she’s seen him diligently working his business, and every time she asked how things were going, he responded, “GREAT!”  So she naturally assumed everything was going well.

On the designated day, she stops by to help him figure out what is missing and what is preventing him from being successful – from getting the water to boil.

After asking a few questions and making a few observations, she has the water boiling within two minutes.

How did she do it?

Simple.  She turned up that burner to a hotter setting.

Are you ready to get your water boiling?  Here are a few suggestions to help:

1. Learn to Ignore – We have to ignore all the confusion, chaos, and noise to focus on what really matters.  This is easier said than done.  But if we’re going to succeed, we must develop the discipline to be selectively ignorant.
2. Don’t Believe – We can’t buy into the belief that success is easy, or that it just comes naturally to some.  Some are simply better at making success “look” easy – but it rarely is.
3. Believe – We must believe we can succeed.  We must believe we will succeed.  We must believe in our products, services, and abilities.
4. Avoid Trends – We can’t try to stay on top of every single new technology and trend that comes down the pipe.  These things are often merely distractions, like changing the pot instead of turning up the heat.
5. Be Honest – We shouldn’t try to make it seem like everything is going well when it really isn’t.  You know it’s been said, “Admitting is the first step to recovery.”
6. Listen Selectively – If we listen to advice from everyone, we’ll end up crazy and confused.  But we must be willing to listen to trusted advisors.  Listen and then make changes.

Is your water boiling?  What do you think is preventing your water from boiling?  What action can you take today to get your water boiling?