Do you want to build a bigger business? This is actually a profound question. I meet a lot of people who repeatedly say they want a different business (or boyfriend, or body shape) but they never take any action toward that new thing.

Remember the Rubik's cube from the 80s? You've probably either tried solving it yourself or had a friend who was obsessed with it.

I recently watched a speaker solve it during his presentation. It's pretty easy to solve just one face (or color). I had forgotten that in order to solve a second face,you have to temporarily break up the first face -- the one you just finished - for a few turns. Only by messing up the first face can you solve the second face.

That struck me as a great metaphor for business (and life). The only way to get to the next phase in your business is to let go of what you're currently doing, in order to do something even better!

To get something new, you'll need to let go of your some of your current work habits that aren't serving your goal (of a bigger business) and replace them with some new and better work habits.

And I'm confident that your higher business self is 90% clear on what you should stop doing and what you should start doing.

Does that stop/start list immediately come to mind? If not, imagine that you had a new recruit shadowing you every minute for one week. You would be acutely conscious of what you do that you'd like that person to emulate, and also what you do that you'd want them to ignore.

Next, your thoughts, feelings, AND actions need to be aligned. It's hard to act like a bold leader if, deep inside, you feel like you don't deserve to be successful or that financial rewards are incompatible with being a giving person.

When you think about the business you want to have, ask yourself: "What kind of person would attract that? How would they act/feel/dress/speak/think?" The more detailed your thoughts on this, the better. It helps point you along the path to where you want to go.

Be conscious of what makes you uncomfortable during your imaginings. That discomfort deserves further exploration. Possibly it's due to a limiting belief you have -- something that's uncomfortable with the expansiveness of your thinking. Possibly it's due to a disconnect between your values and the kind of action you feel is needed. Whatever the cause, the root is somewhere in your feelings. Remember that your feelings will always trump any business strategy, so check in with yourself on this.

Once you're in alignment, be easy with yourself. Have fun imagining yourself doing things in a new way and experiencing success with that. Imagine that other people are excited and happy for you -- they like seeing you act this way. Imagine how good YOU feel when you're acting in this way -- what are the benefits you're getting?

Give yourself permission to be a beginner. Just start playing with the new habits. You may feel self-conscious at first -- that's fine. Remember how weird it felt learning how to drive? And now, you get in the car and take off, without even thinking about it? Same with your new habits.

CALL TO ACTION

Decide on one habit that's not working for you anymore and pick a new habit to replace it. For the next week, daydream about it, speak about it, and write about it -- in loving detail, with high-definition color and surround sound. Those steps help you manifest what you want to create, in your business and your life.

Author's Bio: 

Marcy Stahl’s passion is helping women direct sellers and solopreneurs achieve the successful lifestyle they want. She knows that the top entrepreneurs have the top mindsets. Her mission is to help every entrepreneur develop a profitable and abundant mindset.

Marcy is a serial entrepreneur. Previously, she co-founded and managed a government contracting firm that earned over $1M in annual revenues. She holds a B.S. with honors and M.S. in Computer Science from George Mason University. Prior to coaching, she spent 21 years in the corporate world in technology.

She is the co-author of Direct Selling Power. Marcy is an Area Chapter Coordinator with the Direct Selling Women’s Alliance (DSWA) and a member of the Direct Selling Women’s Speaker Bureau. She’s currently in coaching school for direct sellers.