Are you ready to experience more success? Well sure! But how?
I help people daily determine how to intentionally create their professional and personal success, whether they are business owners, or working professionals within a larger organization. I am always working to help people understand that it doesn't have to be difficult to get what you really want, nor do you have to sacrifice other things you want. It is a matter of making a decision and carrying out some simple, proven steps for creating your own version of success!
My objective here is to share some information, and give you at least one take-away that you can apply immediately that is helpful, and to allow you to make some decisions: Do you want to be ordinary, or do you want to be extraordinary? What is your next step?
What is Success?
Everyone defines success differently, but the most typical comments include a measure of financial freedom. And when we make a point to study the most successful people in our culture, we can see patterns emerge that differentiate them from the masses financially. While we acknowledge that money doesn’t make us happy, it makes us comfortable, gives peace of mind, and allows us to provide greater service to others and also allows us to do a lot more of what we want, when we want.
On that note, let me ask you this: Why do approximately 1% of people have over 95% of the money? It’s NOT due to luck, nor intelligence, nor is it related to formal education. The ones at the very top did not have everything given to them either. These people made a DECISION to actively create their success.
How?
We can look at 3 critical, yet simple things the ones at the top do differently from the rest:
1- Know what you want!
How can you possibly get from A to B if you don’t know what B is? Do you just get in your car and start driving aimlessly? NO, before you get to the end of your street, you know your desired destination. Strangely, most people don’t know what they want. Like most people, I used to spend more time determining where to go for dinner, or making out their Christmas list than determining what to accomplish over the next year. What do you want to be known for? What is your Mission? Or, for the purposes of this article at least, what is your primary goal for the next 6 months? Take action by acknowledging specifically what you want and writing it down.
2- Apply the Art of Thinking!
No, I’m not being facetious here. Most people (the other 99%) assume that they are thinking on a daily basis just because they are using their brain to get through the day. But, that’s not quality thought. Are we really thinking when we are watching TV? (Using brain; not thinking!) What about when we are driving? What about when preparing for a project or a presentation or writing a research paper – that’s a lot harder and we have to think for that, right? Wrong. That’s not it either. What I mean by “thinking” in this case is the ability to expend thought energy which is completely focused toward something specific (yes, even in our widespread, self-professed world of Attention Deficit). Focus. So we apply the Art of Focused Thinking on getting what we really want.
Beyond focusing on what we want, there is another facet to the Art of Thinking that the most successful people have mastered. In terms of success, there are 2 distinct mindsets to understanding how a person is getting their current results (and how to change future results). The 1st mindset says that one’s results are caused by things outside oneself, like government and taxes and weather and Joe down the street did this and Betty did that and he or she makes me angry and the economy sucks and that’s why my business is down, etc... Sound familiar? So what do we do about it? Most people go about trying to change their results by acting on what they see in their circumstances. Then they are frustrated because they aren’t seeing the change in results that they want. This is exactly why just about everyone thinks changing habits is so HARD.
Do you want to set yourself apart from the crowd? Do you want to be unforgettable?
The 2nd mindset is the success-oriented way of thinking,. What that top 1% has completely mastered is this more illuminating view of cause and effect. While others are looking at the circumstances around them as the cause of their results, the most successful people in the world acknowledge that the results they are seeing around them are the Effect. What is the Cause?
MY actions are the cause for MY results!! And it’s not just about taking personal responsibility, it’s much more powerful than that; it’s about thinking in a different way. What I see around me in my daily existence is the result of what I am consistently thinking, saying, and doing. What these top achievers do differently, and what I help my clients with, is creating daily habits of thinking and acting applied to the Cause, and therefore achieving the desired Effects. Have you heard the saying “Doing great things is a simply a matter of doing small things in a great way.”?
Anyone can change their future results by applying the Art of Thinking. It’s not new, it’s not hard, and it’s well within anyone’s reach in terms of having the money (next to nothing need be spent to learn this stuff), and also in terms of time (I’m talking about maybe 10 minutes of focus time a day, more if you have it – but that’s all it really takes to make a HUGE difference and see improved results). More than anything, applying the Art of Thinking is about learning how to focus on what you really want.
3- Maximize your resources!
The very wealthy are very good at leveraging their resources for maximum returns, a good example is establishing multiple sources of income so they are making money while they sleep, while they lead a very comfortable lifestyle, and of course while they are "playing" because many of them don’t “work” at all. They are also very good at continuously looking to maximize their resources in innovative ways that other people do not take advantage of. Look around and start considering how you can maximize your resources.
Applied Knowledge:
I’ll share here two techniques that you can apply immediately, or at least in the next week:
1- In the spirit of applying the Art of Thinking, I’ll suggest that you establish a creative perspective in business. 'Creative' in this case does not mean 'artistic,' it refers to an approach to problem solving that is geared away from the more common competitive mindset. You cannot always be worrying about what your competition is doing; it is far better to blaze a trail than to be a follower. During the very next situation you face in your work that requires some problem-solving, I invite you to take a more creative approach. One easy method is to start asking questions. Don’t allow yourself to automatically say “I can’t” – start asking “How can I?”
2-In terms of Maximizing Your Resources, leverage expert knowledge from other people. No one wins on their own; everyone has a team of people and various resources from which they pull in order to put everything together. Even lone ranger entrepreneurs and sole proprietors need other people to ensure their success. Your customers are an excellent source of expert knowledge. Are you asking your customers what they think? Start asking; there are hundreds of options for approaching your customers and gathering their valuable insight, and in addition to strengthen your relationship with your customers. (If you need a survey or verbal poll, contact me and I can help you put one together.) Another really powerful way to leverage others’ knowledge is to join a group of people in business that understand the same challenges as you are facing but are not direct competitors, that you can rely on for honest feedback, generating ideas, you can focus together to create and implement amazing solutions for the very specific challenges that you are individually and collectively dealing with. The very elite in business have been doing this for some time, and it is my pleasure to bring this concept to you here. Right now I am helping groups of 8 form together to start in January, and each group will focus on helping their own businesses thrive in 2009 by leveraging each other’s strengths, and by pooling their resources together to gain the benefits of a having a professional business coach facilitate their progress. (Contact me for details.)
What's Your Next Step?
Remember I said the ones at the very top made a DECISION to actively create their own success? Do you know what you really want? Are willing to apply the Art of Thinking to get what you really want? And are you maximizing your resources? Talk to your customers and put that expert knowledge to work.
Still not sure what your next step is? Consider joining a group of successful business people and experience something extraordinary over the next few months.
Don’t settle for ordinary. Don’t assume you’re going to have a rough year in 2009. Make a decision now for how you can actively create your success!