This week I spoke to a group of professionals about achieving their goals and making more sales despite the recession this year. They wanted to focus on the "missing links" that prevent them from achieving the results they desire in business, and in life. It was a challenging presentation because these are not "ordinary" people! They know all about written goals. They know about motivational seminars and using competitions to increase performance. And yet, like most people, they were frustrated. Like most of us, they have "tried" and they have "done the right things" and yet often fail to cross the finish line. What are the missing pieces? After briefly reviewing the fundamentals of written goals, a clear strategy and intermediate benchmarks or "baby-steps" to move yourself forward, I gave them three suggestions to fill in the missing links and achieve their dreams:
1. Focus on Personal Development. I love Jim Rohn's quote that "everything changes when you change!" And I also note the corollary: "nothing changes until you change." To live a different life requires that you become a different person. There is no short-cut or exception to this rule. Our lives always reflect who we are, what we value, what we know (or don't know), and what we do with our time and energy. If you want different results, it's never enough to focus only on the mechanics! We all know stories of people who win the lottery or have other huge changes in external circumstances, but within a short time their lives look remarkably the same. To achieve your goals, you must first become the person you want to be!High achievers read different books. They watch different shows. They use time differently. They walk and talk and think differently. And so should you.
2. Change Your Eco-System. To a remarkable degree, we are creatures of our surroundings. It may sound odd, but our lives reflect our furniture! We all know our behavior changes in a fancy restaurant, or when visiting the boss, or our in-law's. We become a different person at a funeral compared to a ball game. Our behaviors are always a perfect reflection of our environment. To achieve your dreams, create a world that supports you. Whether it's your office, your car or your kitchen, live in a world that reminds you of your priorities, a world that energizes you and pulls you forward. This doesn't necessarily require a major investment, but it does require attention to detail.
3. Choose the Right Mentors. Over time, we become like our friends. Consciously and unconsciously we model our behavior after the people we admire and respect. Again, I've written an entire book on MasterMind groups and their power to transform our lives. Work with mentors! The way to learn new skills is to get around someone who can teach you! Learn from your friends, from colleagues, from competitors. By reading biographies, you can even learn from dead people! Winners hang out with and learn from winners. Surround yourself with wise and accomplished mentors!
Thousands of books have been written on goal-setting, motivation and achievement, but most of them focus on the easy part--developing written goals, setting deadlines and so forth. Unfortunately, they neglect the "human" components of personal development, supportive environments and the need for mentors. Too often goal-setting becomes an exercise in failure. Don't do that to yourself! Want to hang-out with winners in a magnificent environment while focusing on your goals and the skills to achieve them? Of course you do! So take action!
Quotes of the Week
"We are what we repeatedly do." -- Aristotle
"What we see depends mainly on what we look for." -- John Lubbock
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind!" -- William James
"Success is neither magical or mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals." -- Jim Rohn
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