Are you all in in business and in life?

The 1% Mindset Shift

Being all in is a 1% mindset shift, just a small shift, that is the difference between thinking and executing at a good level or at a level that takes you everywhere you are capable of going. It is critical to the entrepreneurial journey, because bringing a new business idea to life largely consists of doing something new, different or better, which also means there is no proven path or template that if we follow it to a tee we are guaranteed success. Successful entrepreneurs view themselves as venturing into a new frontier in which they are responsible for overcoming new obstacles, for creating new, more efficient, more useful, more valuable products and services, and for participating in bringing about economic and societal change. This is a tall order, but if entrepreneurship is your calling, being all in is critically important for fulfilling the order.

Entrepreneurship is filled with unknowns and obstacles, as it is the nature of the beast. When an obstacle blocks my path and it is impossible to see the way, my confidence falters. These have been the times when I’ve had to make a conscious decision to be all in or not if I want to emerge victorious. Straddling the fence or ‘sort of’ dealing with the challenge is never a recipe for success, and it is often destined for dissatisfaction at best and most likely failure. I stop and ask myself if overcoming the obstacle is worth it. There is a finite amount of time in the day, and where I choose to spend my time matters. It matters at epic proportions. Do I go all in or not? Will the benefit to all involved be great once we are on the other side? If the answer is yes, then it is time to dig deep and do what it really takes.

 

Apply the Shift to Life

And I’m not just talking about business. Life is integrated, and the ability to be all in in business is dependent upon being all in in your personal life as well. This is particularly true for women in business (in entrepreneurship and in the corporate world). Cultural norms are not always aligned with the paths we are forging, requiring us to tackle obstacles and usher in new and better ways to craft fulfilling lives where work and home life are complements to one another and equally integral to a healthy whole. And it takes being all in.

 

Maximize Your Path

I believe this with strong conviction, as being all in has been calling, maybe yanking, on me for as long as I can remember. No coasting, no corner cutting, no taking the easier route. It is both a blessing and a curse. Looking back over my 25 year journey as a co-founder, spouse and parent, it has been at the center of the outcome of every major path I have chosen:

  • To co-found a new business with 1 and 2-year-old children
  • To grow the business to enterprise scale and industry leadership
  • To prioritize partnership and equality of home structure and family choices
  • To break with cultural norms around the definition of balance
  • To build a company with a core focus on the creation of long-term value
  • To set pace that maximizes the healthy whole – particularly when society is pressing you to do otherwise and you know something big will have to give
  • I could go on and on

This is a major list, and I know that when I wasn’t all in the path took a direction that wasn’t where it could or should go. When I engaged a mindset shift, the work didn’t get easier but the outcomes often surpassed all expectations. It is an amazing place to be.

I recently participated in a think tank discussion focused on efforts to speed progress for women entrepreneurs, and time and again the conversation turned to the development of tools and useful content to help women be the drivers of change – to be all in. If leading experts in the field are discussing the value of being all in, there must be something to this.

Are you all in to maximize the outcome of your journey? I invite you to join my community, use it to be all in, and take your journey to the next level.

Please share your comments on what it means to you to be all in, but even better, share a video at the link below. Thank you for helping to empower the community!

https://stephaniebreedlove.com/book/

Always All In,

Stephanie