So what are the steps you need to take to achieve whatever you are looking to accomplish? Amazingly enough when I started breaking this down, it really didn’t matter what your goals are; the steps remain the same.
What Steps Are You Taking?
Step One: Find someone who is doing what you would like to be doing and research how they are doing it and how they learned to do it. Nothing is a better teacher than experience and the cheapest lessons you can learn are ones that you don’t have to actually do yourself. Reading about someone, or better yet talking to them, can help you to avoid the potential pitfalls that could be along your path. Don’t assume that someone won’t want to share information. Almost everyone is flattered when someone approaches them and wants to hear all about them.
Think about it…Aren’t you one of your favorite subjects? The most welcome guest at a party or at a networking event is usually a good listener. Additional advice on this step – take along a small digital recorder and record your conversation. In review you will get information you missed the first time around, and you won’t have to make the person repeat themselves. Always ask permission to record, and if you include the phrase “I value your input and don’t want to miss anything you have to offer” people generally won’t mind. On the other hand taking notes during a casual conversation can be very off-putting, so the recorder is a great tool.
If you take the right approach to this person, they may take an interest in what you are trying to accomplish and may become something of a mentor to you. Don’t limit yourself to talking to just one person who has “made it.” If you are doing something that no one else has done before (unlikely, but possible) certain aspects of what you are attempting may be similar to aspects of what someone else has done. “Frankenstein” your success by piecing together parts of the puzzle from a few different models.
Step Two: Take Action Every Day. Most of us are so busy trying to pay the bills and keep up with life that our dreams and plans for the future often take a backseat to the rigors of the day and the “fire fighting” of the moment. Nothing gets done “tomorrow.” All any of us have is the moment and that moment is today. If you keep putting off your action steps until “tomorrow” you never will achieve your goals. What do you have to accomplish to get to where you want to be? You should be able to make a list of these steps from the information you have gleaned from the person or people you are modeling your success after. Make that checklist and make sure you work on some aspect of it every day. Success doesn’t take weekends off either.
Dedicate some specific time to your future. You may be able to say, “I will work one hour a day” or maybe something even more specific life “I will work on this from 10am to 11am every day until I achieve my ultimate goal of ‘X’.” Whatever you do decide, stick to your commitment and every day you will be that much closer to what you desire.
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Sometimes I get discourage with all there is to do to achieve my goals. I sometimes think how much better life would be if I had no goals. I could stay in bed… read a novel… or veg out watching TV.
Then an old saying my Grandma Ella would say pops into my mind.. “If not you… then who?” If I could think of another “who”… I didn’t dare mention it.
So…When I’m discouraged, I buck up and move forward anyway because… I’m the “who.”