“The Secret” of Business Success

Either you or someone you know will have seen or read The Secret. It’s an inspirational book suggesting if we follow the law of attraction we will get what we ask for. Positive thinking really can bring us success and riches. Similarly, negative thoughts will transpire into obstructive outcomes.

If you believe in the law of attraction, it will impact every aspect of your life, including your career and business.

Is it really as easy as sitting in our armchairs and visualizing our business raking in the money, or is there more to it than that? Are we misinterpreting how the law of attraction applies to business?

The essence of the law of attraction

The fundamental principle behind the law of attraction is that we, and everything around us, our energy, and as a result, we are all connected. By emitting positive energy, fuelled by our own desires, we can attract towards us anything we want.

Science proves this to be true. For many years, athletes have practiced visualization techniques to mentally prepare for races. Science has shown that those who are adept at visualization perform better after mentally rehearsing their performance. We also know that our mental attitude can affect our bodily responses.

Anyone who has done a firewalk will have been amazed at how the power of positive thought can prevent their feet from getting burnt. Quantum physics is also starting to explain this connection and add credibility to the law of attraction and positive thinking.

But is positive thinking alone enough?

I’ll put my cards on the table now. I am a proponent of positive thinking and regularly practice the law of attraction with great success. However, I am also not naive enough to think I can sit at home all day and believe my business positively into an overnight success story. That tells me there must be more to it than just positive thinking.

Try it for yourself. See whether you can make an object defy the law of gravity through positive thought. I know of no one who can do this because the law of gravity simply exists. It is an immutable law.

There are immutable laws of business too

In the same way that the law of gravity is immutable, there is an argument for immutable laws of business.

However laws of anything – are not actual laws. It’s a marketing term, i.e., a way to attract customers and for content, readers. For example, a Google search presents 1.5 million results for the immutable laws of marketing ….Some more topics that include ‘immutable laws of’:

• Branding
• Nature
• Physics
• The Universe
• Building a product
• Security

What are the immutable laws?

A discussion of the immutable laws is beyond the scope of this article, and some are still being discovered. Still, I want to discuss two which I believe are so fundamental to your business success (or indeed any success) that you cannot afford to ignore them.

The first is discussed by Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great” (which I would recommend every business owner reads) is: confront the brutal reality of your present situation when you set your goals. Only by facing the brutal reality of your current situation can you have any appreciation of the road you have to travel to achieve your goals. That’s not to say that you aspire for less.

Simply understand what needs to be done to make those goals happen. So many people set big goals without this appreciation and then can’t understand why success seems such a long way off. The practice of that law in itself tells us that you cannot just sit in your armchair and positively think your way to success. Obstacles will not evaporate unless you take action to remove them. That leads me to the second law, which is contained within The Secret itself.

To achieve success you must take action

One of the fundamental principles of The Secret (but one often overlooked) is that to achieve your goals, you must take action. You cannot just sit and visualize, but you must move towards your goals with desire and passion.

Successful entrepreneurs relate to the long hours working in a startup. The first few months require building a solid foundation for future success. For example, being the only person in the business, you must do it all and be all things to all people. Once sales and revenue start to look good, it’s time to employ staff.

You can’t short circuit this process without spending lots of money, and often those who do, don’t see the long-term success necessary for creating an endurable business. If you rush towards your goals, then some of the immutable laws may get overlooked, which in turn can lead to business failure.

That means not winging it

Taking action means not “winging it” and not adopting a “she’ll be right” attitude to building your business. You must put a solid foundation of systems, documentation, and processes to ensure stable growth as you move towards your goals. For example, if your goal is to climb Mt Everest, you will not leave ill-equipped for the challenge. You also don’t expect to reach the summit overnight.

When building your business, make sure you have the key agreements in place with your partners, employees, suppliers, customers, agents, distributors, etc. Then, you can back those up with documented systems and processes. Then add you are positive thinking, and business success will be yours. That is the real secret of business success, but don’t expect it to happen overnight – it takes mental fortitude, planning, and patience.