Mastermind To A "Goal Medal" Life

Ed Sykes had a great post in his blog on how to create a "Goal Medal" Life. The point of his entry is to follow the example of Olympic athletes and create goals for yourself that you work towards and accomplish. His 5 tips are:

• Create Passion with Goal Setting
• Believe in Greatness
• Embrace Challenges
• Don't Ever Give Up!

And my favourite... 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.