Imminent Success

Like most people I am always looking for an easier and more convenient way to do something. Especially when I'm unfamiliar with something, I'll instantly look to an expert to guide me or get me on the fast track to success. This is shown every day in the world. For example, in fitness, we basically know that it takes hard work and sweat to become physically fit, but there is always a new machine, program, or pill to circumvent what we already know. Many people are looking for financial success the same way, and this is why there are so may companies out there waiting to make a million on changing your life without all that hard work.

When looking for the shortcut, a seminar may seem attractive; for a fee, learn the techniques and success can be yours in just an afternoon. Life-changing skills in one sitting - boy, what a deal. Is it? Can you learn the skills it takes to be successful in business or life so quickly? There is no substitute for hard work. Ok it sounds cliche, but I found out the hard way quite true.
My Experience

When I first started as a salesperson, the question, "how do they do it?" was constantly on my mind. The "they" were all the top salespeople in my office; you know, the secret to their success. Of course, I wanted the results immediately. I was a prime candidate for the flyers that filled my office mailbox, with promises of learning from someone who has already done it, and all their secrets revealed. How could I pass up such claims? Many of the other rookies and myself would make the pilgrimage and learn from this one-day sage. During the seminar, I would just think, wow, this makes a lot of sense. "Can't wait to use all this great stuff!" I also became very excited that I now knew something that the seasoned veterans didn't know. For the next couple of days, I had an incredible amount of enthusiasm and vigor, some colleagues felt the same way, and others went on like the seminar never happened (business as usual}. As the days went by less and less of us were mentioning the revolutionary ideas, until we all fell back to our comfort zone. What a difference a couple of days make. I learned from these numerous and costly experiences.

Before you change anything in business or your life, the first step is changing your focus. It's like going on a fad diet, the results in the beginning may be noticeable, but the recidivism rate is usually very high. All the machines and fitness classes in the world can't help unless you are committed to a life of fitness. The same is with business. Are you committed to working hard making sacrifices, and expanding your comfort zone? Foundation! Do you have a foundation to build on? All the seminars and tapes are a mere tweaking of the big picture. A great example is a former co-worker, he would read all the heavy hitters, constantly listen to training tapes in the car, and even hired the services of a successful business women to give him private instruction. The principals for prospecting, like being a good listener and asking open-ended questions, had been hammered into him over and over again. When we would team up for sales presentations, I would curiously await the skills in action. I was amazed. All I can say is that he could have saved his money, because none of the techniques he would recite were being used at the prospect's home. The desire to improve his skills was there but a true commitment to the change was not.
The Big Picture

Yes, I'm guilty of looking for a quicker, easier way to improve my business. Nothing wrong with improving productivity, is there? In this quest for results, be cautioned that your thinking can become clouded with the thought of learning "the secret." Check the investment involved before going to a seminar just like you would question the return on investment of a new computer or other business tool. My experience is that many times I could have received the same value from a tape or book, except at the time I was pumped up on the results to be powerful and quick. With that one day seminar usually came a sales pitch for further education or materials. I have came from many one-day experiences wondering did I learn anything new or did I learn that running a seminar is a great way to make money.

Before making the investment in seminars, private consultation, or even books and tapes, have your house in order. Do you need changes? Or are you just being impatient? Are you ready for major changes? As I have stated in previous articles, once you know the why, the how will come. Be committed to your business plan, and if you are not maybe, it's the business plan that needs the tweaking. If you are in need of the extra help, be sure in what area that help is needed. If you need to work on the basics, that seminar on offshore tax advantages may not be a great investment.

Habitual Success

Habitual success is every bit as possible as habitual failure. It's a matter of what you choose to pay attention to. If you doubt that, try this simple experiment. Notice your reaction to that thought and then notice that you could have had the exact opposite reaction if you chose to do so. Either way. If you thought that the statement was true you notice that you had the option to decide it was false and vice versa. You chose.

It's like that with everything in your life. Event > choice > decision > action > result. Over and over and over. Thousands of times a day. Mostly on autopilot. Good decisions and bad decisions - some that add to your success and some that keep you from it.

It's back to that conscious/unconscious thing again. A few years back when I was studying this, my teacher, Robert Dilts, commented to me that the only thing he wanted to be "Unconsciously competent" about was being "Consciously competent," which is to say his goal was to be on autopilot only about NOT being on autopilot about anything else. To be aware of every choice he made as it presented itself.

If you truly want to be, do, and have, your best in this life, and you're not already there, step one is to cultivate the top ten habits of success, starting with the habit of "Paying Attention" to your own thoughts. Are you looking for solutions or are you hung up on problems? Are you able to stand outside your training and education and see the world around you in a logical and emotion free state? What are you giving your time and attention to?

The greatest certainty I know is that whatever you give your attention to, grows. If you fertilize your garden in one moment and then take the fertilizer away the next, you constantly interrupt the growth you seek. Two steps forward and one step back. One step forward and one step back. One step forward and two steps back. One moment telling yourself you can and the next taking it away. Dominant thought wins. In Jimmy Buffet's song about Buddy Bear he says " It was two steps forward and one step back. It was so simple it plum evaded me."

That's what you do when you worry!!!!! You focus on what might go wrong. So you start to create it. Then you have to work that much harder to fix it. I don't mean you should walk around pretending nothing can ever go wrong. Things can and do go astray. But you don't have to dwell on them. Notice them and go for the solution. If you will train yourself to do that, you'll have habit #1 well in hand and be on your way to the life you say you want.

So the first habit of success is to monitor your dominant thought. It's not complicated. It is not a great mystery. It's simple. Anyone can do it. Joey Manos told me "You gottawanna." He was right. All you have to remember is that you get what you think about most. And then direct your thoughts where you WANT them to go. Constantly. With passion. Start now. Question your assumptions. Make course corrections. Get in the habit.