When thinking about success many of us fall into the trap of thinking that success only applies to wealth and fame. We often define success as earning a huge salary, a prestigious career, fancy cars, or fame. This is a horrible trap to fall into. When you look at success this way it is easy for your mind to say "I don't need to be successful to be happy, look those successful people aren't always happy anyway, so why bother."
In the Focusing on Success program we use a much broader approach to success. We define success as:
Success - achieving the desired outcome of our values, intentions, and actions.
By looking at success in broader terms we can apply the definition of success to anything that we desire. In the Focusing on Success program we concentrate on success in five areas; wealth, health, relationships, mind, and spirituality. However, you can apply the program to virtually any aspect of of your life and anything you want to accomplish.
So keep in mind you can use this program for anything from improving your golf score to finding the perfect companion. Just follow the process as they pertain to each thing that you are trying to achieve and you will be successful.
Using the program to improve you health would work something like this;
First, review and set your values as they relate to health. In this respect some of your key values may be health, energy, physical fitness, or appearance.
Next determine your targets/goals. They might look like; "In January I wear a size 4 dress, have the energy to play with my children at night, and provide my body with healthy nourishment."
Now that you have your goals you can assign the whys like; I feel more confident in a size 4, I want to develop strong bonds with my children, and I want to help my body stay healthy.
With the Whys in place, it's time to move on to the intentions. For a healthier you, your intentions may be; I will exercise 5 times per week, I will limit my intake of processed foods, I will take a multi-vitamin daily.
Now each day as you review your intentions and set your action items you will have a clear and compelling reason to eat a salad for lunch or take a walk in the morning. It will be easy to accomplish and since you completely understand, you will be less likely to skip that necessary actions.
So find something today that you have been wanting to improve on and give it a try. I look forward to hearing about your successes.
Cheers to Success!
Tony Booth
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Actions are Key
In order to accomplish anything at all you must take action. Without actions you are not moving forward. If you go through each day without a plan you will find yourself wandering through life aimlessly. Sure, you may accomplish a lot of the things you want to and you may be very successful. But if you want to be super successful and accomplish all the things you deserve, you must have a plan and you must take action. In the Focusing on Success program, we take action everyday. We work at constant improvement and movement towards our goals on a daily basis. How do we do that? Through our daily Critical Action Items.
Every day (or the night before) you need to sit down and review what you would like to accomplish today. As you do this, you pick out 5 to 10 Critical Action Items that you need to complete in order to move closer to your intentions. Write each item down in order that you want to complete them and when you start your day, start with number one. Provide your complete and undivided attention to that particular task and do not move on until it is completed. Avoid interruptions like emails, phone calls, etc. while you are working on a task. Those things can wait. Use the time between your action items to follow up with important emails and phone calls. By avoiding all the distractions you will complete each task efficiently and quickly. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in a day when you are truely focused.
For writing out you action items, I recommend using an index card or something similar to write these items on so that you can carry it with you throughout the day and refer to it as necessary.
As many of you know, this concept is not new or revolutionary by any means. This has been around and has been taught for years. The difference we bring to this process with the Focusing on Success program is the full circle of values, targets, why, intentions, and actions. If you follow the program your actions will have a much deeper seeded meaning and you will have a greater desire to complete them. As I mention in the previous post, before writing out you Critical Action Items, you must first write out you Current Focus (intentions). By following this process you will more clearly understand what it is that each action will accomplish and how it will affect you overall goals. This helps to provide you with the compelling reasons why you want to complete each action. When you know why and understand the big picture it is easy to avoid procrastination and get things accomplished.
Start making your plan and completing you action items with ease. We can all accomplish anything we set out to do. There is nothing stopping you except yourself. Now, go out and take the actions to move closer to your goals everyday.
Cheers to Success!
Tony Booth
Every day (or the night before) you need to sit down and review what you would like to accomplish today. As you do this, you pick out 5 to 10 Critical Action Items that you need to complete in order to move closer to your intentions. Write each item down in order that you want to complete them and when you start your day, start with number one. Provide your complete and undivided attention to that particular task and do not move on until it is completed. Avoid interruptions like emails, phone calls, etc. while you are working on a task. Those things can wait. Use the time between your action items to follow up with important emails and phone calls. By avoiding all the distractions you will complete each task efficiently and quickly. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in a day when you are truely focused.
For writing out you action items, I recommend using an index card or something similar to write these items on so that you can carry it with you throughout the day and refer to it as necessary.
As many of you know, this concept is not new or revolutionary by any means. This has been around and has been taught for years. The difference we bring to this process with the Focusing on Success program is the full circle of values, targets, why, intentions, and actions. If you follow the program your actions will have a much deeper seeded meaning and you will have a greater desire to complete them. As I mention in the previous post, before writing out you Critical Action Items, you must first write out you Current Focus (intentions). By following this process you will more clearly understand what it is that each action will accomplish and how it will affect you overall goals. This helps to provide you with the compelling reasons why you want to complete each action. When you know why and understand the big picture it is easy to avoid procrastination and get things accomplished.
Start making your plan and completing you action items with ease. We can all accomplish anything we set out to do. There is nothing stopping you except yourself. Now, go out and take the actions to move closer to your goals everyday.
Cheers to Success!
Tony Booth
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Behind Every Action Lies Intention
I remember the days when I was in grade school and I would do something to disrupt the class and the teacher would always ask me "Tony, what were you intending to accomplish by interrupting the class?" Of course my answer was, I didn't have any intention, I just wanted to say something funny." This misunderstanding of my actions went on for years and I never really understood what the teacher meant by her questions. I always thought, I didn't have any intention rooted behind my actions. Well, was I wrong. I have now come to realize that every single action we take is born from some seed of intention that we plant. Some times those intentions are valiant and well meant, other times they can just be our ego trying to get attention.
The lesson I learned in all this is that in order to control our actions we must first understand our intentions. No matter how diligent we become at writing out our to-do list of critical actions, we will never completely follow through with them and complete them with ease if we don't first realize what each action is intended to accomplish. Let's look at the following example.
My Action Items for Tuesday:
The lesson I learned in all this is that in order to control our actions we must first understand our intentions. No matter how diligent we become at writing out our to-do list of critical actions, we will never completely follow through with them and complete them with ease if we don't first realize what each action is intended to accomplish. Let's look at the following example.
My Action Items for Tuesday:
- Call Jack at YZX Company to let him know his shipment of new product has been delayed.
That action, by itself doesn't seem like something I want to do. I will probably find several reasons to avoid making this phone call. I will probably put this action off for a couple of days and when I finally get around to it, I will probably say to myself, I'll just email him so I don't have to hear him get upset with me. When Jack finally finds out that his order is delayed he will probably not be very happy. That fact will not change by waiting and by not talking with him directly he doesn't understand my disappointment in the delay.
Now let's look at this through the Focusing on Success method. Before you start to write your daily action items, you would review your intentions. So looking at the above example you might have an intention like:
- Develop and nurture client relationships through prompt and honest communications.
When you read this intention before writing your actions can you see how easy that action now becomes? Since my intention is to develop my relationship and provide open communication I will want to call Jack as quickly as possible. Even though I know he will be upset about the delay I know he will respect my honesty and that is my intention.
Putting this concept to work in your daily routine is an easy process. Each morning or evening when you sit down to plan you day, take the time to first write out your current intentions. The best way that I have found to do this is to use an index card. The first thing you want to do is on one side write out your Current Focus (intentions). This might be 3 or 4 of the main things you want to accomplish. After you have completed writing your intentions, turn the card over and start working on your critical action items. With you intentions fresh in your mind, you will understand the intention behind each action item. Also, keep in mind, if you write out an action item and it doesn't fit your intentions then it doesn't belong on your Critical Action Items list. Give this method a try and you will be amazed at how easy it is to complete your action items.
Cheers to Success
Tony Booth
Monday, August 24, 2009
Remember Why
To really benefit from the Focusing on Success program you need to remember the why. In my previous post I talked about targets/goals and reviewing them daily. This is the first step in remembering why you are taking the actions you are taking.
To start with you need to make the Why as big as you can dream. If you set your intentions and understand why you want to accomplish them it will help you along the way in completing your tasks. I find it works best when I develop my ling term vision and that becomes the 20,000 foot why. As I set out each day and list my critical tasks, they are all associated with my vision. By making all my tasks directly relevant to my vision I am constantly reminded of why I am doing each task. When you understand why you need to do something it is much easy to do it.
The best way to develop your Why is to start with a long term vision of what it is you want to accomplish. After visualizing your dream, think about why you want that particular dream; what will you get out of it; how will it make you feel; what will be your enjoyment? Brainstorm on the reasons why and write down 3 or more along side the vision. This will reinforce your commitment to that particular goal. Now that you have you long term vision, start writing down what you need to accomplish along the way to achieving the goal. Next to each step write down the why this step is important and what it means to the overall goal. If you find that a step doesn't have a why then remove that step. Only focus on tasks that have a why and provide positive movement towards your goal. Now that you have you overall goal and the steps to getting there along with the Whys you are ready to work on your critical tasks. As you are preparing your daily critical tasks you can refer to you steps and goals and the whys of each. This builds a sense of purpose into the task and taht sense of prupose is what drives you to complete the task.
Let's look at the following example:
First start with you goal, write it out then below the goal write the reaasons why.
Long Term Goal: Intergrate the new software program system at work in 3 months
Why;
To start with you need to make the Why as big as you can dream. If you set your intentions and understand why you want to accomplish them it will help you along the way in completing your tasks. I find it works best when I develop my ling term vision and that becomes the 20,000 foot why. As I set out each day and list my critical tasks, they are all associated with my vision. By making all my tasks directly relevant to my vision I am constantly reminded of why I am doing each task. When you understand why you need to do something it is much easy to do it.
The best way to develop your Why is to start with a long term vision of what it is you want to accomplish. After visualizing your dream, think about why you want that particular dream; what will you get out of it; how will it make you feel; what will be your enjoyment? Brainstorm on the reasons why and write down 3 or more along side the vision. This will reinforce your commitment to that particular goal. Now that you have you long term vision, start writing down what you need to accomplish along the way to achieving the goal. Next to each step write down the why this step is important and what it means to the overall goal. If you find that a step doesn't have a why then remove that step. Only focus on tasks that have a why and provide positive movement towards your goal. Now that you have you overall goal and the steps to getting there along with the Whys you are ready to work on your critical tasks. As you are preparing your daily critical tasks you can refer to you steps and goals and the whys of each. This builds a sense of purpose into the task and taht sense of prupose is what drives you to complete the task.
Let's look at the following example:
First start with you goal, write it out then below the goal write the reaasons why.
Long Term Goal: Intergrate the new software program system at work in 3 months
Why;
- I will feel a sense of accomplishment for completing the project 1 month early
- My team will be freed up to start on the database upgrades
- The new software will make everyones work easier
- My team will receive a hefty bonus
Now, break the overall goal into the steps that will be needed to acheive the goal, then add the why.
- Get software from vendor by Friday - This will allow us to start installation on Saturday
- Migrate servers over next 30 days - This will allow new system to be ready 6 weeks early
- Schedule overtime for testing - This will cut the tesing time by 2 weeks allowing us to finish 4 weeks early
Now that you have your steps written out and you know why they are important your individual tasks will have more relevancy. So on day 1 when your first critical task is to verify the delivery date of the software you will completely understand why this is so important.
This is a simplified example, but I hope you can see the difference that understanding the Why can make in your completion of tasks. And let's face, if you are going to be successful at anything at all you have to take action. So the more you understand why you are taking an action the more you will be willing to do it. For the most part, we all know what it is we need to do, it's just actually doing it that presents a problem. Remember, the big shot is just a little shot that kept shooting and if you know why, you will keep shooting.
Cheers to Success,
Tony Booth
Friday, August 21, 2009
Where am I going?
For years I made the same mistakes as many others when it came to my goals. I always knew what I wanted to achieve and how I wanted my life to turn out. I always thought, why do I need to write these things down? That's just taking time away from getting what I want and they are always on my mind. I don't need them listed out to know what I want.
Wow, was I mistaken. Now, I always considered myself to be successful and by definition many would agree. I had my well paying job, lived in a nice house, drove nice cars, and all the other things that many use to define success. What I didn't realize all those years was without my goals written down, they took much longer and a lot more work to reach. The problem was without them written and clear I was losing focus and getting sidetracked way too often.
To get where you want to go you must define that destination. You need to take the time to write your targets down in detail and with time lines and clear definitions. About a year ago I started the practice of clearly defining SMART goals and writing them down. Every morning I sit with my journal and write out my targets and review what I want to achieve. By doing this first thing every morning I find it very easy to get my daily tasks done. Since I know my targets and they are fresh in my mind I know exactly why I am doing each task on my list and the outcome I expect to achieve.
Each day you must take the time to review your goals and understand what it is you want to achieve. Keep these goals in your mind throughout the day and it will help to keep you focused. With the complete understanding of why you are doing what you have to do and the rewards you will find it easy to start getting things complete. You will be compelled to complete each and every task and you will approach them with great excitement. Try writing your goals daily in a journal before compiling your list of critical tasks. Then when writing your critical tasks indicate how they affect your goals. You will be amazed at how excited you will be to work on them.
Cheers to Success
Tony Booth
Wow, was I mistaken. Now, I always considered myself to be successful and by definition many would agree. I had my well paying job, lived in a nice house, drove nice cars, and all the other things that many use to define success. What I didn't realize all those years was without my goals written down, they took much longer and a lot more work to reach. The problem was without them written and clear I was losing focus and getting sidetracked way too often.
To get where you want to go you must define that destination. You need to take the time to write your targets down in detail and with time lines and clear definitions. About a year ago I started the practice of clearly defining SMART goals and writing them down. Every morning I sit with my journal and write out my targets and review what I want to achieve. By doing this first thing every morning I find it very easy to get my daily tasks done. Since I know my targets and they are fresh in my mind I know exactly why I am doing each task on my list and the outcome I expect to achieve.
Each day you must take the time to review your goals and understand what it is you want to achieve. Keep these goals in your mind throughout the day and it will help to keep you focused. With the complete understanding of why you are doing what you have to do and the rewards you will find it easy to start getting things complete. You will be compelled to complete each and every task and you will approach them with great excitement. Try writing your goals daily in a journal before compiling your list of critical tasks. Then when writing your critical tasks indicate how they affect your goals. You will be amazed at how excited you will be to work on them.
Cheers to Success
Tony Booth
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Why Values Matter
There are mountains of advice out there on how to manage your time and focus better. The ideas run from simple lists to elaborate calendars and note pads. All these programs tell you the steps to take to take control of your time and focus. So with all these tools available why do people still find themselves short on time and procrastinating? Why do we have list after list of uncompleted items? The missing key in all these programs is the understanding of your values.
No matter how good your system is you will still find yourself putting things off or skipping them if you don't have a clear understanding of your values. Our deep seated values are what makes us move. Everyone always acts in their own perceived best interest, including you. So as you are looking at the things that you know you need to do to be successful but find yourself always finding a reason not to do them, you need to look at your key values and how you define them. Value conflicts cause infinite problems in the normal time management schemes.
When I was working in my corporate job, I loved my job and wanted to move up the ladder. My goals were to be in a senior management position and be a respected leader. Great goals, certainly within my capabilities and reach. I knew what I had to do to achieve my goals and I would lay it all out and put together the plan. As many know, the way to the top in a large corporate structure is to work hard and out-shine those around you. So I would lay out my plan and start working at it. As time went on, I would find myself slacking off on my plan and not following through. Time and time again, I would procrastinate and not give it my all. Not knowing exactly why, I would end up telling myself, "oh you are just better suited to be a follower, not a leader." Finally, one day, I said "that's not true, you are a great leader. There is something deeper holding you back." So I started looking at my core values. Obviously success was one of my top goals. One of my other top goals was family. So after digging deeper into my values I found that in order for me to be successful in my current world I would need to put in 70 to 80 hours per week at work. This meant that I would have limited time for my family and I would not get to spend enough time with them. So deep down inside me I was purposely sabotaging my efforts to become successful in order to protect my family values. Can you see how this value conflict would wreak havoc on my efforts? My definition of success required countless hours away from my family which was in direct conflict with another of my core values.
After realizing my conflict, I knew I had to make some changes. I reviewed my values and their definitions and determined the correct course for me to have all the success I wanted. Notice, I didn't say, "well I guess you can't have it all." I knew better, I knew there had to be a way to have it all. Other people have it all and so should I. So I re-wrote my definition of success and eliminated the conflict. Now completing things related to my success are easy and I am excited to do them. It just took some understanding of my desires and some changes in my definitions.
With this little change, I now find it easy to keep moving forward. Here is my previous definition and my new definition of one of my core values, Success.
Old:
Success = Hold a senior management position in a large corporation; receive a six figure salary; be a respected leader; and work hard to get my rewards.
New:
Success = Have a career that allows me the flexibility and freedom to spend time enjoying life and family; earn enough income to do and have the things I want (which is currently 3X what I had expected before); serve a greater purpose.
With that simple change I now start each day excited about what I want to accomplish and do. My days flow easily from task to task and I can't wait to get on to the next step.
So, when you find yourself stuck and not getting things complete, take some time to look at your values and find those conflicts. I will talk more about how to accomplish in future posts. Until then.
Cheers to Success
Tony Booth
No matter how good your system is you will still find yourself putting things off or skipping them if you don't have a clear understanding of your values. Our deep seated values are what makes us move. Everyone always acts in their own perceived best interest, including you. So as you are looking at the things that you know you need to do to be successful but find yourself always finding a reason not to do them, you need to look at your key values and how you define them. Value conflicts cause infinite problems in the normal time management schemes.
When I was working in my corporate job, I loved my job and wanted to move up the ladder. My goals were to be in a senior management position and be a respected leader. Great goals, certainly within my capabilities and reach. I knew what I had to do to achieve my goals and I would lay it all out and put together the plan. As many know, the way to the top in a large corporate structure is to work hard and out-shine those around you. So I would lay out my plan and start working at it. As time went on, I would find myself slacking off on my plan and not following through. Time and time again, I would procrastinate and not give it my all. Not knowing exactly why, I would end up telling myself, "oh you are just better suited to be a follower, not a leader." Finally, one day, I said "that's not true, you are a great leader. There is something deeper holding you back." So I started looking at my core values. Obviously success was one of my top goals. One of my other top goals was family. So after digging deeper into my values I found that in order for me to be successful in my current world I would need to put in 70 to 80 hours per week at work. This meant that I would have limited time for my family and I would not get to spend enough time with them. So deep down inside me I was purposely sabotaging my efforts to become successful in order to protect my family values. Can you see how this value conflict would wreak havoc on my efforts? My definition of success required countless hours away from my family which was in direct conflict with another of my core values.
After realizing my conflict, I knew I had to make some changes. I reviewed my values and their definitions and determined the correct course for me to have all the success I wanted. Notice, I didn't say, "well I guess you can't have it all." I knew better, I knew there had to be a way to have it all. Other people have it all and so should I. So I re-wrote my definition of success and eliminated the conflict. Now completing things related to my success are easy and I am excited to do them. It just took some understanding of my desires and some changes in my definitions.
With this little change, I now find it easy to keep moving forward. Here is my previous definition and my new definition of one of my core values, Success.
Old:
Success = Hold a senior management position in a large corporation; receive a six figure salary; be a respected leader; and work hard to get my rewards.
New:
Success = Have a career that allows me the flexibility and freedom to spend time enjoying life and family; earn enough income to do and have the things I want (which is currently 3X what I had expected before); serve a greater purpose.
With that simple change I now start each day excited about what I want to accomplish and do. My days flow easily from task to task and I can't wait to get on to the next step.
So, when you find yourself stuck and not getting things complete, take some time to look at your values and find those conflicts. I will talk more about how to accomplish in future posts. Until then.
Cheers to Success
Tony Booth
Friday, August 14, 2009
Focusing on Success
In the current world of instant information and constant interruptions we often find it hard to get things accomplished. If you are following the Focusing on Success program, you are writing down your daily action items and starting your day working on #1 and moving through the list. The problem comes when there are interruptions, phone calls, urgent emails, daily tasks, and all the plethora of distractions that fill your day and you lose your focus. How do you keep on track?
The best way to keep things on track is to focus on each task, one at a time and avoid all interruptions. I know, this is easier said than done. However, if you follow the process through, you will know when to allow interruptions and when to avoid them. The key is to understand how this interruption fits into the grand scheme of things and if you should allow it.
When you are working on an action item you should avoid checking email, answering phones, or allowing interruptions. As we all know, some things will be unavoidable but if you follow some simple steps these can all be managed. There are some great interruption management techniques in the book The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Below are some ways to manage some of the most common interruptions:
Email:
The best way to keep things on track is to focus on each task, one at a time and avoid all interruptions. I know, this is easier said than done. However, if you follow the process through, you will know when to allow interruptions and when to avoid them. The key is to understand how this interruption fits into the grand scheme of things and if you should allow it.
When you are working on an action item you should avoid checking email, answering phones, or allowing interruptions. As we all know, some things will be unavoidable but if you follow some simple steps these can all be managed. There are some great interruption management techniques in the book The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Below are some ways to manage some of the most common interruptions:
Email:
- Turn off new email notifications so you don't check constantly
- Set specific times to handle email, maybe twice a day; scan for important items more frequently (don't want the boss mad at you)
- If you get an important email decide what actions need to happen immediately and what can wait.
Phone Calls:
- My best advice - let the call go to voicemail
- When a call comes in that you must answer, keep it short
In-Person Interruptions
- If someone drops by unexpected, take a few seconds to explain you are busy and suggest a time for them to stop back
- Close the office door - I know it's not good with the "open door" policy but it's more effective - just set times for open doors
Media / News
- Unless your job requires it, avoid it
Daily Tasks
- Block out certain periods of time to complete your tasks
- Set the time based on completion of certain action items - after I complete this post, I will run to the cleaners to pick up my clothes
There are many ways to help deal with the constant interruptions that we are faced with and we will discuss many more in future posts.
The point to remember here is, once you have followed the processes in Focusing on Success, you will have a clear understanding of what interruptions you will let knock you off track. Obviously, there will be many interruptions that require your immediate attention. The secret is knowing which ones they are and which ones to let go. When you have your focused dialed in, these decisions will be second nature.
Oh, I almost forgot the most important lesson. DO NOT MULTI-TASK. PERIOD.
Cheers to Success!
Tony
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Manage Actions
Now we are in the daily planning portion of Focusing on Success. This is the area of the program that deals with your day to day actions. Each morning you wake up with a clean slate and you need to determine what actions you will take today. This is your to-do list. To achieve a high level of success you need to continually work at your goals making them a step closer every day.
The best process I have found to make the daily improvements is writing out my daily actions each morning. Every morning I sit down with my list of goals and intentions and write out my actions that I will take that day. I limit this to no more than 6 to 10 action items. These actions should fit into my intentions. For instance, if one of my intentions is to work on a marathon training routine, my action for the day might be to run 10 miles.
As you plan your actions remember that these action steps should not include things like get gas, pick up the kids after school. Those are daily tasks and are not associated with your success plan. For these items I keep a totally separate list of tasks that I need to accomplish.
If you have followed the process and completed the prerequisite portions, your action items will become second nature and easy to follow. Now that you have a clear set of goals and a reason why you will be able to set you daily action items with ease and have a strong commitment to get them accomplished. When following the processes through, your daily actions are set on autopilot. Now that you have your action items defined you can move into the meat of the program, Focusing. Once you set out to complete your action items, focus on each item one at a time. Provide your undivided attention to that action until it is complete. Once you complete the first one, move on to the next. In future posts, we will discuss just how to fine tune and control your focus. For now, get out there every day and work towards achieving your goals. Get that 1% improvement every day and you will be amazed at how successful you are.
Cheers to Success!
Tony
The best process I have found to make the daily improvements is writing out my daily actions each morning. Every morning I sit down with my list of goals and intentions and write out my actions that I will take that day. I limit this to no more than 6 to 10 action items. These actions should fit into my intentions. For instance, if one of my intentions is to work on a marathon training routine, my action for the day might be to run 10 miles.
As you plan your actions remember that these action steps should not include things like get gas, pick up the kids after school. Those are daily tasks and are not associated with your success plan. For these items I keep a totally separate list of tasks that I need to accomplish.
If you have followed the process and completed the prerequisite portions, your action items will become second nature and easy to follow. Now that you have a clear set of goals and a reason why you will be able to set you daily action items with ease and have a strong commitment to get them accomplished. When following the processes through, your daily actions are set on autopilot. Now that you have your action items defined you can move into the meat of the program, Focusing. Once you set out to complete your action items, focus on each item one at a time. Provide your undivided attention to that action until it is complete. Once you complete the first one, move on to the next. In future posts, we will discuss just how to fine tune and control your focus. For now, get out there every day and work towards achieving your goals. Get that 1% improvement every day and you will be amazed at how successful you are.
Cheers to Success!
Tony
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Set Intentions
Now that you have your goals set and you know why you want to achieve them it’s time to start figuring out how you are going to achieve them. This how will become your intentions and will be your guide to setting you actions. While setting you intentions you need to look at each goal and determine what it is you intend to do to bring about the realization of that goal. This is the “how” part of your goals.
If your goal is to run the New York marathon you will need to sit down and determine how you will prepare to achieve this goal. You intentions may be;
· I will start working on a marathon training routine
· I will eat healthy and take care of my body
· I will perfect my running techniques
· I will increase my strength and endurance levels
These intentions will now become the frame work for guiding your actions. As you develop your intentions, it helps to add action steps to help guide you in the future. In the example above under the marathon training routine you might add;
I will start working on a marathon training routine
- I will run 5 days per week
- 3 times per week I will increase my overall distance by 5%
- 2 times per week I will run at various paces to build my stamina
As you determine your actions each day you will review them against you intentions to avoid any conflicts. When you have defined you intentions you will take actions daily that fit within your intentions.
Take some time to review each of your goals and develop you list of intentions. Depending on the goal, this list could be one or two intentions or could be a long list of sequential intentions. These are like small mini goals that you will do on a regular basis. So today, set out your intentions and start to make you dreams a reality.
Cheers to Success!
Tony
PS: My examples of a marathon training routine have no foundation and are not intended to provide any guidance on running a marathon. I have a hard enough time running to the mailbox.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Develop the Why
Have you ever wondered why your dreams always seem to be out of reach and no matter how hard you work you never seem to reach them? The problem could be the “Why”. A common mistake made by many hard working people is setting goals and visualizing their successes without ever setting the “Why”.
For instance, you might set a goal to earn $200,000 per year. You can set your goals up with the proper action steps and follow all the best practices but you goal will always be out of reach without a “why”. You need to set the reason why you want to earn $200,000 per year. What will that income provide you, what will you do with the money, why should the universe provide you with that income?
By defining the “why” we want to obtain certain goals we give the goals real meaning. This is what changes dreams into goals. Any goal set without a why remains a dream, a target that you really will not reach for. When you know the reasons for obtaining a goal you will be committed to seeing that through and taking the necessary steps to make it a reality.
So as you review what it is you want to accomplish be sure to incorporate the reasons why you want to accomplish it. Take some time to determine why you want to achieve the things you want to achieve. Take time now to go back to the targets that you set and develop the “WHY”.
Cheers to Success!
Tony
For instance, you might set a goal to earn $200,000 per year. You can set your goals up with the proper action steps and follow all the best practices but you goal will always be out of reach without a “why”. You need to set the reason why you want to earn $200,000 per year. What will that income provide you, what will you do with the money, why should the universe provide you with that income?
By defining the “why” we want to obtain certain goals we give the goals real meaning. This is what changes dreams into goals. Any goal set without a why remains a dream, a target that you really will not reach for. When you know the reasons for obtaining a goal you will be committed to seeing that through and taking the necessary steps to make it a reality.
So as you review what it is you want to accomplish be sure to incorporate the reasons why you want to accomplish it. Take some time to determine why you want to achieve the things you want to achieve. Take time now to go back to the targets that you set and develop the “WHY”.
Cheers to Success!
Tony
Define Targets
Now that you have spent some time to determine you true values you can move on to defining your success targets. The next step to Focusing on Success is setting your goals/targets. In this step you need to clearly define what it is you would like to achieve. Take some time to sit down and dream about you success. Visualize into the future and determine what it is you would like to achieve and start writing down your goals. Remember to be sure and write SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely).
· Specific: Be sure the goals you write are specific. Your goal should not read “I want to live in a large house”, it need to be specific like “I want to live in a 2,500SF home set on 5 acres of property.”
· Measurable: Make sure the goal is measureable. Similar to the example above, the 2,500SF now becomes the measuring stick by which you will compare your results.
· Attainable: Make sure that your goals are something that is reachable. For instance, if you are a 5’-6” tall, 40 year old male and you set a goal to become the starting center for the New York Knicks; that is an un-attainable goal. That doesn’t mean that you should not set a goal to be part of the New York Knicks franchise, it just means you need to set your goal for a different affiliation. You might determine that you want to be a talent scout for the New York Knicks.
· Realistic: You goal must be realistic. That can mean many different things depending on your goal and your current situation. The main thing to keep in mind here is, is you goal believable? Do you truly believe you can accomplish this goal?
· Timely: When setting your goals you will always need to set a timeline for reaching those goals. The timing can range from days to years, but you need to have a timeframe. Keep things in the relative near future for best results. I recommend having long term goals (5-10years) as broad objectives and more detailed goals set in 90 day time frames. These short-term goals can be sub-goals of your long term goals.
The goals you set are what will guide your actions in the future so don’t take this step lightly. The goal setting process is a must if you want to achieve a high level of success. Now, go have some fun, dream big, and write out some amazing goals.
Cheers to Success!
Tony
· Specific: Be sure the goals you write are specific. Your goal should not read “I want to live in a large house”, it need to be specific like “I want to live in a 2,500SF home set on 5 acres of property.”
· Measurable: Make sure the goal is measureable. Similar to the example above, the 2,500SF now becomes the measuring stick by which you will compare your results.
· Attainable: Make sure that your goals are something that is reachable. For instance, if you are a 5’-6” tall, 40 year old male and you set a goal to become the starting center for the New York Knicks; that is an un-attainable goal. That doesn’t mean that you should not set a goal to be part of the New York Knicks franchise, it just means you need to set your goal for a different affiliation. You might determine that you want to be a talent scout for the New York Knicks.
· Realistic: You goal must be realistic. That can mean many different things depending on your goal and your current situation. The main thing to keep in mind here is, is you goal believable? Do you truly believe you can accomplish this goal?
· Timely: When setting your goals you will always need to set a timeline for reaching those goals. The timing can range from days to years, but you need to have a timeframe. Keep things in the relative near future for best results. I recommend having long term goals (5-10years) as broad objectives and more detailed goals set in 90 day time frames. These short-term goals can be sub-goals of your long term goals.
The goals you set are what will guide your actions in the future so don’t take this step lightly. The goal setting process is a must if you want to achieve a high level of success. Now, go have some fun, dream big, and write out some amazing goals.
Cheers to Success!
Tony
Monday, August 10, 2009
Determine Values
“A structure is only as good as the foundation upon which it is built.”
The first key to focusing on success is to properly determine and set your values. The deep seated values that we hold have a profound effect on our actions. Our subconscious mind holds our values as truths and will use those values to steer our actions. Have you ever had something that you decided you needed to do but always found yourself putting it off or avoiding it? Chances are there was an underlying value conflict with the action or the potential outcome.
In order for the Focusing on Success system to work efficiently we need to dig in and define our values. Take some time to review your values and make a list of all your values. It is best to start with a blank sheet of paper and write down 20 values that are important to you. After you have your list of 20, take some time to think about them and meditate on them. Really get a feel for which ones mean the most to you and consolidate the list to 5 primary values and 5 secondary values. I recommend putting these 10 values into a chart or on an index card so that you can refer to them often. Future posts will have more information on setting and monitoring values along with some useful tools to help you. The more you are aware of your values, the easier it will be to focus on the things that will make you successful. You should review your values daily for the first week to commit them to memory and after that refer to them at least twice a week.
Take the time this week to get you values in order and work on them. This will build the foundation on which the rest of the Focusing on Success program will work. With our values in place and clearly understood it will be easy to develop your why and keep your focus.
Cheers to Success!
Tony
The first key to focusing on success is to properly determine and set your values. The deep seated values that we hold have a profound effect on our actions. Our subconscious mind holds our values as truths and will use those values to steer our actions. Have you ever had something that you decided you needed to do but always found yourself putting it off or avoiding it? Chances are there was an underlying value conflict with the action or the potential outcome.
In order for the Focusing on Success system to work efficiently we need to dig in and define our values. Take some time to review your values and make a list of all your values. It is best to start with a blank sheet of paper and write down 20 values that are important to you. After you have your list of 20, take some time to think about them and meditate on them. Really get a feel for which ones mean the most to you and consolidate the list to 5 primary values and 5 secondary values. I recommend putting these 10 values into a chart or on an index card so that you can refer to them often. Future posts will have more information on setting and monitoring values along with some useful tools to help you. The more you are aware of your values, the easier it will be to focus on the things that will make you successful. You should review your values daily for the first week to commit them to memory and after that refer to them at least twice a week.
Take the time this week to get you values in order and work on them. This will build the foundation on which the rest of the Focusing on Success program will work. With our values in place and clearly understood it will be easy to develop your why and keep your focus.
Cheers to Success!
Tony
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