Consequences

Consider the Consequences

The mark of the superior thinker is his or her ability to accurately predict the consequences of doing or not doing something. The potential consequences of any task or activity are the key determinants of how important it really is to you and to your company. This way of evaluating the significance of a task is how you determine what your next frog really is.
Long Time Perspective
 Doctor Edward Banfield of Harvard University, after more than 50 years of research, concluded that "long time perspective" is the most accurate single predictor of upward social and economic mobility in America. Long time perspective turns out to be more important than family background, education, race, intelligence, connections or virtually any other single factor in determining your success in life and at work.
 Your attitude toward time, your "time horizon," has an enormous impact on your behavior and your choices. People who take the long view of their lives and careers always seem to make much better decisions about their time and activities than people who give very little thought to the future.
Think About Your Future
 Successful people have a clear future orientation. They think five, ten and twenty years out into the future. They analyze their choices and behaviors in the present to make sure that they are consistent with the long-term future that they desire.
 In your work, having a clear idea of what is really important to you in the long term makes it much easier for you to make better decisions about your priorities in the short term.
Determine the Consequences
 By definition, something that is important has long-term potential consequences. Something that is unimportant has few or no long-term potential consequences. Before starting on anything, you should always ask yourself, "What are the potential consequences of doing or not doing this task?"
 The clearer you are about your future intentions, the greater influence that clarity will have on what you do in the moment. With a clear long-term vision, you are much more capable of evaluating an activity in the present and to assure that it is consistent with where you truly want to end up.
Make It a Top Priority
 If there is a task or activity with large potential positive consequences, make it a top priority and get started on it immediately. If there is something that can have large potential negative consequences if it is not done quickly and well, that becomes a top priority as well. Whatever your frog is, resolve to gulp it down first thing.
Keep Motivated
 Motivation requires motive. The greater the positive potential impact that an action or behavior of yours can have on your life, once you define it clearly, the more motivated you will be to overcome procrastination and get it done quickly.
 Thinking continually about the potential consequences of your choices, decisions and behaviors is one of the very best ways to determine your true priorities in your work and personal life.
Action Exercises
 Review your list of tasks, activities and projects regularly. Continually ask yourself, “Which one project or activity, if I did it in an excellent and timely fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on my life?”
 Whatever it is that can help you the most, set it as a goal, make a plan to achieve it and go to work on your plan immediately. Remember the wonderful words of Goethe, “Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!”

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Make Your Resolutions a Reality

Happy New Year!

Every year you set new goals for yourself. If you’re like most people, by February, your resolve is waning, and by May you don’t even remember your resolutions. Then, on Dec. 31, you berate yourself saying, How did I waste a whole year?

My passion is helping people get more out of each day, rather than repeating themselves, therefore today I have listed some ideas to help.
This year can be different! Pick only two or three strategies from the list below and implement them today. Then, instead of scolding yourself on Dec. 31, 2012, you’ll be able to say, Look how much I accomplished this year!

• Write it down. You’ve heard it before, but the truth is writing down your goals forces you to get clear about what you want. Use a pen and paper (you can transfer it to your computer later). That simple physical act helps cement the desire in your brain.  Review them often- daily is best. 

• Find a replacement. In The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy explains one way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. What can you choose to add to your life that will fill the void left by eliminating a bad habit? For example, replace TV time with family time, sweets with fresh fruit, talk radio with inspiring audios.Have a personal Professional Development plan with a list of books and audios you would liek to read or listen to. 

• Tell someone. Talking about your goal—even if it seems huge and impossible—allows others to encourage and help you by providing resources and information you may need. Napoleon Hill refers to a mastermind team.  This is an amazing thing to use. 

• Take baby steps every day. Even small steps taken toward your goal consistently will move you in the right direction. Once you experience a few small wins, taking bigger steps becomes easier.

• Take some BIG steps. Don’t take all year to do what you can accomplish in a day. Once you’ve written down your list of goals for the year, figure out which goals could be accomplished this month—or even today.

• Decide and act. Mental hurdles may keep you from making decisions and taking action. Get over it! Make a list of all the reasons you want to accomplish your stated goal. Refer to that list when indecision or inaction threatens to take control.

• Team up. Even if you don’t share the same goal, having a “success buddy” can keep you accountable. Meet weekly (in person or by phone) to check in on and encourage each other.

• Celebrate your successes. Every time you reach a milestone, acknowledge your accomplishments in a positive way. For example, if you drop a dress size, buy a new outfit. If you pick up a new client, have dinner with a mentor. Celebrating your success will keep you focused on the larger goal.

I hope you have a great year and remember to let me know how you get on as you make strides in your year.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Igniting Lives on Fire 

CAN I START AGAIN?

Though it may not seem so when you first encounter a serious blow, you can never lose two of the most important assets you have. These are the power of your mind and your freedom to use it. Once you have turned them to understanding what laid you low, you can begin forming new plans. You may not have the money you once had; you may lack the allies you had cultivated. But you still have the benefit of a universe that eventually rewards honest effort, as well as gaining the experience of mistakes you will never make again. Remember, no matter where you are now, whatever you can conceive and believe, you can achieve. Make sure that no matter where you are today and what you are thinking, there is always an opportunity to turn it around. Igniting lives on fire www.fraserstirling.co.nz

WHERE TO FIND OPPORTUNITIES.

The dictionary says that opportunity is a “fit or convenient time; a time favorable for the purpose; suitable time combined with other favorable circumstances.” 

For generations, success gurus have been saying that opportunity lies in the person and not in the job.  That’s validated by the fact that legal immigrants, regardless of where they come from, are four times as likely to become millionaires as are those people who are born in America, despite the fact that they frequently start with minimum-wage jobs, sub-standard housing and often do not speak English.  One of the major reasons for the immigrants’ success, generally speaking, is that they regard America as the land of opportunity, so they arrive with great expectations and immediately go to work to make the American Dream a reality.  Its just like people move away from a location expecting their problems will be left behind, only to find they have followed them.  

Lord Stanley said that “opportunity, sooner or later, comes to all who work and wish.”  I would add the word “expect” to the end of Stanley’s statement.  That means that we keep our eyes open and our minds working to take advantage of those opportunities which come our way.  One interesting observation is that opportunity frequently comes dressed in work clothes and there are far too many people who turn it down because of the costume it wears. I like a definition of the word success that I came across a while ago.  Someone defined it as opportunity.  The ability to not only notice but act on the things around them.  

John B. Gough said, “If you want to succeed in the world, you must make your own opportunities as you go.  The man who waits for some seventh wave to toss him on dry land will find that the seventh wave is a long time arriving.  You can commit no greater mistake than to sit by the roadside until someone comes along and invites you to ride with him to wealth or influence.”  How true it is!  Think about it – take advantage of the countless opportunities which surround each of us, and ignite the fire within.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz