9 Steps to Success

 

I was recently reading an article from Harvard Business School by Heidi Grant Halvorson that I really wanted to share with you.  It’s based on decades of research surrounding what makes people successful while others continue to not be quite so successful.  The research showed quite clearly that it isn’t a lack of knowledge or resources that stop us from succeeding, but simple what we do/the actions we take or rather don’t take.

It was found that there are 9 distinct things that people who succeed do consistently:

1. Get specific - The more specific you can be about your goal, the more likely to are to achieve it.
2. Seize the moment to act on your goals - To seize the moment, decide when and where you will take each action you want to take, in advance – be specific.
3. Know exactly how far you have left to go - If you don't know how well you are doing, you can't adjust your behaviour or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently — weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.
4. Be a realistic optimist - Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead and significantly increases the odds of failure.
5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good - Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.
6. Have grit - Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty.
7. Build your willpower muscle - Your self-control "muscle" is just like the other muscles in your body — when it doesn't get much exercise, it becomes weaker over time. But when you give it regular workouts by putting it to good use, it will grow stronger and stronger, and better able to help you successfully reach your goals.
8. Don't tempt fate - Don't try to take on two challenging tasks at once, if you can help it. Successful people know not to make reaching a goal harder than it already is.
9. Focus on what you will do, not what you won't do - Plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves

Although I didn't find any of this information a surprise, I think it's invaluable when you see it written down in a list format.  With this in mind, it may be just the time to review your goals and see what actions you need more focus on. 

 

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Have a wonderful week!

 

Jo