12 THINGS
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO DIFFERENTLY
(EXTRACTION FROM POST: 12 THINGS SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO
DIFFERENTLY, WRITTEN BY: MARC AT http://www.marcandangel.com)
1. Create and
pursue S.M.A.R.T. goals.
S.M.A.R.T. goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
Specific – A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a related specific goal would be, “Join a
health club and workout 3 days a week for the next 52 weeks.” A specific goal has a far greater chance of being accomplished
because it has defined
parameters and constraints.
Measurable – There must be a logical system for measuring the progress
of a goal. To determine measurable goal,
ask questions like: How much time? How many total? How will I know when the goal is
accomplished? etc. When measuring
progress, stay on track, reach target dates, and experience the exhilaration of
achievement that spurs you on to continued efforts required to reach the goal.
Attainable – A goal must represent an objective toward
which you are both willing and able to work. In other words, the goal must be realistic. The big question here is: How can the goal be accomplished?
Relevant – It is important to choosing goals that
matter. For example, an internet
entrepreneur’s goal to “Make 75 tuna sandwiches by 2:00PM.” may be Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, and Timely, but lacks Relevance to an entrepreneurs
overarching objective of building a profitable online business.
Timely – A goal must be grounded within a time frame,
giving the goal a target date. A
commitment to a deadline helps you focus your efforts on the completion of the
goal on or before the due date. This
prevents the goals from being overtaken by daily distractions.
2. Take decisive
and immediate action.
There’s a huge difference between knowing how to do
something and actually doing it. Knowledge and
intelligence are both useless without action. Make that decision. And take action.
3. Focus on being
productive, not being busy.
“Work smarter, not harder.”
Busy people are rushing all over the place, and running late half of the
time. They’re heading to work,
conferences, meetings, social engagements, etc.
They barely have enough free time for family get-together and they
rarely get enough sleep. The
solution: Slow down. Breathe.
Review your commitments and goals.
Put
first things first. Do one
thing at a time. Results are more important than the time it
takes to achieve them.
4. Make logical,
informed decisions.
Decisions driven by heavy emotion typically contain minimal
amounts of conscious thought, and are primarily based on momentary feelings
instead of mindful awareness. Don’t let
your emotions trump your intelligence.
Slow down and think things through before you make any life-changing
decisions.
5. Avoid the trap
of trying to make things perfect.
Many of us are perfectionists in our own right. The passion for excellence drives us to run
the extra mile, never stopping, never relenting. The insistence on dotting every ‘I’ and
crossing every ‘T’ breeds inefficiency, causing major delays, stress overload
and sub-par results. The real world
doesn’t reward perfectionists. It
rewards people who get things done. Make a decision. Take action, learn from the outcome.
6. Work outside
of their comfort zone.
Most great opportunities in life force us to grow
emotionally and intellectually. They
force us to stretch ourselves and our comfort zones.
7. Keep things
simple.
An abundance of choice often leads to complication,
confusion and inaction. Choose something
that you think will work and give it a shot.
If it doesn’t work out, learn what you can from the experience, choose
something else and keep pressing forward.
Simplify.
8. Focus on
making small, continuous improvements.
Henry Ford once said, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small
pieces.” Making small,
positive changes is an amazing way to get excited about life and slowly reach
the level of success you aspire to. Starting
small doesn’t need a lot of motivation to get started. The simple act of getting started and doing
something will give you the momentum you need, and soon you’ll find yourself in
a positive spiral of changes
9. Measure and
track progress.
Successful people step back and assess their progress regularly and
clearly know what needs to be done to excel and accelerate. You can’t control what you don’t properly
measure.
10. Maintain a
positive outlook as they learn from their mistakes.
Successful people concentrate on the positives – they look
for the silver lining in every situation.
You need to
have a positive outlook toward life.
Life will test you again and again.
If you give in to internal negativity, you will never be able to achieve
the marks you have targeted. Every mistake
you make is progress. Mistakes teach
you important lessons. Every
time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal. The only mistake that can truly hurt you is
choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.
11. Spend time
with the right people.
Successful people associate with people who are likeminded,
focused, and supportive. They socialize
with people who create energy when they enter the room. Hang with the right people and you will
become far more capable and successful than you ever could have been
alone. Find your tribe and work together
to make a difference in all of your lives.
12. Maintain
balance in life.
A lot of people don’t balance their life properly to achieve
the things they want. Typically they’ll achieve
one or two of them while completely neglecting the rest. When you let your work life consume you, and
all your energy is focused in that area, it’s extremely easy to lose your
balance. While drive and focus are
important, if you’re going to get things done right, and be truly successful,
you need to
balance the various dimensions of your life. Completely neglecting one dimension for
another only leads to long-term frustration and stress.
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