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No one ever said that business was easy. In fact, it can be downright brutal at times. In the business world, things don’t always go as planned. It is very unfortunate when this happens. Somewhere along the path, control was lost. When this happens, all too often businesspeople turn to hope.
Hope gives the impression that things will work out. When relying on hope, the vision is of a positive outcome. Hope is a very positive word. Hope makes everything seem better. Yet, hope usually results in a negative outcome. How is it that hope, which holds so much positivity, usually ends in failure? Though it may be a much-needed emotion in our personal lives, hope has no place in business. When we’re hopeful, we place unrealistic expectations on ourselves and more on others, which can lead to disappointment.
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We all agree that having hope is a good thing. When it comes to business, sometimes hope can be downright harmful. In business, hope can be both a motivator and a downfall. When things are looking bleak, it’s easy to cling to hope as a way to feel good about a possible outcome. However, too much hope can actually lead to stagnation and missed opportunities. By learning to eliminate hope in your business dealings, you can make more rational decisions and achieve better results.
No one in business should rely on hope. Relying on hope demonstrates that there isn’t control of the situation to lead to a desired outcome. Of the many pitfalls in business, not having control of the situation can be disastrous. When something is left to hope, the outcome is relying on someone else, not us, to deliver what we desire. When relying on hope, we are asking someone else to do the work to deliver the outcome we desire. All too often this results in failure.
Hope has no place in business. The sooner we realize this, the better off we’ll be. Hope is nothing more than a fantasy; it’s a dream that things will turn out for the best, despite evidence to the contrary. When it comes to business, hope is dangerous because it can lead us to make poor decisions based on unrealistic expectations. Instead of hoping for the best, we should focus on making realistic plans and taking actionable steps to achieve our goals.
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Hope all you want, but if you’re always hoping in business, you will lose in the end. Some businesspeople say hope is the last resort one can utilize. Use hope only as a short-term placeholder. If you are in a position where hope is all you can do, take the time to review what is transpiring. With this opportunity, you can come up with a new action plan. In order to win, you have to take action. This may seem obvious, but it is something that many people forget. Winning requires striving for excellence and putting in the effort necessary to achieve your goals. You can’t sit back and hope for things to happen; you need to take the initiative and make them happen.
Hope will keep your head above water, but taking action will get you out of the pool.
Of course, simply taking any action isn’t enough — you need to take effective action. That means setting your sights high and working diligently toward your targets. It also means making sure that your actions are aligned with your values and priorities. But most importantly, it requires taking massive action; consistent effort over time will get you where you want to go.
By taking action, you stay in control of the desired outcome. By being in control, you are in a better position to make quick changes and/or additions that can influence the desired outcome. Even if the outcome is not what you expected, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did everything you could. In doing so, you would have learned many tactics to use in the future to influence the outcome you desire.
Sure, there will be setbacks and failures along the way, but that’s part of the learning process. With hard work and determination, we can overcome any obstacle and reach our objectives. Instead of hoping for the best, let’s focus on what we can control and make realistic plans with achievable goals. With this mindset, we’ll be happier and more successful in both our professional and personal lives.
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