Commitment to taking personal responsibility for your success is one of the keys to career and life success that is part of my Common Sense Success System.  I discuss it in detail in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Your Success GPS, I Want YOU…To Succeed, Star Power and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.

If you want to succeed, you must commit to three things.  First, you must take personal responsibility for your success.  Only you can make you a success.  You need to be willing to do the things necessary to succeed.  Second, you must set high goals — and then do whatever it takes to achieve them.   Third, stuff happens; as you go through life you will encounter many problems and setbacks.  You need to react positively to the negative stuff and move forward toward your goals.

I can’t begin the year without blogging about goals and goal setting.  I’m a fan of the S.M.A.R.T. system of goal setting.  S.M.A.R.T. goals are…

• Specific – Your goals should be targeted, nor broad and general. They should be unambiguous and explicit.
 
• Measurable – You should be able to tell quickly and easily if you’ve met your goal. Develop a set of criteria that will be indicative of success or failure in meeting each of your goals.

• Achievable – Set goals that are challenging but not incredibly difficult to achieve. A challenging goal is motivating, an impossible one is demotivating.

• Relevant – Make sure that your goals are in line with your purpose and direction.  They should help move you closer to your life’s purpose.

• Time Specified – Set deadlines for achieving your goals. Well developed goals come with time limits.

Once you have developed a set of S.M.A.R.T. goals, you need to work them. Here are some ideas for accomplishing your 2009 goals.

• Write your goals. People who take the time to write their goals accomplish them more frequently that people who don’t.

• Keep your goals with you – in your wallet, on a clipboard, on your screen saver. In this way, they’ll be a constant reminder of what you are going to achieve.

• List at least one reason you want to achieve each goal. These reasons will help you stay focused when you get tired and frustrated and begin asking yourself questions like, “Why am I working so hard on this?”

• Determine how you will achieve each of your goals.  Create a list of action steps – with deadlines – for each of your goals.
• Share your goals with your friends. These folks can be a big help in achieving your goals. Goals become more real when you share them with others. Goals that you don’t share are merely aspirations.

• Talk about your goals at social and networking functions. The help you need to achieve one or more of your goals can come from some surprising places. You never know who might be the one person who can offer the assistance it takes for you to get over the top on one or more of your goals.

• Focus on your goals several times a day. Ask yourself, “Is what I’m doing right now helping me achieve one of my goals?”  If the answer is no, stop what you’re doing and do something that will help you reach your goals.

• Stay balanced by creating goals in all areas of your life: career, business, personal, family, hobbies, health. These goals will help guide you to where you want to go.

• Have congruent goals. Make sure your goals are congruent with one another. Conflicting goals create undue stress. If you have a work or career goal that is going to take up 60 to 80 hours a week of your time, it will be pretty difficult to realize a goal of running a marathon. You simply won’t have time to train.

• Consider the sacrifices – what you might have to forego or give up in order to reach one of your goals. This could be things like family or hobby time. Ask yourself questions like, “Is this goal important enough for me to give up time with my kids or my weekly yoga class?”
The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for creating the career and life success they want and deserve.  Setting and achieving high goals is one way of demonstrating your commitment to your success.  Your 2010 – and any year for that matter — success begins with your goals.  Make sure they are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound).  You should be able to clearly articulate three things about each of your goals – 1) What you plan to achieve; 2) Why you want to achieve it; and 3) How you plan on achieving it.

That’s my take on how to use the power of goals and goal setting to make 2010 your best year ever.  What’s yours?  Please take a minute to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  Good luck in achieving your 2010 goals.  I hope that you truly rock in 2010.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Commitment to taking personal responsibility for your success is one of the keys to career and life success that is part of my Common Sense Success System.  I discuss it in detail in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Your Success GPS, and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success. 

If you want to succeed, you must commit to three things.  First, you must take personal responsibility for your success.  Only you can make you a success.  You need to be willing to do the things necessary to succeed.  Second, you must set high goals — and then do whatever it takes to achieve them.   Third, stuff happens; as you go through life you will encounter many problems and setbacks.  You need to react positively to the negative stuff and move forward toward your goals.

The other day, I came across a succinct statement on goal setting and goal achievement from Denis Waitely…

“The secret to productive goal setting is in establishing clearly defined goals, writing them down and then focusing on them several times a day with words, pictures and emotions as if we’ve already achieved them.”

I really like what Denis has to say.  Let’s break it down.

1. Your goals need to be clear.
2. Your goals need to be written.
3. Your need to focus on your goals several times a day.
4. You need to visualize yourself achieving your goals.

While all four of these points are important, I think number three is critical – and the one lacking for most people.  Too many of us treat goal setting as a once a year process.  Some of us set quarterly milestones and check out progress then.  Few of us review our goals daily to make sure that what we do every day brings us closer to achieving our goals.

I always suggest that my coaching clients stop at least four or five times a day and ask this simple question: “Is what I’m doing right now helping me achieve any of my goals?”  If not, I suggest that they should stop what they’re doing and move on to something goal related.

Here’s an example.  I am on a plan right now.  I was reading a novel – something I enjoy very much.  However, long ago I realized that airplane time is found time – free of distractions and time that can be very productive, if I choose to use it that way.  So, I closed the novel, opened my laptop and began writing this blog post.  Blogging brings me closer to achieving my goal of being a successful internet information marketer.  Reading a novel doesn’t.

I wrote the first draft of 4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations on a trip to Hong Kong.  That was two 15 hour flights (there and back), plenty of time to think and write – and to get achieve the goal of publishing a book on what it takes to run a successful organization.

I’m not saying that you should spend every waking hour working.  I am saying, however, that by focusing on your goals and asking yourself if what you are doing is bringing you closer to achieving them, you can make a conscious decision to work your goals or take some time for yourself.  I have spent more than one plan trip reading a novel.  Sometimes recharging my batteries is the best thing I can do to achieve my goals.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for their lives and careers.  They set high goals and do whatever it takes to achieve them.  Focus on your goals every day.  Stop for a minute several times a day and ask yourself if what you are doing is bringing you closer to achieving at least one of your goals.  If it isn’t, stop what you’re doing and start doing something related to achieving your goals.

That’s my take on how to achieve your goals.  What’s yours?  Please take a minute to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Competence is one of the four keys to career and life success in my Common Sense Success System.  I also discuss it in some detail in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success; Your Success GPS; and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to succeed you need to develop four basic, but important competencies: 1) creating positive personal impact; 2) becoming a consistently high performer; 3) dynamic communication skills; and 4) becoming interpersonally competent. 

There are four key competencies that will help you become a career and life success:

• You have to be able to create positive personal impact.
• You have to be become an outstanding performer.
• You have to be a dynamic communicator – in conversation, writing and presentations.
• You have to build strong, lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with the important people in your life.

Positive habits are an important key to outstanding performance.  Positive time management is an important habit to develop.  Habits are like muscles.  The more you use them, the stronger they get.

Here in Colorado, we are required to get our cars checked to ensure that they meet clean air emissions standards before we can renew our license plates.  It’s a good law, one that helps with the air quality in our beautiful state.  It’s also a pain in the butt.  It requires a trip to an emissions monitoring station and waiting in line for the test.  My plates renew in October, so yesterday I spent a couple hours getting my car tested.  It passed.

Cathy laughed at me as I was leaving the house with my briefcase, which had my cell phone, a couple of books and a bottle of water.  She said I would probably be the only one at the emissions testing facility reading a book.  That was OK.  I had just received a review copy of Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book Crush It.  I wanted to read it so I could review it on this blog – and to learn a few things.  By the way, Crush It is a great book – not just for entrepreneurs.  I’ll do a post on it next week.

Carrying a book with me is one of my time management positive habits.  Sometimes it’s a novel.  Most times it’s a business or inspirational book.  I am in the habit of using spare moments to read and learn.  Yesterday, I was able to read the first four chapters of Crush It while I was waiting for my emissions test.  I also took some notes — ideas that I plan on incorporating into my business.  Not a bad use of my time.

I read while waiting for appointment with clients.  I read while waiting for my dentist, or doctor – and you know how long those waits can be.  I read when I go to get my car washed.  I read before a movie if I’m by myself.  This is a small habit, but one that allows me to read at least two more books a month than I normally would.  That’s 24 books a year – and a lot of good ideas to help me grow my business.

Reading spurs ideas.  These ideas give me inspiration for this blog.  They help me make decisions about my business.  They help me clarify my thinking on my passion – helping others create the career and life success they want and deserve.  Reading in spare moments is one of my most positive habits.  What is your most positive habit?  If you are thinking that you don’t have many positive habits, I suggest you check out Dan Robey’s site www.thepowerofpositivehabits.com.  There’s a lot to be learned there. 

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people are competent.  They set high goals and achieve them.  Positive habits will help you reach your goals – but only if you take the time to develop them.  Reading in “found moments” – the time I spend waiting is one of my positive habits.  I’m amazed at how much I can learn just by always having a book with me.  Today I learned a lot about personal branding by reading the first four chapters of Gary Vaynerchuk’s book Crush It.  Take the time to develop some positive habits of your own.  You’ll be surprised at how much they help your productivity.

That’s my take on reading as a time management positive habit.  What’s yours?  What are some of the positive habits that have served you well over the years?  How did you develop them?  Please take a minute and leave comment sharing your thoughts and ideas with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Competence is one of the four keys to career and life success in my Common Sense Success System.  I also discuss it in some detail in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success; Your Success GPS; and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to succeed you need to develop four basic, but important competencies: 1) creating positive personal impact; 2) becoming a consistently high performer; 3) dynamic communication skills; and 4) becoming interpersonally competent. 

There are four key competencies that will help you become a career and life success:

• You have to be able to create positive personal impact.
• You have to be become an outstanding performer.
• You have to be a dynamic communicator – in conversation, writing and presentations.
• You have to build strong, lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with the important people in your life.

Resilience is an important component of becoming an outstanding performer.  High goals are great, but you need to do whatever it takes to meet those goals.  Sometimes, it will appear as if the fates are conspiring against you when it comes to achieving your goals.  That’s where resilience comes in.

In The Power of Resilience, Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein list eight characteristics of resilient people.

1. Resilient people have large networks.  They stay connected.  Last week, I did a post on mastermind groups and how they can help you perform better.  Mastermind groups are a way to build a supportive network.
2. Resilient people are optimistic.  If you read this blog with any regularity, you know I am an incurable optimist.  You need to be so too.  Check out a post I did last week on The Optimist Creed.
3. Resilient people are spiritual.  Mssrs. Brooks and Goldstein equate spirituality with religion.  I don’t.  I think there are many ways to be spiritual – meditation, conversations with your higher power, a walk in the park, or my favorite, a long bicycle ride on a nice day.  Regardless of your take on the spirituality/religion equation, you need to remember one thing.  The more spiritually centered you are, the more resilient you’re likely to be.
4. Resilient people are playful.  They enjoy themselves.  They are willing to laugh at themselves and at life.  They see the humor in even the most difficult situations.
5. Resilient people are givers.  I have long advocated that giving with no expectation of return is the best way to build strong relationships.  That’s why I’m always willing to help anybody in any way I can.
6. Resilient people focus on what they can control.  As the serenity prayer says: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”  I’ve found that the one thing I can control is my response to people and events.  I try to choose to respond positively the negative people and events in my life.
7. Resilient people are healthy.  It’s easier to deal with upsets and distractions when you are in good physical and mental shape.  That means eating right and exercising.  I find that things always look a little brighter after one of my bike rides.
8. Resilient people see problems and setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow.  Any time you fail, look for the lesson.  What will you do differently the next time you encounter a similar situation?  File away this information.  You’ll need it sooner or later.

Here are some affirmations to help you become more resilient.  Repeat them often and you’ll become a more resilient person.

• I am a positive and upbeat person.
• I am able to deal with high levels of ambiguity and uncertainty.
• I adapt well and quickly to new situations.
• I find the humor in difficult situations.
• I learn from my experiences and the experiences of others.
• I am good at solving problems.
• I am strong and durable.
• I am able to convert misfortunes into something positive.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people are competent.  Competent people set and achieve high goals.  You need to be resilient in order to achieve your goals.  Here are a few tips for becoming resilient: build your network; become an optimist; exercise your spirituality; be playful; give back; focus on what you can control, not what is out of your control; stay healthy; learn from adversity.

That’s my take on resiliency and success.  What’s yours?  Please take a few minutes to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, you have my deepest and most sincere thanks for reading.

Bud