It was a fascinating conversation and I was very fortunate to be able to gain an insight into the world and routine of a professional, and what made them ‘tick’. We discussed various professional sportspeople across multiple sporting disciplines, and I was extremely curious to understand what made the difference at the elite level – was it luck or was it skill? Interestingly, sportspeople at the elite level are very talented, and typically there is not a big gap between the top ranked player and the bottom ranked player, in terms of talent. In fact elite sportspeople have a number of traits or attributes in common, including :

• They are very clear on their outcome – the elite are not there just to make up the numbers. They have very specific outcomes for their sport that they are seeking to achieve, and everything they do, is directly linked to them striving to achieve that outcome. For many professional golfers, it is to be a winner of a major event, or to be the number 1 player in the world. For others, it is to top the ‘money list’ for a tour, meaning they earn the most prize money during the season. And for others, their objective is to become one of the top 10 players in the world. Whilst many professionals may have different outcomes they are seeking to achieve, they all have one thing in common – they are 100% crystal clear on what it is they are seeking to achieve for them.
• They plan religiously – another attribute the professionals have in common is their focus on planning. It may be a cliché, but they understand perfectly that ‘if they fail to plan, then they plan to fail’. They recognise that the plan provides a blueprint for success, and whilst they may not have 100% control over the outcome, they do have 100% control over the process they follow and therefore the action they take. A key part of the plan is a schedule, whether it be the schedule for practice, for physical exercise, for diet, or for relaxation – and they are dedicated to the schedule, as their attitude is ‘if it gets scheduled, it gets done’. This provides the professional with a routine, and allows them to focus on the activities that must be completed in order to remain at the top of their game.
• They are exceptionally disciplined – It is one thing to have a plan and a schedule, and another thing to follow it. This is a major difference between the professionals and the amateurs – the professionals are exceptionally disciplined to follow the plan, and they execute according to the schedule, irrespective of how they feel, or what else they could be doing. They know that their success is built on the daily disciplines executed consistently over time. In fact, the professionals live their life according to the Rule of 5, where they identify the 5 key actions they must take on a daily basis in order to grow, develop, improve, or maintain their form. And this Rule of 5 is applied to multiple areas of their life, and is one of the key differences that separates them from the amateurs.
• They have a very strong support team – the professionals understand that long term & sustainable success cannot be achieved on their own; a support team is critical. The elite performers are very specific on who they have in their support team, with most if not all of them hand picked to compliment the professional, and the other members of the support team. This team can become the backbone for the professional, and include close family members, specialist coaches, dieticians, financial advisors, managers etc, all playing their role in maintaining and supporting an environment that allows the professional to perform at their best.
• They have a mentor – professionals at the top of their game understand that there is always another level to achieve, another mountain to climb, and that if they become content, they risk the possibility of sliding backwards and being overrun by their competition. As such, they align themselves with a mentor, who can provide guidance, be a sounding board, and challenge the professional to break through barriers to even greater levels of performance.
• They maintain high standards – not only do the professionals operate according to a well articulated plan and schedule, they also identify and execute against world-class standards that are non-negotiable, that are replicable and designed to underpin long term, sustainable success. As such, they are able to execute consistently with confidence, as these standards provide them with structure.

These traits and attributes are consistent amongst high performing professionals, and for many professionals, it provides them with a very solid foundation to achieve results that many would consider to be exceptional. However, there is one thing above all else that makes the difference and separates many of the professionals from their peers, and that is – they back themselves! Elite professionals back themselves every time, they are risk takers and they know that in order to experience elite results and separate themselves from the pack, they must be open to ‘failure’, to not winning. However, they execute with confidence knowing that they have created a very solid foundation through their plan, their standards of excellence, and the daily discipline of consistent action. It is the professional golfer who backs themselves to hit a 3 wood over water from the rough and land the ball close to the flag in order to win the tournament. It is the professional tennis player who backs themselves to serve an ace on their second serve when they are serving to save the match. And it is the professional business person who backs themselves to make the ‘unpopular’ decision that could result in a windfall for the company.

It was such a wonderfully thought provoking conversation, and I left the lunch with a renewed vigour to continue to identify & operate according to elite professional standards, and to never ‘settle’ for average results. I also walked away armed with a number of very powerful questions and perspectives, which I would love to pass on to you :

1. If you do not back yourself, who will?
2. Where do you need to back yourself more?
3. Have you been playing a ‘safe’ game, not taking too many risks? If so, why? What are you waiting for?
4. How can you take more risks, and execute with confidence?
5. What is the worse thing that can happen and can you handle it?
6. What daily disciplines do you need to take on in order to become world class?

Propel yourself forward and take a chance, soar like an eagle & back yourself and watch your confidence soar and your results flow! And remember, ‘You do not have to be great to get going, but you do have to get going in order to become great!’

To your ongoing success.

Darren

Thank you for taking the time to read this post – I greatly appreciate it, and welcome comments and feedback. Please feel free to comment below, to follow me on LinkedIn, or to connect via Twitter , Facebook or at www.potentialunleashed.com.au

It got me really thinking, am I living my life the way that I intended, or am I just cruising? Let me ask you the same question – are you living your life the way you intended, or are you simply making up the numbers? It is a very sobering question, and one that is very easy to gloss over and either ignore, or deflect, particularly if we are really ‘busy’. Well the fact is, we only have one life, and that life can be snuffed out so quickly, that life can be over before we start living it. It reminds me of the extensive research conducted in Aged Care facilities where people coming to the end of their lives are asked about their life philosophies and their perspectives on living a great life, including any regrets they have. Overwhelmingly, the feedback from the elderly generation is that they would take more risks, have more fun, seek out more opportunities, and not worry about what other people think! Very wise and sobering feedback for those of us who still have sand remaining in the hourglass!

So here is the question – are you living your life the way you intended? If not, then why not? What is stopping you from living the life you desire and more importantly, what are you waiting for? You do not know how many grains of sand remain in your hourglass, so isn’t it time to get on with it, and create the life you have always dreamed of, and deserve? Well, to help you out, here are some of the key areas to focus on, based on the extensive research conducted with the wise and elderly generation :

• Don’t take yourself so seriously – how many people do you see each day taking themselves so seriously, you would think that the success of their team or company rests entirely on their shoulders? They seem to have lost the ability to have fun, to channel their ‘inner 5 year old’ and look at the world through a child’s eyes, with childlike wonder. They are so serious that they block off their ability to look on the lighter side of situations and events. Now this is not to say that business is not serious business, but I do think that there is ample room and opportunity to bring childlike wonder to the table in any business situation, because through having fun and not taking yourself so seriously, it creates a space for creativity to be explored – and through creativity, innovation is possible.
• Be grateful for the people around you – as we go about our daily business, how easy is it to take those around us for granted, thinking that they will always be there? Well, the harsh reality is that they will not always be there, so do not wait until the ‘time is right’ to thank them for being part of your life and your journey. Thank them now, and let them know how important they are to you, and how grateful you are that they are on the journey with you. Gratitude is a super power – use it and pay it forward.
• Be grateful for the opportunities and the challenges – As well as being grateful for the people around you on your journey, it is critical that you are also grateful for both the opportunities presented to you, as well as for the challenges placed in your path. Nothing worth achieving is not worth fighting for, so if you are facing challenges right now, know that you are on the right track and that challenges are inevitable – in fact, overcoming challenges and obstacles is a pre-requisite for achieving success, so embrace it.
• Create that Bucket List, and start experiencing – one of the greatest regrets that elderly people have is that they did not do all the things they ‘wished for’, and if they had their time over again, they would create a ‘serious bucket list’, and start ticking off items immediately. Now bucket list items can be anything from extreme experiences like tandem skydiving or jet boat racing, through to life changing experiences like visiting the ‘Killing Fields’ in Cambodia. What ever it is to you, is fine – just ensure that you create a bucket list and commence ticking off the items. Remember, life is short, so what are you waiting for?
• Take more risks! – this is a huge one. As human beings, we seem to be conditioned to avoid pain, to avoid risk and to take the ‘easier road’. Well, if we are able to learn anything from the older generation, it is that we should condition ourselves to take more calculated risks. At the end of our life, we do not want to look back on our life and wish we had have taken the chances we could have, but didn’t, because of fear, or because we wanted to play it safe. As Jim Rohn said many times, ‘discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs tonnes’. Create the discipline to take calculated risks, and know that if it doesn’t work out, you have the ability and the resilience to bounce back, to learn, and to move forward. If you are able to handle the worst possible scenario, then there really isn’t any risk! What are you waiting for?
• Stop majoring in the minor things – how many people around you continue to focus on the small details, to the point where they can no longer see the big picture? As humans, we are world class experts on majoring on the minor things. Where does that get us? Nowhere really. So instead of focussing in on the minute details of things, take a couple of steps back, and ask yourself the question ,’what is the big picture here?’, or ‘for what purpose are we focussing on the details in this situation?’ – asking yourself these questions (and then answering them!) will allow you to move up the hierarchy to the bigger picture and therefore not be bogged down or distracted by the small details. And it may even allow you to create new approaches and new ideas, that could be the difference that makes the difference.
• Back yourself – this is somewhat linked to taking more risks, and is something that is quite difficult for many to implement, as it is more comfortable to go down the easy road, to seek permission first and step forward only when you know the outcome. Well, to be able to achieve what most others will not, you must be prepared to do what most others are not willing to do, and it starts with backing yourself. Move forward, take a chance, see what you are made of, and know that whatever happens, you will be able to handle it. Back yourself – what are you waiting for?
• Don’t wait for the time to be right – how often do we defer taking action, and justify it based on the time not being right? How do we know when the time will be right? The fact is, there will never be a right time, there will always be a reasonable reason as to why now is not the right time to take action. So don’t wait around waiting for the time to be right, make a decision, and get on with it – in taking action, it will be the right time, and you may be surprised with the results you achieve! What are you waiting for?
• Stop waiting for all of your ducks to line up! – ducks are absolutely amazing, and they are wonderful teachers. If you have been waiting for your ducks to line up before taking action and moving forward, then please go and research ducks. When a mother duck is looking after her ducklings, she does not wait for them to line up before taking action – she takes action first, and then the ducks line up and follow her. She is the leader, she leads by example, and her ducklings follow her, and model her. So if you are waiting for all of the ‘planets to align’ and for your ‘ducks to line up’, before taking action and moving forward, then stop. You are kidding yourself – if you keep waiting, the ducks will never line up – it requires you to take action and then move for the ducks to follow. So what are you waiting for – get going!

Life has a funny way of jolting you out of your comfort zone, and showing you just how short life is. As my mentor Sam Crowley often says ‘Everyday is a great day when you wake up on the right side of the ground’. When you wake up, that is the trigger for you to get up and get going. Make the  most of the sand still in your hourglass, focus on the above points, and know that when you get to the twilight of your life, you will be able to answer a resounding ‘Yes’ to the following, highly powerful questions :

Did I live?

Did I love?

Did I make a difference?

Get going, build your legacy, and start living it – what are you waiting for?

To your continued success.

Darren

Thank you for taking the time to read this post – I greatly appreciate it, and welcome comments and feedback. Please feel free to comment below, to follow me on LinkedIn, or to connect via Twitter , Facebook or at www.potentialunleashed.com.au

As an avid football fan, I believe there is no better field of endeavour to articulate the importance of why, than AFL Football. Each year, hundreds of talented young players register themselves for the AFL Draft, in the hope that their dream of playing professional AFL football is realised. For many of them, being selected onto an AFL list is their ultimate dream (their why) and as a consequence, within 1-2 years, they find themselves being de-listed, as they were not able to perform at the level that their identified ‘talent’ indicated. For others, being selected for an AFL team is simply the first step on a long and challenging journey, and these players constantly refine and update their why, and enjoy long and successful careers. In fact, there are many cases in the AFL where players with  less identified talent have become extremely successful over a long period of time, with many so called ‘experts’ wondering how they were able to achieve such a high level of sustained success. The common denominator amongst these players is that they each had a very powerful and empowering why.

So whether you are a budding professional sportsperson, a person seeking to make your mark in the world of business, art, science, or in fact in any endeavour, let’s explore why identifying and knowing your why is so important :

Knowing your why creates purpose – many technicians who are good at doing something often believe that focussing on the ‘how’ will lead to success. If they continue to ‘do it’, they will receive the recognition they are looking for and they will enjoy sustained success. Whilst this is possible, it is more often the person who clearly identifies the reason they are doing something, who will enjoy the sustained success and recognition. They have clearly defined their purpose and through this purpose they are able to continually refine their ‘how’, improve their skills and capabilities as a ‘technician’, and more often that not, progress through to ‘mastery’ in their endeavour. It is through their ‘definiteness of purpose’ that creates their sustained success.

Knowing your why creates meaning – when you are really clear on why you are doing what you are doing, it provides you with meaning – you are able to clearly identify the reason for your ongoing actions, which in many instances, will enable you to operate within ‘flow’ and from the outside looking in, it may appear that what you are doing looks effortless. Whilst this may be an illusion (i.e. any worth achieving takes hard work!), because you have a very clearly defined reason for your craft, every movement you make and action you take has meaning, all geared towards your why.

Knowing your why creates desire – Napoleon Hill stated in Think & Grow Rich that ‘desire is the starting point of all achievement’ and that without a burning desire, people can run around in circles, go through the motions, and not achieve the level of success they are capable of, or deserve. However, when you clearly identify your why, it can trigger a burning desire to achieve world class performance, where you will be prepared to do whatever it takes (legally & ethically of course!) to improve and to develop. This could be putting in extra hours after everyone else has stopped for the day, it could be practicing and refining your craft long after others have finished, such is your burning desire to achieve your why.

Knowing your why will arm you – nothing in life worth achieving is not worth fighting for, and being really clear on your why will arm you for the inevitable challenges and hurdles. When you are really clear on your why, there is nothing that will stand between you and your achievement – you will have the strength, the tenacity and the tools to be able to overcome what will be clearly placed in your path to knock you off track, to test whether you are serious about your why, and whether you believe you are worthy of achieving your objectives. During these times, your why will almost be your secret weapon, your internal power source to push through the challenges and realise your potential.

Knowing your why provides clarity – when you are very clear on your why, it can provide you with clarity of direction. Even though you will be challenged along the way, as articulated in the point above, your why will act like a compass, and enable you to follow the path along the journey to achievement. Will this mean that you will always select the right path to follow? Not always, however, by knowing your why, you will be able to quickly re-group and get back onto the right track, and utilise the setback as experience and feedback to propel you forward.

Knowing your why provides energy – there is a old fable about 2 bricklayers who were each asked what they were building. One bricklayer said “I am building a brick wall”. When the other bricklayer was asked the same question, his reply was “I am building a beautiful cathedral”. Which bricklayer do you believe had a bigger why? And which bricklayer do you believe had more energy? The second bricklayer. Being exceptionally clear on your why does provide you with energy – and this energy can often be the difference that makes the difference. When the going gets tough, when it would be easy to stop or give up, the energy generated through knowing your why allows you to push on – this can often be referred to as your ‘second wind’. This is no more evident than in a professional sport like the marathon where 2 people of equal ‘talent’ are battling it out and there comes a point, a moment of truth, when one competitor breaks away, and the other competitor is unable to catch up. It is the ‘second wind’ burst of energy, underpinned by a strong why that enables to competitor to break away and win the race.

Knowing your why provides an antidote to quitting – this one is a biggie. Knowing that success is not easy, that it takes dedication, discipline and hard work, you can often be confronted with challenges and obstacles that force you to make a choice – to push on, or to quit. If you are not crystal clear on your why, it may be easier for you to quit, however, when you are absolutely 100% certain on your why, it does provide you with an antidote to quitting. You will come up against challenges and tests, and you know that these are simply part of the journey that you must take in order to achieve your objective. And through this, you will build your level of confidence and actually look forward to the next challenge!

So no matter what your chosen endeavour is, spend both quality time as well as the necessary amount of time to get 100% crystal clear on why you are doing what you are doing – your why.

Whilst I cannot guarantee 100% that you will be super successful, there is one thing I can guarantee – without a very clearly defined why, you will not be able to achieve the level of success that you are capable of. Get crystal clear on why – then you will be better placed to work out the ‘how’!!

To your continued success.

Darren

Thank you for taking the time to read this post – I greatly appreciate it, and welcome comments and feedback. Please feel free to comment below, to follow me on LinkedIn, or to connect via Twitter , Facebook or at www.potentialunleashed.com.au

So how are you going to go about creating our most extraordinary year yet? Following is a set of guidelines and principles that my mentor, Alice Haemmerle shared with me in December, and it provides an exceptional framework to focus on various areas of life and become laser focussed on what we want to create, and how we are going to go about it.

1. Review of 2014

Firstly, it is critical to reflect on the year just gone, and review what went well. What were the highlights for you in 2014, what were your grateful for, what made you happy and satisfied – use these 8 categories to reflect on and identify the highlights for you :

– Relationships

– Health & fitness

– Business/Career

– Contribution

– Holidays

– Special Events

– New Experiences

– Learnings/Education

In each of the above areas, spend some quality time reflecting and reviewing what were the highlights in 2014. You may well find that these highlights will become the launching pad for your objectives for 2015, so ensure that you take the time you need. And when doing this, it is important to focus on the highlights, so bring an attitude of gratitude to the exercise. If you find yourself drifting into focussing on all the things you wanted to achieve and didn’t, or that you find that you are comparing yourself to others’ achievements, stop immediately and re-focus on identifying highlights for you. All of us are on our own Hero’s Journey, and we are likely to be at different stages in that journey, so be grateful with where you are, and use it as a springboard to move forward.

2. Assessment – Wheel of Life

Having reflected on and reviewed the highlights for 2014, now look at assessing your level of satisfaction in the following 8 categories ;

– Relationships

– Health

– Career/Business

– Wealth/Finance

– Contribution

– Hobbies

– Family

– Spirituality

Utilising the Wheel of Life is a great exercise as it will provide you with a very clear picture on where you may need to increase your focus in 2015, in order to create the most extraordinary year. For each category, assess your level of satisfaction out of 10 (0 being totally dissatisfied, and 10 being totally satisfied) and mark a spot on the wheel. Then draw a line between each score clockwise to reveal the shape of your wheel – this will provide you with a pictorial view of your current Wheel of Life.

3. 2015 Goals and Objectives

Having assessed your level of satisfaction in the 8 categories, it is now time to focus on the year ahead, and what you would like to achieve during 2015, knowing that when you achieve them, it would make 2015 your most extraordinary year. Really spend the time you need to get crystal clear on your ideal outcomes, and ensure that the goals you set have 2 key elements – 1) the goal excites & inspires you, and 2) it scares the living daylights out of you as you currently have no idea on how you will achieve it. This is critical as it is too easy to set goals that you know you can achieve, and that don’t require much of a stretch – setting goals which scare you actually starts creating an environment where you will grow, develop and move through further stages of the Hero’s Journey. Here are the categories to create your goals and objectives in :

– Relationships

– Health

– Career/Business

– Wealth/Finance

– Contribution

– Hobbies

– Spirituality

In writing your goals and objectives, imagine yourself sitting down on December 31st, 2015 looking back at the year that is about to end, and write the goal out in the first tense as having already achieved it. Utilise the SMART format and ensure that you encapsulate emotion attached to the goal – emotion attached to a goal creates motion to commence going after the goal. For example, in the area of career/business, the goal could be “It is on or before December 31st, 2015, and I am so happy and grateful now that I have been awarded the Number 1 sales person in the company, having achieved 253% of my Annual Sales Target – I feel humble and energised…….”

Write out you goals in this format for each of the 7 categories.

4. The Rule of 5

Now that you have completed writing your empowering goals and objectives for 2015, the next step is to identify and implement The Rule of 5 – the Rule of 5 comes from John Maxwell and it is the identification and implementation of the 5 core activities/principles that must be carried out on a daily basis to underpin the achievement of the goal or objective. For example, John has a Rule of 5 that he undertakes daily in his business ; 1. Read, 2. File, 3. Think, 4. Ask Questions, & 5. Write. He does this daily, 365 days every year, as he knows that success is determined by your daily agenda. What will your Rule of 5 be for each of the 7 categories? Determine what they will be and ensure that you commit to carrying them out each and every day.

5. Quarter 1 Focus

It is nearly time for the rubber to hit the road, and to make it ‘easier’ to start creating momentum towards achieving your goals, break the year into 4 quarters, and focus your attention on what you need to achieve in Quarter 1 in order to set yourself up for achieving your annual goals. For each of the 7 categories, work through what you would like to achieve in the first 90 days of 2015, what your Rule of 5 will be for each category and what you will reward yourself with at the end of March for achieving your Quarter 1 objectives. Reward for achievement is critical to you maintaining momentum into Quarter 2. And for each Quarter in 2015, repeat.

You are now ready to implement, to build the momentum, and to progress through the further stages of the Hero’s Journey. Ensure that you maintain focus, have someone close to you who can be your sounding board or act as your accountability buddy, to help you stay on track. Know that you will need to work hard, that you will be presented with challenges and obstacles, that you will be tested along the journey. To achieve extraordinary results, you may need to make sacrifices and do things that other people are not prepared to do. It may not be easy to make 2015 your most extraordinary year, but I am totally convinced of one thing – it will be well worth it!!

Here’s to 2015 being your most extraordinary year!

Darren

Decision Making Strategy #1: “The Richard Branson Effect” – Richard Branson is widely recognised as a super successful global entrepreneur, the owner and builder of many successful brands and businesses, and often viewed as a massive ‘risk taker’.  In looking at what Branson has achieved over the years, it could be interpreted that he appeared to often be in the right place at the right time, that he was ‘lucky’, or that he took huge risks and gambled on the roll of a dice, in order to achieve his success. The truth is that he employs a very sound decision making strategy. In fact, a few years ago he was interviewed by a young journalist, who asked Branson “in order to have achieved your massive success in business, you must have taken a lot of risks? How did you do that”, to which Branson replied that in his mind he had not actually taken any risk at all. The young journalist was bemused at this response, so Branson elaborated – “when assessing any opportunity I ask myself 2 very simple but powerful questions: 1) ‘what is the worst possible scenario that could occur if I decide to move forward on this opportunity? And 2) if the worst possible scenario happens, can I handle it? If the answer to the second question is yes, then the decision is made and I proceed full steam ahead – and to me that removes the risk. This has become known as “The Richard Branson Effect”.

Decision Making Strategy #2: Remove the emotion – after employing decision making strategy #1 and deciding that you can handle the worst possible scenario, make the decision to move forward regardless of how you feel.  One of the most important success principles in business and in life is to know your outcome, to be very clear on what you are shooting for, and successful people make their decisions with the outcome very firmly in their mind. They do not make their decisions based on how they feel; they make their decisions purely based on whether that decision will lead them to their desired outcome. There will be times when you are faced with a decision that has to be made, and the natural thing to do is ‘go with your gut’, to trust your feelings in order to make the ‘right’ decision. This is often an unconscious reaction designed to keep you safe, to keep you in a position of familiarity & comfort, rather than embracing the uncertainty of moving forward into unexplored territory. Instead of ‘trusting your gut’, trust your goal, trust your vision, trust your outcome, because highly successful people acknowledge the feeling, but they have the ability to remove the emotion and make the decision with their head.

Decision Making Strategy #3: Fast decisions – it has often been quoted that successful people make decisions quickly and change their mind slowly, whilst unsuccessful people make their decisions slowly and change their mind quickly. In other words, when a successful person has a definitive outcome in mind, the decision to move forward is made quickly and they very rarely, if ever, change that decision, because they know that the only way that the successful outcome will elude them is if they stop moving and give up. Successful people also form the habit of making more decisions more often, based on clearly defined outcomes, which ultimately leads them to be more successful. How many successful people do you know that run multiple businesses or have a very successful career and seem to be able to achieve extraordinary things over and over again? Take a very close look at their decision making strategy and you will often find that they are an expert at implementing quick decisions on a regular basis.

Decision Making Strategy #4 – successful people do not wait to have 100% of the information before making a decision. In fact, British Canadian journalist and bestselling author, Malcolm Gladwell,  found that highly successful people only need between 50%-70% of the facts in order to make a decision. They recognise that they do not need to capture all information in order to make a positive decision to  move forward :  that if they are very clear on their outcome, if they can handle the worst possible scenario, they will make the decision fast and give it everything they’ve got.

Are you achieving the level of success you are looking for? Do you have a strategy that you implement around making decisions? Do you tend to make decisions based on how you feel, rather than on clearly defined desired outcomes? Do you find yourself changing your mind on a regular basis and wonder why you are not moving forward as quickly as you would like?  If you are not happy with your current results, have a very close look at what decision making strategy you are employing, and put the 4 Decision Making Strategies to the test – you may be blown away by the results you see and the opportunities that suddenly become visible.

I’d love to hear about your successes and the changes you have experienced in your life, business or career as a result of implementing the 4 Decision Making Strategies. Send me an email at darren@potentialunleashed.com.au

To your decision making success!

Darren

Having never heard of any such ‘law’ or ‘blueprint’, I was extremely curious to know what the 4 levels of thinking & experience were and how they would be relevant to me and my business. As the two of them spoke about the levels, I started to get a much clearer picture as to why many businesses flounder, whilst other businesses prosper and expand. In fact I started to appreciate how many people appear to always be achieving extraordinary things, whilst others seem to be continuously on a treadmill, running very fast but not really making any progress, and in some cases, going backwards – whether it be in their career, their business, their health & vitality, and certainly in their relationships.  I wanted to know why.

They shared that Level 1 thinking is doing what feels good, is good for you, is good for others and is good for the greater good – when I heard that I thought “it has to be more complicated than that – it can’t be that simple!”. But then my mentors shared that the quality of your life is actually determined by the number of Level 1 experiences you are able to introduce into your  life, and the more of these experiences you have, the better your  life will be. At this level you are 100% responsible for everything that happens in your life and your business, you live with gratitude, and operate in a comfort zone that serves you, your family and your business. I then asked my mentors “what would classify as Level 1 experiences?” They responded by saying anything that is now comfortable to do, such as speaking with clients, riding a bicycle, driving a car, providing outstanding customer service to your customers, or even working out in the gym. They then said that there is only one way to collect Level 1 experiences, and that is to have a Level 2 experience first. So what is Level 2?

Level 2 thinking is doing what does not feel good, is good for you, is good for others and is good for the greater good. Then they threw a spanner in the works by saying that most people bounce between Level 3 and Level 1 – Level 3 being doing what feels good, is not good for you, is not good for others and is not good for the greater good. I was intrigued to know why – they said that many people make decisions in their life and in their business based on feeling good, not based on what is good for them and for others. For example, for someone who is in the early stages of building their business, they may be gathering all the information they can on the market, the products to offer that market, building their website or designing their business cards and stationery, but not actually speaking to their prospects or their target market. Whilst they may ‘feel good’ about designing their business cards for example, this is not good for them, not good for others, and certainly not good for the greater good if the market doesn’t know they exist!! Classic Level 3 thinking. These are the type of people who are getting the ‘ducks lined up’ before they take any action. Have you ever seen ducks line up? I recall not so long ago watching a mother duck and her brood of ducklings wanting to cross a local road – what was fascinating was that the mother duck took action first and headed across the road. What did the ducklings then do? They lined up and followed her!! They didn’t line up first and then wait for the mother to take action – she took action first and then they followed.  So don’t wait for the ‘ducks to line up’ before you take action– take action first. Avoid  Level 3 Thinking & Experiences as much as possible, as well as always avoiding Level 4 – doing things that does not feel good, is not good for you, is not good for others, and is not good for the greater good. Level 4 is to be avoided at all costs.

My mentors then shared with us that Level 2 Thinking & Experience is where the game is played, this is where it is at. By constantly challenging yourself to embrace and do things that do not feel good, but are good for you, good for others and good for the greater good, you will find that Level 2 Experiences will actually turn into Level 1 Experiences – your comfort zone will expand, as will your capability set, not to mention your confidence, and your results!! So what Level 2 experiences can you adopt straight away? Perhaps it is making those phone calls to business prospects you have been avoiding, or perhaps it is standing in front of an audience at a business networking event and delivering a short 60 second advertisement for your business. It could be introducing yourself to someone who you know could assist you penetrate a new market but you have been avoiding them because of fear of being rejected – take on the challenge, step out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there. Embrace Level 2 Thinking and seek out as many Level 2 Experiences as you can on a weekly basis – you may just be staggered at the results you start to see materialise in your business and in your life. And this is what really shook me to the core when listening to my 2 mentors – they are 100% convinced that their success in business is directly and inexplicably linked to their ability to take on Level 2 Thinking & Experiences every single day, which has enabled them to build up a large range of Level 1 Experiences, and build extraordinary businesses and live an extraordinary life.

For more information on the 4 Levels of Thinking & Experience, and how you may seek out more Level 2 Experiences, drop me an email at darren@potentialunleashed.com.au

To your success.

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”. Is it really true that what we think about, we become? Do thoughts really become things? To be brutally honest, I really don’t know. However, the research suggests that philosophers the world over agree on one overriding principle – we do become what we think about.

If this is the case, then I have realised just how critical it is to control my thinking. I am now starting to better understand that my level of thinking controls my moods, it controls what I say, it controls my actions, and ultimately it controls my character and destiny. Everything begins with a thought, whether it is positive and resourceful, or negative and unresourceful. Think about it – have you ever woken up first thing on a Monday morning knowing that you need to go to work and thought “if only I could just stay in bed – I don’t want to go to work, struggle through the traffic, hold that Monday morning meeting that is really boring”. When you think like that, how is your physiology? Do you find yourself filled with unlimited amounts of positive and empowering energy, or do you feel lethargic, uninspired and downright pessimistic?  What would happen if, when we first woke up on a Monday morning, the first thought we had was “wow what a magnificent day, I cannot wait to get into it, make a positive difference in someone’s life, make a contribution to a great cause, complete that project that I had been putting off”.  How would your physiology be then? I guarantee you would feel energised, optimistic and powerful.

Well the reality is is that we can control our thinking – it is our choice. And this leads to an extremely important point – we must always be on guard in relation to our thinking. As humans, we are an incredible machine, we have the ability to control our thoughts (unlike animals), and these thoughts can become words, which can become actions, which can become habits, which can become our character, which ultimately becomes our destiny.

So are you currently living the life of your dreams? Are you surrounded by people who inspire, uplift, empower and positively challenge you? If not, take a few moments to really ask yourself this question: “Am I controlling the thoughts that are in my head, or am I letting everything and anything penetrate my mind?” If you don’t like the answer to that question, let us help you develop some key strategies to wrestle back the control of your thinking, so that you can get back on course and moving towards the positive, exciting and empowering future that you deserve.

Always guard your thoughts!

Or are you no closer to your dreams than you were 12 months ago?  Consider what is standing in your way of your fulfilment and satisfaction.

Last month we spoke about the 4 levels of Thinking & Experience, and that the quality of your life is determined by the number of Level 1 experiences you can have – and that the only way to gather up Level 1 Experiences is to embrace and take on Level 2 Experiences. That is, doing things that don’t feel good, but are good for you, are good for others, and are good for the greater good. So as you reflect on the year 2013, how many Level 2 experiences have you managed clock up? If you are like 80% of the global population, it would not be many at all. But that is okay, because you now have the opportunity to change that as we head into 2014.

Before we start thinking about 2014, let’s look at the year that has been – 2013. What were the highlights for you in 2013 that has made this year the most extraordinary year? What has happened with your health, your wealth, your career, your business, your family and your relationships that has made this year your best year yet? Have you achieved something this year that you never thought possible? Have you managed to take your most intimate relationship to an entirely new level that you never knew existed?  Did you take that overseas holiday that you had been dreaming of and planning for a number of years? Whatever it is, now is a perfect time to sit back and reflect on what you have achieved this year. In fact it reminds me of a beautiful quote made by be immortal Dr Seuss –

“Oh the things you can find if you don’t stay behind! In the places I go there are things that I see that I never could spell if I stopped with the Z. I’m telling you this ‘cause you’re one of my friends. My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends! So, beyond Z! It’s high time you were shown that you really don’t know all there is to be known”

As we start thinking about 2014, it is important to recap that success leaves clues. In fact there are 5 key principles to success:

1. Know your outcome – what is it that you aiming for?
2. Take action – actually it is take ‘massive’ action
3. Have sensory acuity – are you on track?
4. Have behavioural flexibility – if something is not working, be flexible to alter it to suit
5. Always operate from a physiology and psychology of excellence – a mindset of excellence

All successful people, either consciously or unconsciously operate according to the above 5 success principles. They are also experts in what I call the “Be/Do/Have” model or as some people call the “Start/Maintain/Finish” model. The people who achieve their dreams are experts in not only starting something; they are also experts in Maintaining – doing what is required in order to deliver a positive and outstanding result. And they are certainly experts in Finishing, closing off the deals that need to be done, completing the projects that deliver a successful outcome, or finishing off those relationships which will not deliver a positive outcome.

So in order to start planning for 2014, it is time to look back on some of the ecstatic moments of 2013 – What activity were you doing? Who were you with? What emotions were present? What actions did you take to make it happen? What did you learn? And importantly, what did you let go of? This is a really important point, because again, in the words of Dr Seuss : “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind” Take some time to reflect and write down some of the things that you achieved  this year that you are really proud of. And acknowledge yourself  for achieving these.

Now it is time to start planning for 2014, and making 2014 Your Best Year Yet! In order for 2014 to be your best year yet, there are a number of areas that need to be considered as part of your plan, including:

• Health
• Personal Relationship
• Family
• Friends
• Business
• Financial
• Hobb ies
• Toys
• Travel

Take a blank piece of paper out and start writing your goals out for each of the 9 areas above, starting as follows:

“It is December 31^st, 2014 and I have had the BEST Year of My Life. Here’s what happened…..”

And start describing everything you have managed to achieve during 2014, exactly as you want it. You may wish to use the following as starting points:

• I have…..
• I am……
• I feel….
• I have shown…..
• I have learned……
• I have experienced…….

The next key to achieving your best year yet is to break the year up into 90 day chunks. For a number of people it is difficult to focus on a goal that may take 12 months to achieve – by breaking it down into 90 day chunks it is something you can focus on and control in the short term. Remember this; you are only 90 days away from completely changing your entire world!

The final key on ensuring that 2014 is Your Best Year Yet is the Action Steps, briefly mentioned above under “Start/Maintain/Finish”:

Start – What do you need to start doing right now in order to create your ideal year? What books, CD’s, DVD’s, Programs, Courses etc do you need to start? What do you need to start eating as part of a healthy diet? What level of exercise do you need to start? What marketing for your business do you need to start doing? Who do you need to engage with? What relationships do you need to increase your investment and focus in?

Maintain – What relationships do you need to maintain and continue to grow? What conversations and activities do you need to maintain with family? What health strategy do you need to maintain? What routines do you need to maintain? What business activities do you need to have in place? And what business systems need to be in place?

Finish – What areas of your life do you need to stop? For example, in the home – in the kitchen, clean out food that hasn’t been used, bring out the good plates and cutlery that you normally only use for ‘special occasions’, in the bathroom clean out old soaps and sponges, in the bedroom, clean out the wardrobe of clothes that you haven’t worn for over 12 months, if you have jewellery that you haven’t worn for over 12 months, give it away or wear it! In your office, clean out everything from your ‘old identity’ and create new files for 2014 for your business.

If you follow the advice in this article, you will be sitting down on December 31, 2014, looking back on the year and reflecting on the most extraordinary year – your best year yet.

As you start to plan your 2014 – Your Best Year Yet, I would like to leave you with another beautiful quote from Dr Seuss:

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where you go”.

Here is to making 2014 your best year yet!!

To your success

Darren