How Are You Impacted by These States of Being?

In general, all human performance is impacted by three states of being:

1. Awareness
2. Ability
3. Willingness

When you are not getting the results you want, expect, and need, there is likely a breakdown in one of these areas. To illustrate, let me introduce you to Julie.

Julie is a well-respected corporate trainer who specializes in leadership development. She loves working with large energy companies because they value the outcomes she achieves with their staff. Her favorite clients are making real inroads with renewable energy sources.

Julie believes her pricing is “fine,” implying she is not aware of how her pricing affects every aspect of her business, from hiring great people to promoting her company. If she is aware of the effects, then perhaps she is in denial about what’s really happening.

Suppose Julie becomes aware that her pricing is too low, because she’s getting lots of buyers who aren’t a good fit. If she takes them as clients, she is practically giving away her services, because she always does more work than the original project scope requires. Remember, awareness is our first state of being.

She’s also struggling with revenue ups and downs, and while she wishes she could hire more people, she’s afraid to commit to that extra expense. She realizes that awareness of the issues isn’t enough, but she doesn’t know how to fix the problems. The “how to fix something” is an ability issue, our second state of being.

Ironically, Julie has a poster in her office that reads: “The Five Most Dangerous Words in the English Language: Maybe It Will Go Away.” She is aware of the problems and knows she needs to learn how to fix them, but she feels pulled in a hundred different directions and fuzzy on how to clarify her top priority.

Intellectually, she understands the danger of ignoring these issues but decides she can’t focus on them now. “Postponing the fix” and hoping for the best is a willingness issue, our third state of being.

Julie feels stuck inside this endless cycle, especially as she becomes more aware of all the negative effects. She will continue to feel this way until all three states of being are aligned:

1. She is aware of the problems and underlying causes.
2. She improves her ability to address the issues.
3. She is willing to prioritize solving the problems and taking decisive action.

Today’s Question:

How are you impacted by these three states of being? Does one affect you more than the others?

Now What?

Recognizing our very real, very deep fears is the first step, but it’s hard to read the label from inside the jar! That is the value of gaining perspective, especially with a trusted advisor who can be objective.

Once you recognize what is keeping you stuck, you can decide to change it.

-- Excerpt from Patty’s book, Your Hidden Advantage: Unlock the Power to Attract Right-fit Clients and Boost Your Revenue

How are you impacted by these states of being? I'd love to hear what you think.  I read and respond to every email personally.