THE 6 SKILLS FOR MAXIMUM ACHIEVEMENT

We are all “too busy!” We work hard, we have enormous “to-do” lists, and most of the time we feel slightly inadequate because at the end of the day, there is so much more to accomplish.
We return all the calls we can, and yet there are messages waiting on our desks. When it comes to email, our inboxes are always full. We attend the meetings, we do the paperwork, we run the errands, and at the end of the day, we try to spend quality time with loved ones. Sometimes it just seems like TOO MUCH! (Ever been there? Done that? Of course you have!)
So, in the midst of the “have-to’s,” what happens to our “want-to’s?” We want t o build our businesses. We want to exercise more, we want to take the kids to a ball game, and we want to relax! We want to make things better, buy a sailboat, take a vacation, read a book, or pursue a hobby. (Does anyone else miss the “old days” when fishing was a real option? How about gardening or flying a kite, or taking a nap?)
Now – just to rub salt in the wound – here’s the really painful part: High achievers DO the things we want to do! No one sees Donald Trump running to catch an elevator. Oprah Winfrey goes to the parties, has time to exercise (with her personal trainer) and vacations around the world. Bill Gates takes a vacation every 3 months! How do these super-stars do it?
The answer is super-productivity, what I call MAXIMUM RESULTS with minimum time and effort. What are the secrets? How (exactly) can we do it?
That’s our challenge, and fortunately, the answers are available. They are availab le to each of us and they can be learned. Now, I didn’t say they were “easy” or even “obvious.” But people have written about them. They have talked about them. Heck, they even offer seminars, and coaching is always available. Super-achievers are not different from us. There is no mystery.
But there are techniques. There are disciplines and practices, habits we can master to get super-results in our lives. This can be done, and it can be done by anyone who will put in the time, learn the techniques, change old habits for new, better habits, and create results they’ve always dreamed of. It can be done and you can do it!
To give you a preview, here are six of the basic elements super-achievers use to achieve MAXIMUM RESULTS with minimum time and effort:
1. Clear VALUES. They know what’s valuable, and what is trivial. They understand that some of our “have-to’s” are an illusion. Some things are not as important as they seem. The key is knowing what to do and what not to do.
2. Clear PRIORITIES. In any given moment, there is only ONE thing that deserves your time and energy. That ONE thing will bring results, that ONE thing will move you forward, and IT should be done. Everything else should be delegated or set aside.
3. Clear FOCUS. Whatever you do, do it with all your heart. Do it efficiently and skillfully. Super-achievers are not confused or distracted. They do not “multi-task” because they know human beings can only FOCUS on one thing at a time. Even in a world of distractions, you can do this!
4. Clear CHOICES. They know where their unique abilities should be applied and how to delegate everything else. They make decisions knowing they have limited time, energy and skills, and they make careful choices to get MAXIMUM RESULTS. You can, too.
5. Clear BOUNDARIES. Super-achievers are not interrupted. They do not work in chaos. They create Personal Eco-Systems™ that use their time, talents and skills to maximum advantage.
6. Clear OUTCOMES. They are precise about what they want, and settle for nothing less. They know exactly which results they need to move them forward, and they keep track. As Peter Drucker said, “what gets measured, gets done!”
There is no mystery to getting more done. Each of us has the same amount of time each day. We have about the same amount of energy, but fortunately, we all have enormous potential. The difference between the super-achievers and the res t of us is a set of skills! They know how to get things done, or in my favorite phrase, they have a “recipe” for success and we can all learn to use it!

Quotes of the Week
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."
-- Goethe
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" -- Mary Oliver
“Entrepreneurship is a state of mind, a can-do attitude, a capacity to focus on a vision and work toward it.”
-- Barry Rogstad
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he had imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
- - Henry David Thoreau