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You set annual goals in all the key areas of your life. You constantly read on-line tips about new ways to achieve your goals. You make sure you’re doing things properly to succeed. Then why is it still a battle to hit those goals?
1) We are definitely the sum total of all our thoughts and habits. William Allen said many years ago, “Our thoughts make us.” Dale Carnegie coached millions of people around the world to focus on what they are becoming, rather than just concentrate on their circumstances. In other words, our habits are what shape us. We need to practice and build skills and attitudes that make us deserving of achieving our goals.
The most important key to a better future is you. It’s an inside job. If you want a better than average income or business, become a better than average authority and/or businessperson. Become someone who has a better than average way with people, a bright smile, a strong handshake, top-notch communications skills, enthusiasm, and confidence. Be someone who practices opportunity-thinking and attitude control, and a person who learns finances and business. As Jim Rohn reminded us, “Work harder on yourself than on your job.”
Many of us suffer excess weight around the belly and hips because of an overabundance of unhealthy food and drink in our diet. We also suffer from consuming an overabundance of unhealthy information from television, radio, the print media, as well as our smartphones and iPads. All of this makes many people intellectually unhealthy . Be smart, and feed your brain only from the best sources of information. Ignore the trash, and watch the improvements to your attitude and your thinking.
The difference between you and others who will not be as successful is that you are constantly working on improving yourself and your business. You take programs that require you to practice until your habits improve. You read and listen to only the best. On a flight yesterday, I noticed that the first-class passengers weren’t reading check-out trash – they had the Wall Street Journal and similar material open. That should be a clue to others.
Many people just stop growing. They get through university and think they’ve studied enough and deserve success, only to find out that life isn’t a study session. It’s real-time action, choices, decisions and behaviours. Education may get you a job and in the game, but your success philosophy, skills, and behaviour are what actually create your success. In many ways, this might not seem fair. When do you ever get to just soak in life and enjoy it all?
The answer is, you can have it all, but getting there requires achieving some goals, and they just don’t magically accomplish themselves. Even personal life-goals like travel, health, financial, social, spiritual and recreational objectives need clear, simple actions that take you there.
2) Successful people do the things that others know they should be doing, but don’t get around to doing. For every action there is a subsequent learning and next action. Those who succeed learn and keep advancing. You can plan and plan, but those who win pull the trigger and act despite any preconceived worries and concerns. If there wasn’t some risk to be had and learning to be done, you would have achieved your goals already.
That is the game. Think, plan, act – despite possible risks. In today’s world, I hear too many excuses, too much worrying, and placing of too much blame. It’s as if we shouldn’t even try or, at least stay determined, focused and persevere. How spoiled, cynical and even downright negative can some people get? It would be great if we all were in the perfect organization with the perfect offering to the markets, with the best engaged team, great management and leadership, and with tons of resources to spend but, the truth is, that isn’t reality for most of us. It may never be that way. You make the life you deserve in spite of the circumstances. You deserve the life you create from your actions, not your worries. As a new pup in business I copied the actions of my mentors until my own learning piled up, became an essential part of who I was and what I did, and I became me, the person I wanted to be. Who are we taking mentoring from today? Are we done learning? I don’t think so.
MMM Action:
When you hear yourself say, “We should _______”, in some sort of vague complaint, correct yourself and say, “I should ______.” Always work on you and your actions. It’s your only doorway to possibilities and it’s what gives you the power to change whatever needs changing.
When you hear complaints and criticisms without a vision or a statement of what is wanted instead, remind yourself and say, “What do we want?” Grumbling and blaming are useless unless they present a contrasting reality to what is wanted; the best thing to do is state out loud what you want.
Tell yourself, it is possible. (No one attempts to do things they think are impossible). It doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, but it does open up your mind to what is possible instead of remaining in an automatic restraint grounded in the past.
Then ask what is missing that if it were present, would make achieving your goals possible. This question can be magical.
Formulate your answer this way: “Who do I need to be to make that missing ingredient present? What do I need to learn to achieve the desired result ? What skills do I need in order to be the person who elegantly makes it all happen?”
Remember, always stay in a success state of mind. Don’t let junk information in.
Every couple of months, I conduct a small group discussion with 30 or so success-minded people at my office. I am always impressed that so many people are still growing and constantly working on their thinking, attitudes, and habits. It’s exciting to be around them and have the one-on-one conversations I promised them. What group is turning you on, inspiring you to be better? Our team will also be running our annual goal-setting session to another fully booked room in January. Don’t miss it. It’s an unusual and exceptional experience. Register here.
Also, join me at my next small group session on January 7th, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., where we will dialogue about how to ignite business possibilities and team enthusiasm.
• What occurred to you today?
• What are you going to do?
Have a great week!
Kevin D. Crone
Chairman
Dale Carnegie Business Group
kdcrone@dalecarnegie.ca
(905) 826-7300 ext. 223
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A Special Invitation from Kevin D. Crone, Canada’s Monday Morning Mentor…
Don’t forget to join Kevin and other success-minded business people on Tuesday, January 7th to discuss:
1. How to Innovate and create new wealth
2. How to build a system that ignites your people to create efficiencies, customer focus and a new way of business
These topics will be under discussion when businesspeople meet at our office with Kevin D. Crone, Canada’s Monday Morning Mentor and senior partner, Bill Buslepp – and we invite you to join us!
Over the years Kevin has delivered inspirational and savvy business advice every Monday morning, shared research findings, provided reports, conducted conference calls and webinars, appeared regularly on the Fox radio network, and offered online, telephone, and in-person coaching sessions. All simply for the asking.
Kevin’s previous small-group session in November opened up a great dialogue on how each participant can design their business so that employees are engaged, leadership is developed and change is managed well.
Igniting Innovation and Team Enthusiasm
Tuesday, January 7th
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Dale Carnegie Center of Excellence
2121 Argentia Road, Suite 103
Mississauga, Ontario
Complimentary to attend
This discussion will cover:
• The process of Business Change
• The number one factor in making innovation work
• The motivation system
• Building a focused and more engaged team
Who Should Attend:
Business Owners, Executives, Senior Managers and Human Resource Professionals interested in learning about current trends and talent management.
Click here to register
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Read past issues in the Monday Morning Mentor Blog.
Consider this: Contact us today to speak to one of our coaches about the one or two things you need to change to have a better life/career/business. Email: info@dalecarnegie.ca
