Have you ever wondered why some people are successful while others are not? What is it that separates the haves from the have nots? While some people toil away at unfulfilling jobs, linger in overweight bodies or struggle with difficult relationships, there are a select few who seem to sail through life. They write the great American novel, create wildly successful businesses or strut their rock hard abs. What is their secret? Successful people take action.
You may be saying, "Wait, that's the answer to the great big secret to success? That's too simple." Yes, it is simple, however, simple does not mean easy. Take for, for example, weight loss. Loosing weight is not rocket science. We all know to lose weight you have to eat fewer calories and expend more energy. Of course, there are different methods to this process, but it all pretty much boils down to calories and energy. So if it's so simple why are we not all walking around in super svelte bodies? It's because knowing something and DOING something are completely different. You must take ACTION to see results. You must get your ass to the gym!
If we know what to do, why are we not all racing out of our houses to get to aerobics class? Because it's hard and makes us uncomfortable. In order to be successful you are going to have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You will have to do things you don't feel like doing. Many people think they will do something when they get properly motivated. They hire coaches or read inspirational books. And while those things are all great helps, YOU are still the one that has to do the work. But here's the good news. Once you START to take action, you DO start to feel like doing the work. You DO start to feel motivated.
Most people think the emotion will come and then they will take action. That's backwards thinking. When you start taking action you start to create a cascade of positive emotions that keep you motivated. You start to see progress and glimpses of your success which gives you even more energy to take more action. It's an upward spiral.
Here are three tips to get you and keep you on PAR with success:
1. PREPARE-What do you need to do to set yourself up for success? Are there supplies you need? Do you need to put things on your calendar? Are there people you need to contact? When you know WHAT you need to do, it will be easier to get started.
2. ACT-What one thing can you do each day to move you closer to your goal? DO IT. Make a phone call, write your outline, buy some damn carrots! Do SOMETHING. Even doing one small thing will help you feel motivated to take the next step. All action is physical. Even if you think for a living, you still need to physically write down your thoughts. So get out of your brain and into your body.
3. REBOUND-If you try an action and it fails, GET UP AND TRY AGAIN. Imagine you were running an important race on a track with hundreds of spectators. Now imagine you tripped on your shoelace and fell flat on your face in front of all those people. What would you do? Would you just lay there? No, you would get up and finish the race and hopefully, you would have learned to tuck in your laces for the next race. The only way you really fail is if you stay down and let the world trample on you.
Stop waiting to feel ready to act. ACT like you are ready succeed and soon you will be the one winning the race.
If you've been reading this blog, then you are probably somewhat familiar with branding and some of its benefits. Good branding can create a loyal, excited following. It can increase your sales. It can differentiate you from your competition and establish you as an expert in your field. Wow, those are all fantastic benefits of branding! However, I think the very best benefit of personal branding is not often talked about. It is the FEELING YOU GET from living and working from and with those parts of you which feel most authentic and exciting TO YOU.
Does that quote sound limiting to you? It may. We often bristle at the idea of being boxed in, of being labeled one way or the other. We do not want to be pigeon holed. It seems contrary to the American ideal of more is better. We are always striving to break down barriers, go beyond the horizon, grow and expand. And while all these endeavors are worthy, they don't necessarily translate effectively to branding.
This is the last week our au pair will be with us before she goes back to her country for school. We decided to have a special waffle breakfast to say good-bye and thank you to her. As usual, my youngest daughter was the first one up the day of the big breakfast and she was super excited. She wanted us to make waffles NOW. Now happened to be 5:45 a.m. and everyone else was still asleep. Of course, my explanation that we had to wait until everyone was awake went over like a lead balloon. It also had no effect on her insistent asking if we could start the waffle-making process NOW. Here's how the conversation went:
I seem to be walking down memory lane more than usual lately. It may be because summer is a time when we travel more to reconnect with our friends and families that live further away. For whatever reason though, I recently found myself thinking about my first piano solo.
Doing branding work I have met some really incredible women. I love getting to know my clients and hearing about their dreams and goals. I am always impressed and delighted to hear about their past accomplishments, their unique experiences, and their visions for their businesses and their communities. These are strong, smart, energized women. However, I've also heard some of these same amazing women say things like "I know I should be charging more, but… I'm just really picky…I don't want to seem braggy…I know my standards are too high…" We're all in trouble if having high standards is something you should apologize about!
I LOVE summer. I do not like summer, I LOVE it. Despite the inch-thick layer of gooey sunscreen I have to wear, despite the bozo-esque hair I sport after a dip in the pool, I still think summer rocks. It’s the one time of the year when all my kids are free at the same time. We don’t have to be at gymnastics, girl scouts or soccer. We are free to rome and explore and do as we please.
One of my very earliest memories is sitting on the corner of my block at about the age of 5 singing and making up songs hoping that someone would walk by, hear my voice and “discover” me. Now it’s hard for me to imagine that a 5 year old would have such thoughts, but I most certainly did. I think we all have a desire to be scene and heard and to feel like people recognize our talents. However, no one is going to “discover” you by simply walking past you on a street corner while you sing a little ditty.