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Draw Your Line in The Sand

Posted by: Scott Cutcher    Tags:      Posted date:  November 21, 2011  |  No comment


November 21, 2011

As entrepreneurs, it is easy to come up with great ideas, but an idea is only as good as its implementation. You can not think for a moment that failure is an option. Most people I talk to have a “backup plan” which is another way to say “I don’t believe in my concept or myself enough so I will just have a way out if it doesn’t work.” This always frustrates me as a mentor. Psychologically, you have already given up and set the stage for a quick exit if things get tough, and they will get tough.

I find that most of my new startup clients hit a brick wall of self doubt, concept uncertainty or a combination of both. This begins a cycle of excuses, time wasters and frankly, self sabotage. When I see this occurring I let them know it is time to draw a “line in the sand.” In others words you have to articulate what you are going to do to move forward to make your dream a reality, state when this will happen and have a consequence if it doesn’t happen. A well-defined “line in the sand” can be very powerful and propel you towards realizing dreams, just with a timeline.

Like many entrepreneurs, my partner and I found ourselves stuck in beta testing for our products and didn’t even realize it. It is easy to get comfortable in a particular stage of your startup and not really move forward, confusing activity for progress. Once we realized it through a self assessment, it was time to draw our own “line in the sand.” In less than five months we created a self-directed system, published a book, built a website and “re-lauched” our company. All because we drew a line in the sand. I am grateful for this process because it pushed us to our limits and made us stronger in every way. I share this with you to express the power in drawing your own “line in the sand.” So what are the elements to a good “line in the sand”?

  • Articulate what you will accomplish. The more specific you are, the more focused you will be. DON’T get bogged down in the details of HOW, just articulate WHAT you will accomplish.
  • Set a realistic time frame and be sure to take into account your current commitments. You may need to eliminate any that aren’t absolutely necessary to meeting your deadline.
  • Get buy in from key people in your support system like family, friends, etc.
  • Seek out the help you will need from your support system. Nobody can do it alone and people are usually happy to help.
  • Setup some type of weekly accountability. Set weekly focus goals and share them with others to hold yourself accountable.
  • Articulate the result if you follow through and the consequence if you do not. Make sure the consequence is a worst case scenario to match the best case scenario of your result. It could be simply going to work for someone like that old boss that made your life miserable.
  • Write it all down and post it EVERYWHERE! Out of sight out of mind. It is easy to slip back into that comfort zone.

    • Now stop procrastinating, draw your “line in the sand” and reach for your dreams!