BUSINESS

Problem or possibility? The shrouded secret to succeed in business

Paula M. Parker
Special to the Daily News

His hand goes up. The audience gasps. Simon stops the singer.

“It’s the wrong song, can you rehearse another one and try again,” he said. And depending upon your perspective, that scenario is either a problem or a possibility.

Maybe Cowell is coaching. “Dig deep, then come back and show me the vocal mastery, I know you have.”

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Well, that’s my interpretation. Ultimately the artist returns, and belts out a song to thunderous applause. Problem or possibility: Is it the shrouded secret to succeed in business, too? Read on.

What if a problem is really a possibility in disguise, and it’s inviting you to reach deep within to discover your authentic talent, like that singer? Because when you change what something means, everything changes.

Parker

Before I explain, check out the Latin root of “possibility,” possibilitatem. “Meaning a possible thing or substance; that which may take place or come into being.”

If the vocalist views Simon’s instruction as an inspiring possibility, she conjures her true talent into being and brings the house down. But if she’s anxious and thinks it’s a problem, that’s constrictive energy, which can constrict vocal cords.

Zero singing mastery there.

Two different outcomes. Now imagine framing a problem in business as a possibility. No, I’m not suggesting that you like something you really don’t. That’s when being emotionally neutral works. A possibility, when it’s positive, opens your mind to a realm of infinite solutions. It’ll call forth your every talent, and some you don’t know you have.

Accessing your talent and solutions, in business, is a success strategy, shrouded secret or not.

People think in patterns, for too many reasons to explain here. It’s not always a bad thing, as songs have patterns. But what happens if the pattern isn’t beneficial?

In business or otherwise, responding by thinking in limiting patterns, to new situations, when absolutely committed to change, is frustrating. Can you relate? You’re making progress in personal development. Then one day a situation crops up. Enter the old self.

“Hey, I’m persistent, I’ll do everything in my power so you’ll handle this the exact same way you have for decades.”

If you give in, it reinforces the old behavioral pattern. What changes?

Here’s the paradox. Transforming any pattern that keeps you stuck is a contest between you and you. Because the only one telling you to think the same old way about a situation is... you.

Can you transform a limiting pattern? Yes, of course. Depending upon its strength, transformation takes patience and repetition. Results far exceed effort when clients apply these mindset alchemy principles in business. Here’s why: “When you become the master of your mind, you are master of everything.” That's Swami Satchidananda.

No "America’s Got Talent" audition? It’s OK. You’re brilliant in your own right. You have the power to turn a problem into a possibility and to transform a limiting pattern, into a beneficial one. That’s superstar talent, and wherever you go, it’s there.

Paula M. Parker, of Ashland, is an owner’s adviser preparing businesses to prosper. Contact her at www.paulamparker.net.