So what mindset have you got today? If it is not a resourceful mindset what will you do today to make those changes? From experience, I can tell you that there is a feeling of contentment, a feeling of just knowing that everything is going to be alright when you both come from a resourceful mindset. You choose your mindset from the minute you open your eyes each morning. Mindset is your choice! The Journey – Your business venture is a journey to discover, uncover and master. Yes you must start with the end in mind, you also need to enjoy each day as if you are a passenger in your own life. Life cannot be about living for tomorrow, this is your journey together not a task or a means to an end. The key is to appreciate the adventure and never allow becoming complacent about the little things. You must be willing to explore and embrace the unfamiliar. It is only through the unknown that great learning, satisfaction and joy happens and the quality of your life together as business partners and as lovers will blossom the more you are willing to explore the unknown. It is about stepping up to a new level which will give you total empowerment and allow you to work successfully as a team. The BIG Picture - Discuss together and plan your vision of business, family and marriage so that together you can create a shared vision for your future. Have realistic expectations. Your visions for the company may be totally different, and why wouldn‟t they you are both different people, with different life experiences and knowledge to offer. Good vision planning is extremely important, remembering that you both have different values, beliefs and visions it is important to have a planning session to discuss what your business looks like, what it feels like, what you hear and what you both need to do for it to become successful. Importantly understand your own values that you bring to the business. If you don‟t know your values, determining each other‟s values will shape your vision for the organisation. Clarity of common goals and ground rules for your business partnership in the early phases of your business partnership are critical. Ensure you continue each year to revisit your goals together. It is just not the business plans but the plans of how you work together and your life plans which are intertwined with the business. How do you build a set of values which are common to both of you in the business? Without clarity, accountability lines become blurred. This is another area for potential conflict within any organisation. If partners and employees are not clear of their roles and responsibilities then how do you determine who is accountable for what? If no-one is accountable you will have an organisation that is dysfunctional and you will end in the blame game when things go wrong rather than taking responsible for the accountability of the roles assigned to you both and to staff. Take charge of your emotions – you both need to take charge of your emotions as they will hold and mould your life. It is really about understanding your emotions and what triggers those emotions so that in a working relationship you both totally understand how that person reacts emotionally. One of our greatest ah ha moments was our own understanding of our representation systems. Representational systems are the ways we access, process and
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