In business and in life we need to be tough on occasion. To coin a few cliches, sometimes we need to be cruel to be kind, and in order to make an omelette we need to break a few eggs. But how do we learn to develop the killer instinct needed to make these decisions?
Develop Your Killer Instinct
I suggest you practise on your clutter. Can de-cluttering cure all of your problems? No, only you can do that, but de-cluttering can be a great training ground. For in order to successfully conquer your clutter, an element of ruthlessness is required.
No big decisions can be made without some element of risk and deciding to ditch all of your clutter can seem risky. However as the consequences are rarely serious, it’s easier to make this type of decision about your clutter, than in a situation where your career or business could be on the line.
Will You Risk It?
Will you regret ditching all your greetings cards, your too-small clothes and photos of your ex’s? Will you regret giving all your videos away (you can’t watch them anyway as you no longer own a VCR)? Will you regret throwing away two years of magazines you’ve never had time to read? Probably not. But at the time it can feel like a momentous decision.
Change is a Catalyst
We all have the tendency to fear change, but whilst you shouldn’t make changes just for the sake of it, change can be a great catalyst for growth. It wakes us up, it stimulates the mind, it feeds creativity, and it can attract new people and opportunities.
Empower Yourself
A decision may seem hard to take, it may require you to think long and hard and weigh up the risks; but once you’ve made it you won’t look back. As you make each new choice you will feel stronger and more powerful, and your resolve will increase. You’ll start by giving away the books, but soon you’ll be selling the bookcase. You’ll thin out your paperwork and then realise that the filing cabinet is superfluous.
With these victories under your belt you will feel more empowered to tackle your difficult boss, or inject some energy into your business marketing.
Tiger or Sheep?
As the singer Madonna once said “Better to live one year as a tiger, than a hundred as a sheep”. A ruthless streak is a useful quality to have on occasion, so de-clutter your surroundings and develop your killer instinct.
