My Ph.D. and Master of Denim!

There are some days I wake up and I think man, it would be great to go to work and just fold jeans today. I remember working in retail and some days would just drag on forever. All of the communication tasks, training requirements, and daily checklists would be completed and outside of servicing customers, our work was done.

Somedays, when there were a few customers out shopping, maybe the weather was bad or possibly the traffic was light and it was just a slow day. One of my go-to projects would always be the jean/denim wall. Now I've worked in so many stores and no matter where I worked, from adult men to baby girls and boys, there was always a jean wall. With that being said, if the store sells denim, there was always work to do.

Now if you can relate to this task that everyone dreads to do, You know what I mean when I say you have to mentally be prepared to tackle folding the jean wall. Talking about being committed to a project. (Insert flashback) Once you start reworking a denim wall display, you must be all in. I mean truly dedicated. You have to be committed to finding the sizes, finding the styles, locating the planogram, and following it to a tee. This may not seem like a great task to you, but it is something that requires great commitment.

Being committed in this denim reference means taking responsibility for seeing the project through from start to finish. It reminds me of how important it is to be prepared and organized if you want to do it correctly. What are you committing to? What actions are you taking to ensure that you have a successful plan for your business and your life?

Most of you, are like me. And you've probably worked for other people most of your life. You have to be present and show up 5 days a week and apply all of their rules and responsibilities to your day-to-day plans. You’ve had to put in 40+ hours week to week to complete your assigned task. When you work for other people it takes a little bit of the pressure off because you are given guidelines to follow. You don’t have to wonder what to do each day because you are given tasks to complete and someone else is there to hold you accountable for your actions.

What does it mean to be the CEO of your own life?

It means you have to wake up and set goals, create tasks, and commit to doing the work required to achieve those goals. You have to choose each and every day to be committed to the responsibilities that are required for your life.

What does it mean to be the CEO of your Business?

It means the very same thing. You must be committed to doing all of the work and depending on what stage you are in outsourcing and finding help to get everything done. It makes a huge difference when you are in charge of everything. You don’t have time to slack off or call in sick, you have to show up 100% of the time.

When I worked for other people I always found myself doing and going above and beyond because I have a great work ethic. Even in my own business, when I'm given a task or asked to do something. I do my best to complete it 100%. You could call me a perfectionist but I often make mistakes. Making mistakes means that I took action and I tried something and it failed. Are you afraid of committing to something because of the fear of failure? I used to struggle with that too. So now I don't feel bad about my attempts at perfection. I continue to learn from my mistakes and I'm committed to being curious. Do you ever feel that fear creep in and make that unsure emoji face? You know the one that is looking side to side like ummmm? I’ve realized that if it makes me uneasy, then that is the signal that I have to do it.

Being committed means I’m all in. Even if I make mistakes, or something doesn’t quite work I will continue to keep seeking ways to improve and make things better the next time. There are a few ways that you can take action for your life and your business and I want to make sure that you have this ahead of time because there's always time to change.

If you remember, in the 7 Step Formula for Manifesting your Dreams, there is one step that stands out to me. And it's an acronym it's synced S Y N C E D. It means to say yes not can't every day. This is a great way to stay committed to anything that you're doing because when you tell yourself that you can't do something you're not committed but when you say yes I can you're committing to taking action and at least trying.

Here are FOUR Mindset Makeover Tips that you can implement now, in order to commit to your dream and learn to say yes more often.

Number one - Understand what's getting in your way. You can't commit to something when you don't know what the obstacles are and you are not prepared to remove them.

Number two - Become committed to your dream. It should inspire you more and more every day. So embrace the excitement it's okay to See the big picture as long as you stay committed to doing the work.

Number three - Learn to control your thoughts. Be committed to positive thinking. This means that you have to intentionally tell yourself and remind yourself that it's going to be great.

Number four - Commit to doing the work. Hold yourself accountable every day. Be prepared mentally and physically to take action each day. No one's going to be there to hold your hand so it's up to you to get the results that you want.

I remember when I had to downsize my living space for the 2nd time. My daughter and I were living in a place that was so sad to me. It was dirty, old, ran down, and not that safe. I felt blessed because so many had less, but I was disappointed in myself because it was the only place that I could afford. At the time I was dealing with heartache and depression. I couldn’t sleep at night and I would often pray and cry myself to sleep. I just simply wanted more. I knew that I was dedicated to being the boss and running my business so giving up wasn’t an option. I wanted MORE. Wanting MORE became my motivation.

I remember getting up each and every morning dedicated to the work that I needed to do. Most days I didn't have an idea of where to start or what to do that day I just took action. Some days I would listen to webinars or go on YouTube and learn something new. I learned about marketing and branding and the importance of having a clear message. I will say that working and retail for over 20 years has given me great insight into the power of branding. The importance of being consistent and how to react quickly to change to get the results that you want. I can't tell you how many times we would set the sale according to a blueprint and then have to change it two days later. In my business today, I like to call it “Shift & Pivot”. I must admit that this is a learned talent. While most of my co-workers would complain about redoing something or question the directive, I would remind them. It’s time to get to work. Plus, we get paid by the hour, so just remember that.

Adjusting to change means that you're committed to the results that you want. What are you adjusting to in your life that allows you to stay committed and stay focused on your goals and responsibilities?

Becoming the CEO of your life and Your Business requires great commitment. It’s just like that denim wall display you have to be all in! You have to get organized, identify the missing pieces, make sure the pricing and placement are right and do it knowing that in 5 minutes 1 person could come in and mess it all up. You have to take that risk. You have to be committed and do what it takes every day. But the best part is that when you finish this Denim masterpiece AKA you launch your business, it looks amazing! it makes you feel proud! It increases sales and everyone will ask…. WHO DID THE JEAN WALL? You’ll practically be famous!

Join me each week for a new episode and a new perspective. Learn how to SHIFT those old thought processes and prepare for the PIVOT to create a major change for your future.

Entrepreneurship is more than a journey, it's a lifestyle. It's time to stop making excuses and BE THE CEO of YOUR LIFE! www.bridgetterooks.com