Wednesday, October 15, 2014

STICK TO THE BASICS




     What do you see when you examine a successful person?  Money?  Cars?  Nice home?  Clothes?  Have you ever stopped to think about what that person did to get to that point in their life?  Are they more special or skilled than you?  Do they tie their shoes differently?  These are questions that I ponder when I look at someone who has been successful in the same field.  I am guilty of thinking that some people are just lucky and they get all the breaks, surely someone gave them a hand out, right?  But as I studied successful people I learned that they all possess the same quality……..THEY HAVE MASTERED THE BASICS! 

     The basic fundamentals in any field are the foundations of success.  Once we learn and master the basics in that field we become more confident.  Confidence breeds success!  The fastest, most efficient way to build confidence is to become comfortable with what you are doing.  We have to learn how to master the mundane, which is paramount to accomplishing goals. 



Let’s examine 4 key basic elements to build success.

1.       HAVE A DEFINITE PLAN/GOAL

2.       VALUE YOUR TIME

3.       STAY IN YOUR LANE

4.       DON’T QUIT

 

1.  HAVE A DEFINITE GOAL

One of the most important fundamentals we can learn is to fall in love with is GOAL SETTING!  This activity gives us a roadmap to success.  It’s been said, if you don’t know where you’re going any road will get you there.  There couldn’t be more truth to that statement.  Once a decision is made to go after something we have to put a plan of action in place to execute.  For example, there are several ways to drive from North Carolina to New York City, however the fastest way to get there by car would be Interstate 95N.  So in this case, instead of taking a longer more scenic route through the mountains of West Virginia and Pennsylvania a more direct approach is most efficient.  This same thing holds true for our goals.  We must determine to most efficient way to reach them, map the plan out and stick to it.

 

2.  VALUE YOUR TIME

Successful people value their time and know it’s crucial to success.  They create a schedule and follow it to ensure their time is spent efficiently.  Most of their day is spent doing activities that move them closer to accomplishing their goals.  A schedule keeps you focused on certain task that will move you towards success.  Time is one thing we can’t back so it’s important spend it wisely.  It’s easy to get distracted by activities that slow down progress like; checking emails, lunch with people who aren’t clients or potential clients, social media etc.  Minimize distractions and focus on keeping a time schedule to get the most out of your day.

 

3.  STAY IN YOUR LANE

Focused efforts help keep us efficient.  When our goals are set and the “how to” is in place, its necessary that we stay in line with them.  It’s important to realize that we can’t accomplish them alone, so we have to surround ourselves with others that can help us get there and most importantly stay in our lane.  We can’t try to do someone else’s job so we have to use our gifts and abilities to compliment the other person.  In track and field runners get disqualified for running into another lane, in business if you don’t stay in your lane you will hinder your success.   

“People have been known to achieve more as a result of working with others than against them.” - Dr Allan Fromme

 

4.  DON’T QUIT

I read a Facebook post that the two secrets to success were; 1. GET STARTED 2. DON’T QUIT.  We’ve all heard to never give up, and showing up is half the battle.  I’m a believer that if you know what you want, go after it with 100% FOCUS and never give up it will happen.  The key is to minimize distractions, and understand that life will happen, but stay the course.  Many of us give up too early on our dreams and never see them finished.  Believe in your dreams and have a “do whatever it takes” attitude and they will happen.  Always remember you can’t cheat success because it’s always watching you!

 

 
© C.LEWIS 2014
DREAM ON PURPOSE EVERYDAY

2 comments: