In one of my recent group mentoring sessions, we had a powerful conversation about change. More accurately, we talked about the gap between what people say they want and what they actually choose through their actions. It has become a pattern I see every week with business owners across all sectors. They talk about goals, they talk about problems, they talk about the change they need. They talk and talk. Yet when it comes to stepping up and doing the actual work, very few follow through.
One of my mentors used to say something that irritated me for years: “You are exactly where you choose to be. If you are not changing it, you are choosing it”. At the time it annoyed me because it felt unfair. I didn’t realise or accept that I was waiting for other people to fix things. I wanted circumstances to shift, markets to turn, support to appear. But over time I realised he was right. Most of what I called bad luck or difficult conditions was actually my own delay in taking responsibility. The moment you stop waiting and start acting is the moment your life and your business change.
This mindset issue is hitting SMEs hard today. I see talented founders paralysed by waiting. They are waiting for the government. Waiting for interest rates to drop. Waiting for market conditions to improve. Waiting for the perfect timing. Waiting for stability that never comes. And if timing is not the excuse, the seasons will do. January is too quiet. February is too short. March is too busy. April is the wrong time to start anything significant. The excuses roll effortlessly from month to month while nothing meaningful shifts.
Meanwhile other business owners are waking up early, stepping up, and taking decisive action. They are focusing on clarity, ownership and consistency. They are picking one project and pushing it forward every day. They are doing the uncomfortable work when no one is watching. And as a result they are winning again and again. Their success is not sudden and it is not lucky. It is predictable. It is the compound effect of small daily actions that most people avoid.
The truth is this. It is never the market. It is never the government. It is never the economy. It is rarely sales ‘generally’. It is almost always you ‘specifically’. You are responsible (Response-able). You get to choose how you show up. You get to decide how you use your time. You get to create momentum or stall your own progress. You get to define whether you stay stuck or move forward.
That mentoring session highlighted the truth in real time. Three people. Three stories. Three examples of what happens when someone finally chooses action over noise. One member had gone from emergency accommodation to his own home and a new business within six months. Not through luck. Through consistent, simple, repeated effort. Another shared that after one honest conversation he felt like a different person because he finally accepted that inaction was his real barrier. A third learned how to shift his mindset completely after a venomous one star review. Instead of spiralling, he took the right steps and even had the review removed by Google the same day.
None of this required motivation. None required a miracle. They gained clarity, followed a simple system, and took three meaningful actions every day. Not a hundred tasks. Not random activity. Three actions that moved their business forward. It is remarkable how far ninety days of focused effort can take you. It will outperform a full year of scattered busyness every time.
Business can be tough. Life can be tougher. But most people sit in a place of quiet desperation because they avoid the free actions that could shift everything. Conversations that would open a door. Follow ups that would unlock revenue. Planning that would give direction. Discipline that would build confidence. None of it needs special talent. It just needs a choice.
If you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed or tired, remember this. You are more powerful than your problems as long as you are willing to act. Your circumstances will not improve because you wish them to. They change because you decide to. You cannot outsource your success. You cannot wait your way into progress. You have to pick yourself, back yourself, and move yourself.
You are exactly where you choose to be. And if you are not changing it, you are choosing it.
