Do
What Works and
Stop Doing What Doesn't
By Michael Angier
Success is simple.
Just be clear about what you want and go after it. That and a few million
details and you've got it made.
Let's assume
that you already know what you want in your life and what it would take
to make you feel successful.
But how do you
make that happen?
It takes a clear
and impassioned focus on your dreams and constant and diligent attention
to what you do, how you do it and ways in which you can do it better.
Sounds simple, doesn't it?
It is, but it's
not easy.
I remember a
conversation I had with a friend awhile back about reaching a financial
goal. I was undecided about which of many projects I should focus on--which
one should get my limited time and energies. He looked at me very calmly
and said, "Follow the money."
I thought, "Gosh,
that's good advice."
It made total
sense. It was a goal that involved finances, so why not go for the projects
that produced the most bucks. It was simple. It was right on. And I
wasn't seeing it because I'd lost my perspective. I was too involved
in busyness instead of paying attention to business. I was caught up
in the thick of thin things.
It's not uncommon.
It's easy to confuse activity with accomplishment. Unless we're really
paying attention, we can be very busy doing the wrong things. As we
dig our hole deeper and wider, we often find out later that we've been
digging in the wrong place.
What was right
yesterday, what worked last year, what was innovative a month ago may
very well be obsolete today. If you can't pick your head up and survey
the landscape once in awhile, you're going to get beaten by a competitor
who does.
Our most valuable
commodities are time, energy and knowledge. How we apply these is critical
to our success.
Make a list
of everything you do and what your intended results are from those efforts.
You'll find the 80/20 Rule alive and well. About twenty percent of your
efforts will be producing eighty percent of your positive results. Look
for ways to reduce or eliminate the other eighty percent and do more
of the twenty.
Some things
we do produce no results at all. We just keep doing them because we've
always done them and didn't really question their usefulness.
Question everything!
If you had to justify your investment of time and energy to a boss or
a board of directors, could you? Are you sure?
You wouldn't
invest money unless it was giving you a return.Why should your time
and energy be any different?
Persistence
is a great virtue, but it must be balanced with the ability to see a
better plan and put it into action. Learn to cut your losses.
We're not entering
the Information Age, we're already in it. It's not enough to work hard.
We have to work SMART. Being a good steward means making good use of
the talents and resources we've been given. It requires thinking. It
requires close attention.
It's up to us--and
only us--to be consistently analyzing our actions and the results they
produce. Do it, dump it or change it.
Do what works
and stop doing what doesn't.
About the Author
Copyright Michael Angier & Success Networks. Success Net's mission
is to inform, inspire and empower people to be their best--personally
and professionally. Get their free report Keys to Personal Effectiveness
by sending an email to keys@SuccessNet.org No-cost subscriptions, memberships,
eCourses, eBooks and SuccessMark Cards are available at http://SuccessNet.org
email: InfoPlease@SuccessNet.org
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