SUCCESS AND THE OLD ROUTINE OF SETTING NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

“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.

The Day They Didn’t Pick Up The Trash

This is that day, the day the trash wasn’t picked up. It’s Monday, trash is always removed on Mondays…every week on Monday (unless Monday is a holiday). I checked the calendar and today is a normal Monday, not a holiday.

Did someone not show up for work? Was there an equipment problem? Was today an unusual heavy work day, making it impossible to complete the route? Are the workers striking? I’m not a fault, I paid for the service. But today, no service.

Trash “service” —unlike most customer service—isn’t judged by how it’s picked up, who handled it or if the workers smiled and show courtesy. Trash service is: trash picked up on time.

Does your organization always “pick up the trash?” When your customer, client, patron or buyer has a “Monday” experience, are you there to pick up the trash i.e. problem? By in large, people judge customer service by how prompt and effectively you handle the problem.

Don’t Fear Tomorrow. Be Fearful That You Will Miss Today

I believe that one of the greatest crimes committed by most people is their failure to live today because of their fear of tomorrow.

We are taught in school that all of us are born with a very limited number of instinctive fears—of falling, of loud noise, of the dark. Basically these are there to help us survive. What we aren’t taught is that there is another fear that has the power to stagnate our lives, our careers, our relationships, and our success. That fear is the fear of the future, more specifically the fear of tomorrow.

The reason we fear tomorrow is that tomorrow is unknown. We don’t understand what may happen and being human most people will think the worst. But this fear of tomorrow exists only in our mind. We have little or no evidence of what tomorrow may bring. Certainly we have no guarantee of tomorrow. The way you overcome fear of tomorrow is to become so involved in today that you forget to be afraid. 

In truth, the only reality is the present and it will soon be the past just as what you thought was the future becomes the present. It doesn't matter whether you or rich or poor or in-between, you can only live in the moment and these moments are quickly recorded as past successes or past failures. You think about the future and that moment becomes the reality of the now.

Time is relevant. It is relevant to the present. You can’t change the past or relive it. Though there are some people who try to rewrite it. You can’t predict the future, but you can always find someone willing to play the role of a prophet for a fee or promise of notoriety.

Thomas Edison did not worry about the failures of yesterday, nor did he leave his success to the future. He daily applied himself to the task at hand. And after 10,000 failed attempts to develop the electric light bulb, his success came on the day the light bulb glowed. Today, the world would be poorer and different had Edison lived his life based on regret and hope. People have a brighter today because Edison lived in the present.

I think Rodin's sculpture, The Thinker is an excellent picture of someone who is deeply worried about the future and meanwhile stuck in the present. While we contemplate the future, the present is changing. What was tomorrow is now today. The reality of life confirms Greek Philosopher Heraclitus' statement: "The only constant is change." Therefore, if you want to be a success don't worry about tomorrow, deal with today and before you know it, the dread of tomorrow becomes the opportunity of today.

When you are having a down day, you think of yesterday as being much better than it was. In your despondence you may envision an idyllic tomorrow, but in reality you only have today. You can squander today or you can invest in it. The choice of one precludes the choice of the other. The odds say you're going to have 24 hours, so make all 1,440 minutes count.

People need to prioritize their life like they prioritize their projects and then spend today working on their highest priorities. The reason most major goals are not achieved is that we spend our time reminiscing about the past or daydreaming of the future. What Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote is true, “what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

By prioritizing our activities we clearly see that neither yesterday nor tomorrow produces results today. Only actions today produces the result we achieve today. Our priority should be to work on our top priority— today!

For the employer, the challenge is to find good, smart, work-in-the present people. People that when assigned a task get started on achieving the goal. These "now" people understand the mantra:  If it is to be, it is up to me.

By far the most effective way to motivate these in-the-present people is with short term rewards that recognize that the job must be accomplished quickly and correctly. Finding the correct timing and reward for these get-it-done employees is a daunting leadership challenge. But that is what leadership is about.

Employment experts tell us that the key to hiring is to hire the best and brightest. I would add to that, hire people who work in the present. When hiring, ask the candidate about what he or she is currently doing to enhance their job skills. What projects they are currently working on. What do they expect to happen today?

Look for people who are disappointed that there are only 24 hours in the day; not just for work but for living.

Successful people take control of their lives. Their actions are focused on achieving their goals. They spend each 24-hour cycle appreciating and being thankful that they are alive. They spend their present not longing for yesterday or dreading tomorrow. Successful people know the greatest present they have been given is the moment— the Present.

If I had to pick one thing that failures have in common, my choice is the fear of tomorrow, the dread of the unknown, the mysterious. Don't fear tomorrow; be fearful that you will miss today.

Three Point Success Summation

Success Thought: I find it interesting that many people faced with today's challenges choose to hide in yesterday's memories or tomorrow’s uncertainty. We must look for ways to be active in the present and forget the past and not waste time day fearing tomorrow. Will you take charge and get the job done today so when "tomorrow" becomes today you will be ready to seize success? Regret and Fear are obstacles to success. Action eliminates the regret of yesterday and the fear of tomorrow.

Success Quote: “If you’ve got one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow, you’re missing today!” — Liza Minnelli

Success Action: Do something today that makes today worth living.

My book, "Mentor In The Mirror" is available on Amazon and the Apple Store or go to: www.mentorinthemirror.com