Auto Repair Show Owners: Do You Take One Step Forward, Two Steps Back?

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back by Rick White, President 180BIZ

 I want to talk to you today about the concept of two steps forward, one step back. We've all heard that. And we say it from a perspective of negativity which concerns me. Two steps forward, one step back shouldn't be a surprise. They are lessons. When you're doing something new, this is where you get to learn. This is where you say, “Whoop. I didn't get what I wanted. It didn't go the way it should have.” That's why we have the one step back. You get two steps forward, one step back, and then two steps forward, one step back. That's the way life should be when we are in growth mode.

The problem I have is when it's one step forward, two steps back. Have you ever felt like that in your life before? I know I have.  That's when it's scary. And I'm going to tell you why that's happening.  It's happening because of (1) FALSE EXPECTATIONS. That's the first thing. False expectations are causing the one step forward, two steps back. What do I mean by that? You have this expectation that you're going to go do something for the first time and do it perfectly. It doesn't work that way. Understand and recognize that you're going to fail. In fact, the more you fail, the faster you're going to succeed. Learn to embrace failure and understand that it is not a stumbling block. It’s a stepping stone to help you to get to the success that you’re looking for. So, the first thing is false expectations.

Look, you're going to fail. You're going to fall. You're going to stumble. That's the lesson. This all about getting back up and debriefing. Figure out what the lesson is. What is the reason you stumbled? I believe that everything you run into, there's a purpose behind it, a reason for it, and a lesson within it. So that's the first thing that keeps you at one step forward, two steps back.

If you think about two steps forward, one step back. That's forward growth. But when you go one step forward, two steps back, again and again, you're going backward. And that doesn't work. So, the first thing is false expectations.

The second thing is when you have these false expectations and you have yourself filled with (2) DOUBT, then the step back feeds the doubt. You start to doubt yourself, to doubt your abilities. Doubt is what's killing you right now. You can't consistently achieve what you don't consistently believe. If you have doubt, that doubt is going to cause one step forward, two steps back. Now that doubt is you listening to the voice of other people. It's listening to that inner critic inside of you that honestly is trying to protect you. What you say to yourself, that voice that you hear inside becomes your focus. Your focus determines your potential and actions, which creates your future. Think about that. What you say to yourself determines your focus, becomes your focus. Your focus determines your potential and the actions you take, which create your future.

So how do you get rid of this doubt? It's really simple, but not so easy sometimes. This is a journey. This is not an event. The way you get rid of your doubt is to TRUST. So what do I trust? I trust the (A) HIGHER POWER. I believe in God. I trust in my higher power. I trust there's a plan for my life. I trust that (B) EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR ME, NOT TO ME.  That's the whole thing about the reason, the purpose, and the lesson. I must learn them so that I can continue on my path. And then the third thing that I trust is I trust my (C) CAPABILITIES. I don't trust my ability. A lot of times I'm doing something I've never done before. I can't trust the ability. That's where the stumbling takes place. What I do trust is my capability. This is where I look at previous scenarios. Previous times in my life, where I overcame, where I learned to do things that I couldn't do before. There was a time I couldn't fix a vehicle. I can fix any car today. I don't care what it is. I may never have worked on the system before, but I know I can learn it. I know that I can figure it out. I have that trust in my capabilities.

I have overcome defeat. I have overcome setbacks. I have overcome challenges. So have you. So I want you to trust in a higher power. If you believe in that, I want you to believe. And I want you to trust that everything is happening for you, not to you. And I want you to trust in your capabilities. Why? Because I believe in you. I believe that everything that you want, all the ingredients that you need are already inside of you. You just have to uncover them, unwrap them, and improve them to make them better. You got this. I believe in you. Two steps forward, one step back. Expecting to go five steps forward and never have a step back is delusional. Keep it at two steps forward, one step back and you’ll succeed. If it’s the other way around, one step forward, two steps back, you have a doubt issue or false expectations. Thinking it's going to be one smooth line doesn't work. You can fix this by trusting. Trust in a higher power, trust in a plan, trust in your capabilities.

God bless and go make some money!