| Michael Angier is the founder and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of
SuccessNet based in
South Burlington, Vermont USA. He’s a father, husband, writer, speaker,
entrepreneur, coach and student. He's also the creator of The World Class
Business™ Conference. |
Success
is simple. Just be clear about what you want and go after it. That
and a few million details and you've got it made.
Let's assume that you already know
what you want in your life and what it would take to make you feel
successful.
But how do you make that happen?
It takes a clear and impassioned
focus on your dreams and constant and diligent attention to what you
do, how you do it and ways in which you can do it better. Sounds
simple, doesn't it?
It is, but it's not easy.
I remember a conversation I had with
a friend awhile back about reaching a financial goal. I was
undecided about which of many projects I should focus on--which one
should get my limited time and energies. He looked at me very calmly
and said, "Follow the money."
I thought, "Gosh, that's good
advice."
 It made total sense. It was a goal
that involved finances, so why not go for the projects that produced
the most bucks. It was simple. It was right on. And I wasn't seeing
it because I'd lost my perspective. I was too involved in busyness
instead of paying attention to business. I was caught up in the
thick of thin things.
It's not uncommon. It's easy to
confuse activity with accomplishment. Unless we're really paying
attention, we can be very busy doing the wrong things. As we dig our
hole deeper and wider, we often find out later that we've been
digging in the wrong place.
What was right yesterday, what worked
last year, what was innovative a month ago may very well be obsolete
today. If you can't pick your head up and survey the landscape once
in awhile, you're going to get beaten by a competitor who does.
Our most valuable commodities are
time, energy and knowledge. How we apply these is critical to our
success.
Make a list of everything you do and
what your intended results are from those efforts. You'll find the
80/20 Rule alive and well. About twenty percent of your efforts will
be producing eighty percent of your positive results. Look for ways
to reduce or eliminate the other eighty percent and do more of the
twenty.
Some things we do produce no results
at all. We just keep doing them because we've always done them and
didn't really question their usefulness.
Question everything! If you had to
justify your investment of time and energy to a boss or a board of
directors, could you? Are you sure?
You wouldn't invest money unless it
was giving you a return. Why should your time and energy be any
different?
Persistence is a great virtue, but it
must be balanced with the ability to see a better plan and put it
into action. Learn to cut your losses.
We're not entering the Information
Age, we're already in it. It's not enough to work hard. We have to
work SMART. Being a good steward means making good use of the
talents and resources we've been given. It requires thinking. It
requires close attention.
It's up to us--and only us--to be
consistently analyzing our actions and the results they produce. Do
it, dump it or change it.
Do what works and stop doing what
doesn't.
--End--
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