Success Tips - Finishing the Projects You Start

To finish what you start is not as easy one might think. Especially for an ADD like me. Success in your employment or business is very tied to completion of the projects that improve your companies effectiveness. How many times have you heard "give it to Bob or Susan. They will get the job done". Do you suppose Bob and Susan will be the ones who get the promotions and raises faster? Do you suppose Bob and Susan are the "Fast Trackers"? Of course they are. Most jobs have annual reviews to measure your performance and outcomes. Included in those outcomes are goals of the company and goals related to your position with the company. When you think about it we also have the dreaded to do list at home. Fix this, repair that. The list goes on and on. It seems endless. There are numerous reasons we don't get these tasks or projects finished.

1. They are not your goals or intentions.(the honey do list)
2. They relate to change and change can be difficult.
3. It's not fun.
4. You lose interest.
5. There is not enough money to complete the project.
6. Procrastination.

I saved the best one for last mainly because procrastination is a result of some or all the excuses. Yes. Excuses is what they are. I expect if you looked hard enough at the list above you could find more reasons not to get the job done. My objective of this article is to help you get past the reasons for not getting the job done to getting the job done.

There are things one must do to insure success in finishing these projects. This can be difficult because one tends to do the easy goals tasks or goals first and save the tough ones for last. The problem with this approach is there will always more easy ones come along so the tough ones never get finished. If you want to dive deeper into this topic I suggest you read my Article on "Achieve Success by Turning The Daily Have To Things Into the Chose To Things". Remember there is no single recipe for success. If there was one we would have all bought the book. You have to have a plan. You have to have a system. Once that system is in place it becomes habit forming. Now there is a great idea. Here is what I found works best for me.

1. Write down your project/goals.
2. Priortise your projects/goals.(don't put the tough ones at the bottom of the list)
3. Break down the tough ones in to manageable stages (little victories)
4. Write down the importance of finishing the project/goal.
5. Write down how you will feel once you complete the goal or project.
6. Be careful not to accept handed down or transferred projects or goals. (you need ownership)
7. Find an accountability partner who will help keep you on track.

Before you do the oh give me a break! Write all this stuff down! I ask you just stop and think for a moment. Is what I am doing now working? Why should you expect different results if you keep doing things the same old way? Pull out the pen and pad and get at it. Take the dog for a walk after you have done something for yourself. This is one area of your life you need to be selfish. Your family and your employer will thank you for becoming a go to person. Just remember Covey's Second Habit. " Begin With The End In Mind"

Change Your Habits and Expand Your Comfort Zone

Stretch. We do it in the morning as we get out of bed. Our pets do it when they get up. It's our way to loosen up so we can move forward. Athletes stretch before they do a work-out. It leads to the question why they do it? Well, we need to warm up our muscles so they are able to take us further and to new heights. I feel we should do the same thing for our minds.

The Self-Improvement business was built on doing stretching exercises for our brain. We need to prepare ourselves to be better and to accomplish change that will enhance our lives. We train our bodies and our minds to do more. It's human nature. You will note that I have been writing in the present tense as if you all are doing this. Many of us do not prepare our bodies and minds so we can grow and improve ourselves. We slide into the taking the path of least resistance. It's our comfort zone. It's mindless. We don't have to make any decisions. We are trapped. The door is not locked. But we do not venture out.

It is my opinion that being stuck in your comfort zone is what could be holding you back from all kinds of things in life. A better career. A better relationship with friends and co workers. The opportunity to travel. You could become a volunteer and give some of your untapped talents to those in need. The reality is than many people just come home at the end of the day and say I'm exhausted. I deserve a beer and a night on the couch.

I personally feel the most important of all is to create a sense of opportunity and exploring for our children. Our children are after all just little us. I was once having a conversation with a friend and she said "my god, our children are doing better than we are". Well isn't that the plan? I ask did this happen because of you or in spite of you? I say fantastic for the soccer moms and dad's. Just don't flop in front of the tube when you get home. Stay engaged with your children but be careful. You might have some fun.

Could you imagine looking down from the pearly gates and reading your own obituary. It reads. " Bob was a loving father and husband who spent many years in front of the television watching his favorite shows that brought him so much joy". If this is making you feel a little uncomfortable you need to ask yourself the question. My God is that me? Many of us today ask what's in it for me. It is a time when people want instant answers. I believe that one of the reasons that blogging is so successful is that people want instant answers. They don't want to read a whole book. Just let me read something short and sweet that will fix what needs to be fixed. RIGHT NOW!!

Why on earth do you think infomercials are everywhere on the TV. It's a waterfall of money that comes from people trapped in their comfort zones. Claims like "Create a new you in 30 days". "Make a fortune in just 60 days". "You can do this. I just love this claim....We have done all the hard work to make it easy for you". Yes there are lots success stories on each of these shows to support the claims. What they do not tell you is that over 90 percent of the programs purchased from infomercials are gathering dust it a matter of weeks. There is an audience of millions of people out there knowing how they are living, needs to change. Hold it now. That means I have to change my habits. Egads. Hope springs eternal. Hope to is a victim of the comfort zone.

Changing how we live can be easy if we do it in small steps. Habit changing can be fun if you approach it with the right attitude. Don't try to change too many things at once. See things trough. Build on your small but important victories. Success and Happiness will birth from loving what you do for a living and how you interact with your family and community. Everything else in life you can by. Changing your habits to be the best you can be does not cost a dime. Imagine that.

How To Deal With Setbacks To Your Success

Do you sometimes feel that there is always a road block that is holding you back from achieving success? In my opinion the path to success is often the road less traveled. The road less traveled is not the well beaten down path you can travel with your flip flops on. No, it's the path that you need to wear your hiking boots. There are tree roots, puddles of water and large boulders to work your way around. That's why we wear the proper equipment. Life is also much like that to. We prepare ourselves for the obstacles that may come before us.

What do we do when the path we are on has a dead end or lengthy detour. This is the test to your real commitment to achieving your goal and ultimate success. We all face challenges in life. That's why the self-improvement business is so huge. Heck, I know. I have been a supporter of the industry most of my adult life. I have learned so much from what I have read. I have attended numerous personal development retreats. I have hired coaches to help me through some challenging times. Most importantly are the lessons I learned from my failures. It is very important to push past them. Failures can leave us scared and condition our minds to avoid making the same mistake as they most surely bring pain if we go back there. This in my view where many people lose hope. They give up when success is just a few inches or minutes away. There are many things we tackle in life that are totally dependent on getting it 100 percent right. 95 percent just wont cut it. But hold on. With out doubt most of us would be happy to be in the top 5 percent of our industry. The top 5 percent of income earners. To be the best golfer in our club. To be the best you would have been at 95 percent at some point on the way up. My advise is don't set your self up for failure. Life is about the journey.

So how do we deal with the set backs? One of the best ways is to have a support system in place. If you are truly committed to be the best you can be, you most certainly would have a mentor you can turn to for advise. Perhaps you have a life or business coach. These individuals will hear you out and provide some suggestions to go over or around those obstacles. We should not go through life saying that was a waste of time. An NLP coach I spent some very valuable time with a few years ago always used to say to me, "keep your eyes on the horizon". Isn't that where we are headed? I am a sailor so Bob got my attention. I also love to use sailing metaphors. We have no control over the wind and the weather so don't focus on that. So imagine you are here and the horizon is out there. Between you and the horizon are large waves. Often the wind coming in the wrong direction which means we have to tack up wind and not take the direct route. What we need to do is focus on the horizon. If we do this we are not looking at the huge waves that seem to endlessly toss us about. We wear foul weather gear to keep us dry and sea-boots to keep our feet dry and warm. If you can see it, I suggest you don't give up on it. "Keep your eyes on the horizon". Thank you Bob, very powerful words. You ask why would you go out there and do that Paul. It's simple. I don't leave the dock on a nasty day unless time dictates we do so. Under normal circumstances I wait for the weather to clear. My point is that the weather can change while we are out there. Be prepared.

We know we need to have the support people in place but we also need to have a plan. Like on a sailing adventure we plot our course. If the wind changes we make adjustments. You see a plan is just that. A Plan. With out one you have no starting point. No destination. The destination by the way can change to. This is why it is so critical to enjoy the journey. We discover along the way things, ideas and places that motivate us while bringing us joy in the process. Self improvement is a natural thing that lives inside us all. I believe society is becoming more accepting of us showing our feelings and sharing our dreams and aspirations. Life is hard work if your putting out signals of being a rock solid individual when there are things within us we are afraid to share. These fears will catch up with you. Just remember this. If you are always true to yourself and always tell the truth you don't have to remember what you said. Yes, we evolve but we do have a say in how that happens. The joy is in the journey.

Proverb De Papa

Sailing has brought so many wonderful people into my life.   Now to set this up I met the author of this Proverb Brian on a sailing trip last spring from Boston to Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Brian and I share a mutual friend who I have the up most respect for.  Our mutual friend Bill is the type of friend who would drive 100 miles in a snow storm to help you out of what trouble you found yourself in.  Because Brian was a friend of Bill's there was a transferred credibility. Through the passage to Nova Scotia I got to know Brian as we shared the same watch shift. His knowledge of business, true interest in the well being of others was only eclipsed by his love of family.  
It was just this morning that I was trading emails with Brian and of course we were looking at boats. Through the process of the communication I mentioned my trip to cross the Atlantic Ocean this year.  I shot him the link to my article "Missed Goal Becomes An Amazing Adventure" I had written about the trip. Brian took that moment to read a couple other of my articles. Lucky for us that he sent along this proverb for me to read. Brian had sent this Proverb to his own grown children. I can attest that if you live life by this Proverb you will live a life filled with joy and sense of accomplishment.  


From my friend Brian to his children....

Critters

Here are some thoughts that helped me be positive and focused.

I had written them on a small piece of paper and placed  in my wallet.

papa.

1)Strive for Excellence not Perfection.........(perfection is not obtainable).

2)Do everything with Passion and Enthusiasm.....(if you don't then you are wasting your time)

3)Never allow a Bad Experience to Em-Bitter you.......(eat it up and drive on...looking in the rear view mirror is a waste of time.)

4)Be compassionate but never allow someone Else's  Misery invade you.

5)When you point a finger remember there are three coming back at you....(it is your fault, if you make a mistake, do not blame others......do your homework thoroughly before making any decisions, don't be pressured into making quick decisions.)

6) It is the Important People that are Important as they set the level of the bar.

However, it is the Unimportant People who are the Most Important people because they create the Culture and  Karma. 

7) Lastly ....When you Die make sure you Die with Laughter.....(be happy,happy)PaPa Proverbs


End Brian's Letter to his Children..


Wow Wow Wow.  If there was only these 7 lines to model your life the world would be a better place for all. Thank you Brian for letting me share your "Proverb De Papa".  If your wondering why the De instead of Of is used it is that Brian's Children were raised in French however all have a mastery of French and  English. 


To my joy these morsels of a living a better life keep coming my way. They help me stay on my course to live a life filled with meaning and purpose.  I am blessed to have friends old and new who hold them selves to such levels of humanity and sharing in life. 

Trust and Credibility Are Key to Your Success

In a world of people purchasing on line or doing business face to face potential customers make decisions on trust that what they are buying is credible. The buyers decisions for the purchase are varied but at some point the decision to buy was based on buyers confidence the seller will deliver on the promise. But it is not only in business that trust plays a huge part in our decision making process. Relationships are for the most part based on trust as well. Trust and Credibility speak to our character and the type of person we are. Trust and Credibility can also be lost if you do not deliver on what you said or if the product you sold is inferior.

One of my favorite lines is "if you always tell the truth you don't have to remember what you said" Wow. How true is that? So why are Trust and Credibility so important to our lives. In my opinion people do not become friends instantly. There is a period that you get to know each other. You share your opinions, your desires and what makes you happy. If you are consistent and true to your values and you share some of those values the relationship grows. Trust is crucial to a strong marriage so would it not be crucial to a good friendship or business transaction.

In the business world the toughest part of growing the business is attracting new customers. They came to your business at some point because of trust. That trust could have been transferred from another customers referral. The key to remember is that you still have to earn that transferred trust. Trust and credibility can just as easily be lost if you do not deliver on what you say or do. Good luck in getting it back if you have lost it. The most important part of your business is customers. Without them you do not exist. Without trust you will not survive in business. Your marriage or friendships will not survive without trust either.

Are you credible? Are you who you say you are? I suggest you do not get too caught up in the "Fluff" because at some point you will be asked or taken to task on the fluff. You better be able to back up what you say and who you say you are. The commonly used term "Brand" is not just a recognition to what you are but it should speak to who you are.

Trust and credibility should be the cornerstone of your personality and your business. Your company's Mission Statement or your own Personal Purpose Statement should reflect an element of trust and credibility. People want to deal with people and companies they trust. The greatest products in the world will die on the shelf if they are sold under false pretenses or misleading information. As in baseball customers do not like curve balls and change ups. It would be my suggestion you take a look at how you present yourself and how it ties to who you are. Keeping and existing customer happy is much easier and more cost effective than trying to get a new one. Attract the new customers on the values you use to keep your existing customers happy. Remember that Trust and Credibility are earned and can be transferred to others who will help you grow both personally and in the business world.

Living Life Abundantly Starts With Thinking Abundantly

Abundance and Prosperity is available for all on the planet to obtain. Many of the people on the Western Hemisphere and Europe will have a greater chance to achieve this status mostly due to education, opportunity, inheritance and connections. Abundance is relevant to your current state no matter where you live. If any of my readers have read my article on "Finding Success in All Aspects of Your Life", I elaborate on the topic that abundance is not just about money. That's where the Prosperity bit comes into the picture. Just go have a look at the meaning in a dictionary. No matter where you look it refers to The Condition of Being Prosperous. It's a condition?

How do we find abundance and prosperity? Well in my view it starts with what you already have currently. I expect many of you have abundance in your life and you just don't know it. This does not mean we can not obtain more. To the contrary, there is more abundance on this planet than we will ever use and more is being created. So lets take a minute to write down what we have. Your home, Your Children, Your Spouse, Your Sexy Car, Your Great Job, Your Many Friends. Do you see where I am going with this? You first have to believe you already have abundance before you can obtain more. You can't climb any higher without knowing where to start from. Go Ahead. Don't feel foolish. Write them down.

Lets look at the best selling book "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. This book was promoted as a way to get what you want through the power of the law of attraction. Yes, in my opinion the power of attraction exists and yes it will get results. However, there is more than just closing your eyes and willing things to happen. If that's what your doing and wondering why you have not obtained any results yet, just stop. It won't work. If your willing that you will win the lottery there is a allot of competition out there doing the same thing. The funny part is that the winner of the lottery will likely say they willed it to happen. Millions of others willing it to happen had no results at all.

"The Secret" was written about carrying forward to todays time, a book written by Wallace D Wattles over 100 years ago. This gem " The Science of Getting Rich" clarified many things for me on the topic of abundance. You will likely struggle to get past the use of the English language used from that period in time. In my view "The Secret" comes up short of what Wattles intended. There are many great authors and goal setting Guru's who wrote Chapters in "The Secret" but they said just enough to drive the readers to their websites or go out and buy their own book. "The Science of Getting Rich" is a quick afternoon read and it packs allot of punch. Wattles discusses abundance in great detail. His writing will convince you there is more than enough to go around. What he also elaborates on is that you have to focus on your desires and aspirations. Focus on obtaining abundance in areas that are not competitive. That makes sense. If you got it from someone else I guess that means you can lose it to someone else. What Wattles suggests is that you focus on the universe and all the abundance in it. Concentrate on things in the universe that you can create and grow without competition? Focus on this idea every day. Take action and it will happen. The take away from this is, TAKE ACTION. The power of attraction lives in our mind. Think of it as emitting a signal. If we think about it long and hard enough it will happen. We naturally gravitate towards our thoughts but at some point these thoughts turn into action.

There is a chapter in Wattles book that suggests we not give money to the poor. What he suggests is those people with the ability to give, do so to those people who given the opportunity will grow or make things that will enhance their lives and make those people self sustainable. Proof of this is in the success of the Micro Credit movement. The abundance in the universe will take over from there and continue to create abundance. The wealthiest people on earth all believe in abundance. They understand abundance and have what is called an abundance mindset. The great thing about these wealthy people is they like to give some of their wealth away. It's not about greed. They know there is a never-ending source of abundance. They have more money and prosperity than they will ever need.

Think for a moment about something like oil. We have been told for years we are going to run out of oil. There is still lots of oil and likely will be for many years to come. Because of abundance money is being spent to find more oil and ways to extract more oil in an efficient manner. Money from abundance is being spent to make our vehicles more fuel efficient. Because of abundance alternative sources of energy are being invented right now.

Understanding abundance is critical to your obtaining more. There is no taking abundance from someone else. Your success in finding, and growing abundance, is in the believing there is more than enough for everyone. Abundance is a never-ending supply. It is because of abundance you will be able to obtain prosperity. The two are very much connected. Connecting the two can be the challenge. Abundance followed by Prosperity can be obtained by thinking positive thoughts that leads you to take action. Actions that will take you to heights never thought possible.