Five Steps to Creating a "Goal" Medal Life - Part I
Five Steps to Creating a "Goal" Medal Life - Part I
You, too, can experience the same excitement in your life. What are you doing now to achieve your “goal” medal? What are you doing to realize your goals in life?
You don’t need to be a world class athlete to achieve success in life. However, you can use many of the same techniques that these athletes use to accomplish their goals.
The following are five tips that will help you stand on the winner’s platform in life:
1. Create Passion with Goal Setting
Take time to write down the goals that excite you. Ask yourself the following questions:
* How will I feel when I achieve these goals?
* What is keeping me from achieving these goals today?
* What are the times and dates I want to achieve these goals?
* What resources do I need to accomplish these goals?
* What is my plan B, or secondary route, to achieving these goals?
2. Believe in Greatness
Once you have created your goals, take time to visualize your achievements. World class athletes visualize the victory before it happens. Take 15-30 minutes just before you go to bed or wake up in the morning and do the following:
* Find a quiet place.
* Quiet your mind, slowing down your breathing.
* Visualize that you are already achieving whatever goal you want to accomplish. What does it look like? How does it feel?
World class athletes prepare themselves yesterday, today, and tomorrow for success through intense training and sacrifice. What are you doing to prepare yourself for your success? Do a self-analysis to find out how prepared you are today in relationship to your goals and what resources and skills you need to acquire to achieve your goals. What sacrifices are you willing to make so that you can achieve your goals? If it is a promotion, find out what skills, education, and resources are required to obtain that position. If it is a six-figure income, what sacrifices are you willing to make to realize it? Less television, more education?
I always say, “If you want something bad enough, act like you already have it.” That’s what champions do. They already believe that they will win a championship, a title, a gold medal. They have a positive, self-expecting attitude and set the bar for others to try to aspire.
I love tennis. One of my favorite tennis players is Roger Federer, the #1 ranked player in the world. When watching him play, I can see he owns the court. In his quiet, yet confident manner, he says to his opponent, “I am #1, I am the best!” Then he goes out and wins. With his positive attitude, he expects to win every time.
How can you apply this principle? Well, one example is if you are a manager and want to be promoted to vice president, act like a vice president today. That means dressing like a vice president, making decisions like a vice president, leading people like a vice president, etc. Also what it means is delegating certain tasks so that you can learn the required skills of a vice president (Read Delegate to Accelerate Success). Do you expect to succeed at any project with which you are involved?
3. Create a Mastermind Group
There is a saying, “A wise person learns from his own mistakes, a wiser person learns from other people’s mistakes.” That is what a mastermind group will do for you. Winning athletes have a mastermind group so that they will make fewer mistakes and take less time achieving their goals. A mastermind group is an assortment of people dedicated to give you the best advice, feedback, training, etc., so that you can achieve your goals faster. The mastermind group also gives you encouragement when needed. In sports, this might be a coach, a trainer, a physical trainer, manager, and agent. In your situation at work, it might be the following:
* A mentor that has intensive corporate knowledge and can maneuver you around “corporate landmines”
* A human resources specialist with thorough knowledge of skills needed for a promotion
* A manager that wants to showcase your skills to impress their manager
* If you are thinking about or have already started a business, it might be the following:
* Lawyer(s)
* Accountant
* Tax expert
* Business associate in non competing field
* Retired executive
* Association leaders
* Customers
Note: Be very careful about whom you allow in your mastermind group. Ask yourself, “Who can help me achieve my goals through skills, knowledge, and honest feedback?” Honest feedback is the key. You don’t want “yes” people around you; you want people that will give you positive feedback that will set you back on course for success.
4. Embrace Challenges
World class athletes embrace all challenges as a way for them to move to the next level. They have a “bring it on” attitude and you can see it in their eyes. They realize that the spotlight is on them and they relish it. They are bold in their actions and are not afraid of making mistakes. If they make a mistake or have a defeat, they “own” them. What I mean by “owning their mistakes” is that they say, “I made the mistakes today,” or “I didn’t play to my full potential today.” By taking ownership of their mistakes they take ownership for their actions. By taking ownership of their actions, they take ownership for improving their performance. They take time to learn from any setback.
What challenges are waiting for you at work? How can you improve your community by taking a leadership role? What challenges await you at home? Face them, embrace them, learn from them, and grow with them.
5. Don’t Ever Give Up!
H. Ross Perot, the billionaire businessperson and pass presidential candidate said the following:
“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success, they give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.”
How many times have we seen people overcome insurmountable odds to succeed? In sports, the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons won the NBA championship against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers. The underdog Villanova University basketball team won the NCAA College Basketball championship against powerful Georgetown University.
There’s the story of Gaston Gaudio. Many of you may be asking, “Who is Gaston Gaudio?” Well, he is a 25-year-old tennis player from Argentina who turned pro in 1996. During that time he had, at best, what would be called mediocre results. Going into February of this year, he had a losing record on the tour. Because he wasn’t winning, he barely earned enough money to get to the next tournament. He asked friends in towns in which he was playing if he could sleep on their floors.
He had thoughts of giving up and going back to Argentina but he fought these off and wouldn’t give up. He believed that better things would happen. He earned a wildcard to play in one of the four biggest tennis tournaments in the world, the French Open.
Then a funny thing happened. He started to win against the best players in the world. He won his way into the championship match. He was to face one of the hottest tennis players and fellow Argentinean in Guillermo Coria, the #3 ranked player in the world. Let’s say Gaston was not expected to win, much less be competitive.
The match started as expected with Gaston on the losing end, 0-6 and 3-6. Even the television commentators suggested that Gaston quit playing, stop embarrassing himself against Guillermo, and call it quits. But Gaston wouldn’t give up. Guess what? Gaston started winning games against Guillermo. He wouldn’t give up. He believed he could win more games…and he did. Then the incredible happened…he won the French Open.
Gaston, just a month earlier didn’t have enough money to stay in hotels, took home a $1 million paycheck and the tennis world took notice. He won because he believed, persevered, and wouldn’t give up.
Do you believe in yourself, your goals, enough to defeat any obstacle that may get in the way of your success? Take a hard look at your goals and say, as Gaston did, “I believe in myself and my goals. They are worthy of my efforts. No matter what the naysayers say, no matter what obstacles get in the way, I will not give up!”
Start today. Apply these tips and you too can have a “goal” medal life!
Five Steps to Creating a Goal Medal Life Part I - To learn more about this author, visit Ed Sykes's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Olympics come and go. As always, it is an exciting event with its dramatic twists and turns, exhilarations, surprises, and disappointments as these great athletes performed at their peak in front of millions, if not billions, of fans for the glory of representing their country and possibly receiving a gold medal.
You, too, can experience the same excitement in your life. What are you doing now to achieve your “goal” medal? What are you doing to realize your goals in life?
You don’t need to be a world class athlete to achieve success in life. However, you can use many of the same techniques that these athletes use to accomplish their goals.
The following are five tips that will help you stand on the winner’s platform in life:
1. Create Passion with Goal Setting
Take time to write down the goals that excite you. Ask yourself the following questions:
* How will I feel when I achieve these goals?
* What is keeping me from achieving these goals today?
* What are the times and dates I want to achieve these goals?
* What resources do I need to accomplish these goals?
* What is my plan B, or secondary route, to achieving these goals?
2. Believe in Greatness
Once you have created your goals, take time to visualize your achievements. World class athletes visualize the victory before it happens. Take 15-30 minutes just before you go to bed or wake up in the morning and do the following:
* Find a quiet place.
* Quiet your mind, slowing down your breathing.
* Visualize that you are already achieving whatever goal you want to accomplish. What does it look like? How does it feel?
World class athletes prepare themselves yesterday, today, and tomorrow for success through intense training and sacrifice. What are you doing to prepare yourself for your success? Do a self-analysis to find out how prepared you are today in relationship to your goals and what resources and skills you need to acquire to achieve your goals. What sacrifices are you willing to make so that you can achieve your goals? If it is a promotion, find out what skills, education, and resources are required to obtain that position. If it is a six-figure income, what sacrifices are you willing to make to realize it? Less television, more education?
I always say, “If you want something bad enough, act like you already have it.” That’s what champions do. They already believe that they will win a championship, a title, a gold medal. They have a positive, self-expecting attitude and set the bar for others to try to aspire.
I love tennis. One of my favorite tennis players is Roger Federer, the #1 ranked player in the world. When watching him play, I can see he owns the court. In his quiet, yet confident manner, he says to his opponent, “I am #1, I am the best!” Then he goes out and wins. With his positive attitude, he expects to win every time.
How can you apply this principle? Well, one example is if you are a manager and want to be promoted to vice president, act like a vice president today. That means dressing like a vice president, making decisions like a vice president, leading people like a vice president, etc. Also what it means is delegating certain tasks so that you can learn the required skills of a vice president (Read Delegate to Accelerate Success). Do you expect to succeed at any project with which you are involved?
3. Create a Mastermind Group
There is a saying, “A wise person learns from his own mistakes, a wiser person learns from other people’s mistakes.” That is what a mastermind group will do for you. Winning athletes have a mastermind group so that they will make fewer mistakes and take less time achieving their goals. A mastermind group is an assortment of people dedicated to give you the best advice, feedback, training, etc., so that you can achieve your goals faster. The mastermind group also gives you encouragement when needed. In sports, this might be a coach, a trainer, a physical trainer, manager, and agent. In your situation at work, it might be the following:
* A mentor that has intensive corporate knowledge and can maneuver you around “corporate landmines”
* A human resources specialist with thorough knowledge of skills needed for a promotion
* A manager that wants to showcase your skills to impress their manager
* If you are thinking about or have already started a business, it might be the following:
* Lawyer(s)
* Accountant
* Tax expert
* Business associate in non competing field
* Retired executive
* Association leaders
* Customers
Note: Be very careful about whom you allow in your mastermind group. Ask yourself, “Who can help me achieve my goals through skills, knowledge, and honest feedback?” Honest feedback is the key. You don’t want “yes” people around you; you want people that will give you positive feedback that will set you back on course for success.
4. Embrace Challenges
World class athletes embrace all challenges as a way for them to move to the next level. They have a “bring it on” attitude and you can see it in their eyes. They realize that the spotlight is on them and they relish it. They are bold in their actions and are not afraid of making mistakes. If they make a mistake or have a defeat, they “own” them. What I mean by “owning their mistakes” is that they say, “I made the mistakes today,” or “I didn’t play to my full potential today.” By taking ownership of their mistakes they take ownership for their actions. By taking ownership of their actions, they take ownership for improving their performance. They take time to learn from any setback.
What challenges are waiting for you at work? How can you improve your community by taking a leadership role? What challenges await you at home? Face them, embrace them, learn from them, and grow with them.
5. Don’t Ever Give Up!
H. Ross Perot, the billionaire businessperson and pass presidential candidate said the following:
“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success, they give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.”
How many times have we seen people overcome insurmountable odds to succeed? In sports, the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons won the NBA championship against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers. The underdog Villanova University basketball team won the NCAA College Basketball championship against powerful Georgetown University.
There’s the story of Gaston Gaudio. Many of you may be asking, “Who is Gaston Gaudio?” Well, he is a 25-year-old tennis player from Argentina who turned pro in 1996. During that time he had, at best, what would be called mediocre results. Going into February of this year, he had a losing record on the tour. Because he wasn’t winning, he barely earned enough money to get to the next tournament. He asked friends in towns in which he was playing if he could sleep on their floors.
He had thoughts of giving up and going back to Argentina but he fought these off and wouldn’t give up. He believed that better things would happen. He earned a wildcard to play in one of the four biggest tennis tournaments in the world, the French Open.
Then a funny thing happened. He started to win against the best players in the world. He won his way into the championship match. He was to face one of the hottest tennis players and fellow Argentinean in Guillermo Coria, the #3 ranked player in the world. Let’s say Gaston was not expected to win, much less be competitive.
The match started as expected with Gaston on the losing end, 0-6 and 3-6. Even the television commentators suggested that Gaston quit playing, stop embarrassing himself against Guillermo, and call it quits. But Gaston wouldn’t give up. Guess what? Gaston started winning games against Guillermo. He wouldn’t give up. He believed he could win more games…and he did. Then the incredible happened…he won the French Open.
Gaston, just a month earlier didn’t have enough money to stay in hotels, took home a $1 million paycheck and the tennis world took notice. He won because he believed, persevered, and wouldn’t give up.
Do you believe in yourself, your goals, enough to defeat any obstacle that may get in the way of your success? Take a hard look at your goals and say, as Gaston did, “I believe in myself and my goals. They are worthy of my efforts. No matter what the naysayers say, no matter what obstacles get in the way, I will not give up!”
Start today. Apply these tips and you too can have a “goal” medal life!
Five Steps to Creating a Goal Medal Life Part I - To learn more about this author, visit Ed Sykes's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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