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How to be Successful In 4 Simple Steps
In my last post I introduced the possibility of creating the life you desire. Instead of life just “happening” to you and you reacting, you can deliberately build the life you want. But first you must know what success looks like to you and then learn how to be successful in life.
Today’s topic will set the scene for the creation of your success pyramid. In every step of its construction there is one critical element that is essential for your success.
Without it, everything you learn is just a theoretical exercise.
Without it, you can’t expand your boundaries and become the person you wish to become.
It’s the step between where you are now and where you want to go.
The concept is so simple, yet the application seemingly is not. If it were, we’d all be successful.
Where so many fall down
This is a simple feedback loop. I will dive into it deeper in a future article, however, today is about one key element of this loop.
Let’s take a quick tour of the feedback loop.
Initially, you have either learned something or decided on something you will do. Today you have decided to run a marathon.
Crazy person!
Excellent, you have gained some sort of “knowledge”. You know what you want to achieve.
The next step involves an action or actions.
You need to:
- Pick the date of the marathon
- Buy new running shoes
- Go for a run
After the first run you think “crap that was difficult, am I doing this the right way?”. I’m also really stiff and sore. These are your initial results.
Now you take what you have learned and expand your knowledge base.
New knowledge:
- I don’t know what I’m doing
- How do I not be sore each time?
- Do I have enough time to achieve my goal?
New Actions:
- Get expert advice
- You receive a plan
- You learn the importance of stretching
New Results:
- It’s starting to feel good
- I’m into the groove of the process and I believe I’ll be ready
New knowledge:
- I can do this
New actions:
- Dropping old, bad habits for new ones that push you towards your goal
New results:
- More distance or faster times on your runs
And so on.
I’m sure you can see how this process can apply to so many areas of your life.
But quite often there is one step, the critical step, that we fail on.
We know we should, we sort of want to.
But we don’t.
We don’t take ACTION. From achieving our personal goals, to building business empires, getting to Mars, these ideas materialised because action was taken.
Do you want to start your business today? Or aim for a promotion?
Yeah, nah.
I can’t today:
- It’s too wet outside
- It’s too sunny, I can’t waste a day like this
- Binge day for “The Walking Dead”
- Too hungover
- Got friends coming over
What about tomorrow?
Yeah, maybe. Not likely. Other “stuff” to do.
I just never got it
I’m my case, I made a complete meal of these four simple steps.
I figured if I studied, something would happen, that is, knowledge → results.
I didn’t know what I want to do with my life and I thought that study would provide an answer. I have wasted lots of time, effort and money on study that got me nowhere.
I admit that I was interested in what I had studied, however, I didn’t adequately research the results side of the formula.
My problem was that I didn’t know what result I was really after. I was hoping results would just appear.
A career “idea” never really materialised when I was at school, or university, or while working, so I just aimlessly followed interests.
I didn’t want to be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, tradesperson, engineer, etc, that is, something with a clear path.
I should have spent more time and effort (I had constantly thought about this for a long time, just not effectively I guess) focussing on designing my goals and then everything else would have been much simpler to identify.
I needed to be more proactive in my approach. I’m an introverted person, so going out and searching for what I want (if I had actually identified what I wanted) puts me out of my comfort zone.
Rarely does “it” come to you. The great job, the new business partner, the partner of your dreams, the hot body. YOU need to MAKE it happen.
Overwhelmed?
Sometimes the goal is so large it can be overwhelming.
At the moment, all you need to do is figure out the first step. What do you need to know to take that first step?
That may be brainstorming ideas for your business, reading up on how to prepare for a marathon or gaining a new career-oriented skill. The key thing is to get enough knowledge and then take the first step.
Once you take the first step, it becomes easier to figure out the second step. Just like pushing the first domino over in a chain of dominos. Each one impacts the next.
Or even better …
Exponential impact!
(The last domino is the size of a 2-3 storey building – search “geometric domino chain”)
You don’t know what power you can unleash within yourself until you knock over the first little domino.
Taking action is critical for success
Research ideas, speak to people about the job you want, start jogging. Further action may require hiring a coach or finding a mentor to fast-track your knowledge building process which creates better, focussed action. Along the journey, track your progress towards your goal.
There is a temptation to want to know everything before you start. This is my problem, being very analytically minded. Often this is not possible and results in inaction. Paralysis through analysis, that is, over analysis. You stall before you even start.
Your goal gets put in the too hard basket. Maybe you’ll try again next year.
This is my second blog post. I’ve never done anything like this before. I did some research on how to write a successful blog post – my brain nearly melted down on the “rules” of writing a post. Do this, this and this, don’t do this. But if you do that then …..
I took some fundamental ideas and just started – the rest – well, I‘m sure a lack of readers will let me know or please feel free to make comments about how I can create better content for you. Do I really know what I’m doing? Not completely. But I have the end in mind. I want to create successful people.
Act first?
You can even just take action and figure it out along the way.
It’s a bumpier ride but at least you are progressing towards your goal.
I have the success strategies and the financial knowledge but have no idea about building an online business or writing articles. Learn along the way.
“An entrepreneur is someone who jumps off a cliff and builds a plane on the way down.”
Ried Hoffman.
Track your progress
Track your progress regularly and adjust if necessary. Learn what you need to or take a different course of action.
Are the results you’re getting the results you want?
It all about the Action
Even though each step in the Knowledge → Action → Results → Feedback formula is important, it’s the ACTION component that gets the results. Knowledge by itself is of limited use.
There is a saying, “Knowledge is power”. Not true. Knowledge is POTENTIAL power. The true power comes from organising that knowledge into a clear plan of action directed at attaining the result you desire.
Got a business idea? Take action and register your business name, write a business plan.
Don’t know how to write a business plan? Look it up.
You want to lose weight? Take action by getting moving more, cleaning up bad habits, hire a dietician or trainer.
You want to achieve? Take action. Start NOW.
The Wrap
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Want different results – do different things.
- Get committed to a clear goal.
- Figure out what you need to know.
- Figure out what you need to do.
- Review your progress towards your goal and make adjustments if required.
This four-step process is how I manage my back issues. However, I didn’t realise I did this process until I sat back and looked at how it happened. It wasn’t deliberate either. If it had been, I would have achieved things far more efficiently.
Knowledge:
Goal – Protect my back all costs. Why? Because my life is significantly worse when things go wrong with it.
Specific knowledge – My personal training knowledge combined with knowledge picked up from an array of specialists. Learning about what options are available to enable me to work full-time (chairs, desks, etc).
Action: Daily mobility exercises, daily walks, gym 5-6 times a week, discipline with food, the right bed, the right desk set up, treatment on my back every 3 weeks, using my sit-stand desk, ad-hoc self-treatment with foam rollers or other massage devices.
Result: The best I can hope for. I can be active, I’m not in pain, I can work a full-time job, I can build a website in my spare time, and I can be there for my family.
Feedback: My body tells me if I’ve pushed too hard or need a service at the chiropractor. I evaluate what happened, make changes and monitor.
Up next …..
How to choose values that guide your success
Take action in your life.
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