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Secrets to Success
Deborah Cole Micek
and John-Paul Micek
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Imagine yourself succeeding
Second of three parts
IN life, stumbling along and taking what comes your way is bad enough. But, when you're a business owner, you're not only cheating yourself when you don't have a clear focus; your employees and clients are being shortchanged, too.
Most people won't set any goals until they're forced to by some type of emergency (and sometimes, that emergency is a tragedy). These emergencies force people to think about the direction of their lives, and their business or financial independence. Goal-setting is not even a thought for so many business owners until "crunch-time" confronts them head on.
LET'S SAY you want to increase your cash flow. Without a specific dollar amount or increase you want to bring in over the next quarter, you'll wind up settling with whatever "just happens" in your business.
However, if you set clear numbers of where you're at now, and precisely where you want to be three months from now, you'll have a benchmark to measure your success.
Last week we discussed Step 1: Determine what you really want, and Step 2: Pick a specific date to write down exactly what you want.
Now, here's Step 3:
» Prepare yourself to achieve your goals.
Once you honestly complete steps one and two, you'll be able to see clearly if you're missing anything that's required to reach your goals. More than likely there will be something missing.
SOMETIMES it will be something small or easy to gain with a little self-research -- like finding a mailing list for your target audience, or a software program to help you handle orders. Other times, it will take some time to gather information, or you will need to do some research to find that one thing that is missing.
Whatever it is, take the time to give yourself the best chance to succeed.
For example, you're unsure what the best marketing strategies are for your growth plans. Or, maybe you need to systemize your operations and improve your customer service so that you don't lose new clients.
Either way, you need to create an organized game plan to prepare yourself for success. You accelerate your progress by seeking the viewpoint of someone outside your company.
DEVISE a plan of action, then faithfully pursue it with ultimate self-discipline and belief in your dreams and you'll have the key to your success.
What can you picture yourself achieving in your mind's eye?
Begin now to imagine yourself succeeding at a specific task long before it becomes a reality. That's the secret to success.
John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach at RPM Success Group Inc. Reach him at
JPM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.
Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach and life strategist. Reach her at
DCM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.