Tuesday, November 13, 2012

12 THINGS SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO DIFFERENTLY



 
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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