Chances are, you're not really applying your time, money, or energy in the right directions, or with enough intensity. Let's review 3 critical, yet simple things the most successful people 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, more specifically, what is your primary goal for the next 12 weeks?
*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 assume that they are thinking on a daily basis just because they are using their brain to get through the day. But, chances are very good it is 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). The key is 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? Keep reading.
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, what I strive to master and also help my clients master, 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. It doesn't take money (next to nothing need be spent to learn this stuff), nor much 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.
*Try it now: set a timer for 10 minutes and focus on achieving your most meaningful goal... It can help to ask "How can I?"
3- Maximize your resources
The most successful are very good at leveraging their resources for maximum returns. A simple 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” as many hours as others. 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 time, money, and energy in order to achieve your most meaningful goals.
*Get creative, be strategic, and find ways to improve your own circumstances while making the world a better place.
To your continued success,
Heather A Legge
www.EnvisionSuccessInc.com