THIS IS SERIOUS, my ego screams.

She wants my work to be great. For her, it isn’t enough to create, it’s only worth while if I create something great. For her, it isn’t about quantity, only quality.

She is not content with letting me practice and discover my process. She wants serious results, and she wants them now.

She, my ego, has begun her screaming, and quickly my previously delightful project becomes a source of anxiety. Doubt has set up shop and I find I’m no longer working for the sake of it. I’m no longer happy just being on the field, suddenly I need to run the fastest and the best.

Do you see yourself as the artist you are?

Are you dedicated to creating goods and services that you are proud of and can stand behind?

Do you strive for excellence and are unwilling to accept anything less?

Do you treat your work as the art form it is?

Do you think of your work, whatever it is, as your art?

Do you strive to perform at your highest level?

Do you focus on excellence?

Sure, you might not always act like the master you are. And sure, sometimes your words might betray you. But at the heart of you, do you see your artist?

You have a choice in the kind of market economy you participate in.

The type of economy you inhabit, as a customer and/or as a business, is yours to define. If you imagine a different kind of market society, and a different way of valuing the world, you have the opportunity to shape it. You are contributing to an integrity-driven economy each time you allow your values to drive your decisions.

Too often though, we betray our values when we find ourselves overcome by money pressures. In these moments, we see our integrity as a cost. But the true cost is acting on our price/profit-motivations, as we can make short-sighted choices that prove far more costly in the long-term.

[tweetmeme]

I don’t believe in plans. But planning is essential.

Plans involve making educated assumptions on what the convenient future could entail for your business. But why plan for a future that isn’t going to happen the way you planned it to? In most instances, people think predicting the future is hogwash, but strangely not when it comes to business.

Planning involves educating yourself on where you are going, developing a strategy for how you are going to get there, and a vision of what you want to experience along the way. You don’t need to predict the future, you just need to know there is a route.

Process, not Product

I’ve found answering these 10 questions on business planning is a solid foundation on which to build a sustainable strategy for growth.

The Innerpreneur’s Guide to Planning Your Business

A. What You’re Getting Out of It

1. Why are you starting the business?