Secrets to Success
Secrets to Success
Proven principles
help create timeHave you ever wondered why some people consistently ac- complish more than others with the same amount of time?
Every person has the same 24 hours in a day, yet some seem to have more time and fewer excuses about what they couldn't accomplish.
What separates winners from whiners in business? It is their use of time.
Did you know that winners have a secret reserve account of time they can draw on? Would you like to know how you can open an account like that?
In this article, I'll share three proven principles with you to get you started in building that account and on your way to the winner's circle.
But before we get into the principles, just let me share the dominant focus that permeates the thoughts of consistent winners.
To explain it simply, winners make decisions that create the future they desire, while whiners make decisions that create the present they desire. If you are not willing to embrace this concept and allow a change in thinking, I am sorry to say that you may as well save yourself some time right now and stop reading.
These principles will not work if this mind-set seems foreign to you. Think about it for a moment, and then decide whether you agree with this focus. If you agree, then read on.
>> Principle No. 1: Leverage your focus.
Winners leverage every minute of every day in the most effective way possible. They make every minute count. They do not let the "mundane" interfere with their focus. They don't waste one minute on what other people see as urgent or important if it does not align with their goals.
To create time, you must shift your focus from minutes and hours to targeted actions. You need to leverage the hours that you do have to focus them only on the actions that will yield exponential results.
Identify the activities that you take part in on a daily or weekly basis that yield little or no long-term benefits in relation to your goals. Then eliminate or at the very least minimize them. What does this require?
Banish the whining and hold on to the winning mind-set. There are some sacrifices that need to be made to reach the top.
>> Principle No. 2: Emulate those ahead of you.
When you have a clear vision of where you want to go you can identify people who are ahead of you on the same path. Seek them out for direction, learn what they have done to get where they are, adapt it to your own life, and then follow through in taking action.
To do this, however, you must set aside all excuses. After all, if they did it, you can too! Winners seek direction while whiners seek excuses.
>> Principle No. 3: Fly with eagles instead of hanging around with turkeys.
David McClellan of Harvard found that if you associate with a reference group (friends, associates, coworkers, family members, etc.) whose members are not success-oriented, this one choice alone can stop any possibility of you being successful in life.
Your choice of associates, personal or professional, is one of the most important choices you'll ever make in your life. If you associate with turkeys, you'll never fly with the eagles. We are either raised up or pulled down by the people surrounding us.
Please understand this does not mean being a snob. It just means you give careful thought to how you are spending time, and with whom.
You want to try to bring people along with you by helping them to expand their horizons, but the sad reality is not everyone wants to go along for the ride.
It takes some serious dedication to allow yourself to feel discomfort as a consequence of change, but that is the only way to grow.
If you want to join a group of winners like yourself, just drop me an e-mail; I'll be sure to send you the unabridged version of this article complete with tips from the "Results Coach" and action steps you can immediately take to create more time.
John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach
and chief operating officer of RPM Success Group. Reach
him at JPM@RPMsuccess.com or (888) 334-8151.