“The new year stands before us, like a
chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by
setting goals.” —Melody Beattie
I am not a fortune teller. But I
can see clearly that every action carries within it two possible outcomes:
success or failure. It’s that simple. People prefer success. I don’t think I
have met anyone whose goal is to fail. But failure happens. It is our response
to failure that determines whether we become successful or not. It is strange
to write “success” and “failure” in the same sentence. But, Winston Churchill did
when he wrote, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of
enthusiasm.”
When successful people fail,
they learn from the experience and then move on—the wiser—to try again. They
don’t look at the failure as final; they see it as a learning experience.
Malcolm Forbes wisely wrote, “Failure is success if we learn from it.”
Today, I want to suggest eleven
ideas for obtaining success in the New Year.
• Determine where you want to be at the end of 2016. If you know
your goal, you can then work backward setting the small, specific, and
well-planned actions to achieve the goal. Know why—the specific purpose—you
want to accomplish your goal and move toward the goal with each action step.
The pull of your vision will keep you moving in the right direction.
• Establish accountability. You have to say, “I got this one.” Accept
responsibility and accountability for your actions. While others may help you, the
buck stops with you. The key is to have a proactive rather than a reactive
mindset. Staying focused on the goal helps ensure what is supposed to happen,
happens.
• Expect and prepare for the unexpected. Peter’s Law states, “The
unexpected always happens.” Before finalizing your 2016 goal, conduct a “What
if” exercise If this happens, I will do this. When “stuff” happens, you won’t
be caught off guard.
• Manage your time. The odds say you’re going to have 24 hours, so
make all 1,440 minutes count every day. Successful people stay focused on their
goals, but they also don’t spend all their time on work. Strive for balance. If
you complete your goal and still empty, you invested too much time in the wrong
project.
• Develop a can-do attitude. Without this, there is no success. A
positive attitude generates genuine enthusiasm and is the critical ingredient
in success. Without a positive attitude, it is almost impossible to develop an
inner drive toward achievement and success.
• Have an innovative spirit. Always look for ways to innovate and improve
every single activity you engage in.
• Keep your knowledge current and your skills marketable. Engage in
continuous self-improvement. There
is no substitute for knowledge and ability.
The person who continues to improve both his/her knowledge and occupation
skills will be ready when an opportunity presents itself. Reading for personal
growth is a part of the successful person’s life.
• Be a problem solver. Evaluate the facts to discover the
camouflaged solution hidden within the problem. Discover new and innovative
ways to remove obstacles and accomplish your tasks. Don’t be known as a problem
conveyor; be recognized as a solutions ambassador.
• Never lose sight of the goal. Engage in activities that advance
you to your goal and avoid activities that detract you from your goal.
• Focus on results, not on being busy. Develop the ability to get
things done; to achieve goals. Never confuse activity with results. Spend time
on the activities that matter most to you.
• Celebrate and have fun. Make sure you balance a strong work ethic
with a timely victory celebration. Your goal should be to celebrate the
results, not the activities. An old sports maximum challenges athletes to run
through the tape and then celebrate. But not before.
Over the years, big changes have
occurred in the way we conduct business, and it occurs to me that even with all
the changes, there remain two success truisms. First, no matter the economic
climate, organizations make room for people who help them grow the top line and
maximize the bottom line. Second, individuals are responsible for their
success.
I don’t know whether you make New Year’s Resolutions
or not. If you do, you can save time and include several of these success ideas
in your 2016 goals list.
No comments:
Post a Comment