Quite often, personal strongholds greatly attribute to the failure of a business. However, if we examine some close-knit areas in our lives, we might easily recognize that some of these elements could be blocking our business and personal successes.
Metaphorically speaking, a stronghold is like a ball and chain in control. It grips, slows you down, stifles and holds you hostage. You will need to weed out, throw out and push out any “thing,” any “body,” any “addiction” or any “situation” that’s smothering, debilitating, controlling or killing your spirit. If your spirit is destroyed, then any thought of productivity in every area of your life dies, unless “you” turn the tables. Some costly strongholds are among these top 7 reasons:
1. Negative thoughts and destructive attitudes:
Devoting too much time and energy on what isn’t working or hasn’t worked, instead of accentuating your assets and making things happen, is harvesting negativity. Once you pinpoint why something isn’t working, quickly address and correct it, then get the direction of your business back on track. Negative thoughts beget destructive attitudes.
2. Toxic relationships:
Friendships, personal and business relationships that rob your energy (Power leeches), monopolize your time or poison your ability to be productive in various areas of your life, need to be deleted. These toxic relationships tend to be spiritually destructive and unsupportive at a time when you probably need them the most.
3. All work and no play:
Nowadays, many workaholics shift into a melt down, beat down or shut down. If you don’t take the time to relax and regroup, you will deplete your mental, physical and emotional energy levels. Your mind might say, “Keep going,” but your body will say, “No way!” Capitalize on your down time, before your busy time takes you down!
4. Finances:
Not having enough money to finance your business endeavors or having a mound of debt that seem impossible to dig out of, is stressful and a distraction. You may need the assistance of an advisor to help you get a better handle on your financial concerns. Don’t let a lack of funds or financial challenges deter you from your vision.
5. Chaotic environments:
Your personal, public and/or work related surroundings where peace does not abound will throw you into a state of constant chaos. This type of environment elevates stress, low morale, defensiveness, depression and non-productivity.
6. Activity vs. Productivity:
Going through the motions by just doing something without the fruits of productivity, will destroy a business. Every business has to stay in the game by consistently reinventing themselves. Doing the same boring, unproductive thing over and over again will stalemate you and your business. Adding something fresh, even if it’s a small change, will keep your business operating and working towards greater profits and productivity.
7. Addictions:
Aside from the addictions that immediately come to mind, repeated tardiness, poor work ethics, non-commitment, normal practices of disrespecting authority, those in upper level management positions abusing their authority by instilling fear into their subordinates, not being a team player, etc., shows irresponsibility and lack of good judgment. You must confront those negative habits that currently control and will eventually destroy you and your business. These addictive patterns of behavior are on a collision course with disaster.
So what do you do? Re-vamp, re-prioritize and re-group! Easier said than done? Yes, you are absolutely right! But, if you don’t do something now, you will become an incubator for these dangerous and unhealthy strongholds that will ultimately become deadly for you and your business. Creating peace and harmony in your life can reduce stress and anxiety, while building spiritual growth and productivity. If your personal house is harmonious, then it tends to spill over into your work relations. Strongholds can be very costly, and not only in terms of monetary losses either.
Kym Gordon Moore is a Creative Marketing Strategist and Public Relations Administrator for Moore 2 It Productions, a firm dedicated to coordinating creative marketing packages for new businesses and new authors. She is a member of the American Marketing Association, American Authors Association, North Carolina Writer's Network, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Kym authored hundreds of articles, essays, poems, won awards for several writing competitions and completed works on her soon to be released book, "Diversities of Gifts: Same Spirit". For more, visit kymgmoore.com.