Good Afternoon! I hope you are well!
To me there are only four keys to success: Daily education; Set & keep short, medium and long term goals; Help people, Fail better daily.
1) Daily Education
At the time we start elementary school we start a daily process of learning that lasts the next 12 years. However most do not co0ntinue to educate themselves after high school. The common adage is “After high school ill never need to learn again”, this is terrible for your life and future.
Always remember that you are either getting better or getting worse, there is never any standing still. When working toward a goal, if you do not grow constantly and consistently you will have a hard time reaching your goal. If you waste today you have lost a day of growth and gain, therefore you are in the same place as yesterday with double the time invested in the same result, thus the result is half as valuable and you have lost value.
I use audible to help me learn when I am working, as well as on the move.
2) Set & keep short, medium, and long term goals
The key to accomplishing any goal is to set a blanket goal; a humongous goal; a long term goal. Under this goal you can set up smaller short and medium term goals for learning, creating, experiencing, relaxing, sleep and any other piece of life you believe is crucial to your goal. Then you start now with what you have because what you have within you and your being is always enough to accomplish great feats!
Once you have figured out what you would like to be your goal. You then take on the persona of a person who is already in that field which you would like to emulate. You look at this persons education, demeanor, dress, and skill levels in many areas. This person’s life is full of bread crumbs to help you along the way. Also you do not have to do everything the same these bread crumbs are only guide lines to find the way to your goal.
I suggest setting 2-4 daily goals that you can accomplish today with the skills and equipment you have now. Then ask yourself “if I only accomplish this will I be satisfied with my day.” I use E.ggtimer.com to help me keep track of time better, I like to set 30 minute timers and see what I can get done. Then take a 5 or 10 minute break after.
3) Help people
In the modern age your business is only going to work if you help people to do something better or easier. We are in the customer service business and everything else is truly secondary if your customer service is on point and you show the customer you care. Customer service and treatment is the difference between a disgruntled customer who tells everyone about how terrible you are on Facebook and a long time customer that writes about you on their blog. The key is to care about every single customer with the same enthusiasm and zest whether they are a customer who buys one unit a year or a million units per year.
The key for you is to decide where you want to help. You can help in one of three areas which I call realms of passion. The realms of passion consist of helping people, helping the environment, or helping animals. You need only choose the one that interests you most, then choose the task which you think would make you happiest doing. Because in everything happiness path not the goal.
4) Fail better daily
“Ever Tried. Ever Failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away” –Antoine De Saint-Exupery
These two quotes are two of my favorites which I live by on a daily basis to better myself. The first quote by Samuel Beckett, tells us that no matter what if we fail over and over, again and again we will continuously get better if we only try to fail a little better each day. Becoming an expert in anything takes hours and hours of working on your passion. If it is truly your passion you will be willing to fail over and over again to get it right and to learn your passion inside and out. I challenge you to not worry about the results, the timing or the perspectives of others. I challenge you to fail better on a daily basis and see where your feet take you.
The last thing I will be good to remember comes from The Four hour workweek by Tim Ferris. When you are going throughout your day, at 3 different times set an alarm and ask yourself ” am I being productive/effective or am I just being busy.”
Thank you very much for reading!
Take care!! God bless!!
Dirk
Mindfulmessenger 