Design Your OWN Success Formula
Author: Barbra White, MBA, Personal Coach

This year I encourage you to stretch out of your comfort zone and set three goals for 2001 that truly inspire you. Forget what you think you "should" do and design goals that feel great.

So, what will you be celebrating before the year is over? A higher-paying job that matches your best talents? A leaner, healthier body? Or maybe a signed contract for your first book?

Once you've chosen your goals, make sure you break them down in to manageable and measurable steps. Then, of course, it's time for ACTION. This is where most of us have trouble. We start off with a bang, but within a few weeks we're right back where we started. We get distracted, our energy fizzles, and that burning desire to improve our lives is lost. Sound familiar?

If you're tired of struggling to reach your goals, change your approach!

The key to achieving your goals is to design a success formula that AUTOMATICALLY encourages you to achieve your goals, and to steadily remove everything that distracts or discourages you from moving forward.

Create your success formula by identifying the "tools" you need to bring out your best, most creative and productive self. What kinds of people, activities, and environments work well for you? Do you thrive when you're part of a group that stimulates you and provides plenty of feedback? Or does being alone in quiet, peaceful surroundings stir up your best stuff? Discover what makes you UNSTOPPABLE, and let your formula do the work for you!

Consider the "human" part of your formula: how much privacy you need; how much interaction; what kind of help you would like; what types of people inspire or energize you. I've noticed many people lack the amount of stimulation, challenge and support they need to really excel. If that applies to you, find ways to add more of these to your life. If you need praise, instruct your friends to praise you. If you need to be challenged to train for a marathon, buddy up with someone who's a step ahead of you. Winners find out what they need to do their best work-and they get it.

You'll also need to determine what physical environments bring out your best. A client of mine who plans to finish her second novel this year needs an uncluttered, well-organized place to write because she gets distracted easily. She also gets a nice boost in her creativity by spending an occasional afternoon writing outdoors in a peaceful park. What environments inspire you, or help you focus more clearly?

Choose 3 to 5 TOOLS for your success formula using the following list, or by coming up with your own. Put a question mark next to any other tools on the list that intrigue you. You may want to try them on and see how they fit. For each of your tools, jot down two ways to bring these in to your life. Put your new success formula to work!

SUCCESS TOOLS:



Challenge
Starting small
Encouragement from friends
Getting lots of praise
Visualizing the result
Teamwork
Being organized
Following examples
Privacy/ Quiet
Enticing rewards
Research/ New information
Taking a class
Deadlines
Procrastination (it works for some!)
Buddy system
Meditation or Journaling
Spirituality
Fear
Repeating affirmations
Other¡¦



Remove obstacles to your success

Your success formula will be even more effective when you get rid of the things that slow you down or prevent you from staying on track with your goals.

If your life is full of clutter, chaos and other distractions, it will be tough to stay focused and productive. Try unplugging the phone, organizing your office, and gracefully bowing out of the social commitments and volunteer activities that are limiting your chances of success.

Be aware that obstacles come in many different forms: the television that eats up too much of your time¡¦.the ice cream in the freezer that sabotages your diet¡¦a self-defeating thought that creeps in and erodes your confidence¡¦ take action to get these things out of your way!

You now have a formula for staying on track with your goals. Make winning easy by filling your life with things that automatically pull you towards your goals, and eliminate what stands in the way. 2001 will be your best year yet!







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By Barbra White, MBA
Personal and Business Success Coach

I partner with my clients to create the strategy,focus, and momentum needed to design the life they really want to be living. Together we focus on the areas that will bring them the greatest results, generate more money, and bring them the most joy.

Website: http://www.BWCoaching.com E-mail: Barbra@BWCoaching.com

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