On Breaking and Establishing New Patterns

Here’s a pattern:

You compete for your prospect’s business. You make it to the presentation stage. They say they like you a lot, but you cost more than your competitors. You lose the business.

Here’s another pattern:

You call your dream client to check in each quarter. They tell you nothing’s changed. You ask them if it’s okay to call them and check in again in another quarter. They happily agree.

Here’s one more pattern:

Your boss is a jerk. He doesn’t understand that it’s not your fault that you aren’t producing results. He tries to get you to change what you’re doing. You quit and get a new boss. The new boss is a jerk.

The One Thing You Can Change

The common denominator in each of these patterns is you. If you continue to do the same thing over and over again, you will produce the same result over and over again. The only thing that you have any real ability to change is you. And how lucky we are that this is true.

You can break unhealthy patterns at any time you choose. You can stop doing what you are doing when it isn’t working and do something different instead.

Establishing Virtuous Patterns

Here’s a different pattern:

You win your dream client. You solve their problems and they’re happy with you. Instead of becoming complacent, you bring your dream client a new, unsolicited, value creating idea. Your dream client is even happier. You repeat this every quarter.

Here’s one more pattern:

You call your dream client and they refuse to give you their time. You nurture them by providing them an actionable, valuable idea or insight. They still refuse to give you the time of day. Nurture. Nurture. Nurture. Nurture. Your dream client is dissatisfied. They agree to meet with you.

We fall into patterns. Some of them are vicious. Others are virtuous. To break unhealthy patterns and establish new ones, you have to change what you’re doing.