One: Focusing on Goals Rather Than Your Vision
Number one -Focusing on goals rather than your vision.
The word goal has become a weak word over time. It really just symbolizes something that someone would like to have happen, but does not really expect to happen.
Instead, you want to have a vision. Just the word vision has so much more power to it. Just think about when you ask someone what the next five years looks like for him or her. Notice the difference in posture, confidence, and passion when they begin telling you about their vision for the future, and what that looks like, and feels like, what they will do when they arrive at that destination.
You begin to go there with them. You can feel yourself experiencing the vision they are creating, and you can see yourself being in that place with them. That is the power of having vision; and creating a vision is the most powerful way to get people to give you their money.
It is very important to focus on your vision every single day. Be sure to see yourself in that vision, reaching that “end result” that your vision is wrapped around. It’s important to keep that at the forefront of your mind, so that you don’t lose your vision, and forget what it is you set out to do.
Scientist performed a study on people that monitored their brain activity as they were creating powerful visions. They found that as people were creating these visions of their desired futures, they were releasing a chemical that enabled the person to physically see what they were describing, thereby enabling the person to see it through to completion. That is powerful stuff.
So remember to start the day and end the day with your vision in mind.
Two: Making Panic Decisions
Mistake number two is making panic based decisions. Trying to make an important business decision while under an intense amount of stress and pressure will turn out very badly. Panic is the worst possible state to be in, and does not allow you to see the whole picture.
The reason that most people feel panic is because they are uncertain of what is currently happening and uncertain about their own abilities to be successful.
We tend to lose our vision in situations like that. When we don’t know what to do next, o r what will happen if we do this and not that, or what if it turns out bad. That is simply a loss of vision. We don’t see the big picture, instead we tend to focus on the worst possible outcome, and make our decisions based on that. This usually leads to very poor decisions.
If you are that person that is feeling panicked and uncertain, and you feel like no matter what you do you are not going to succeed. That feeling is going to continue to sabotage your life, and you will not be able to make smart decisions, or have the strength to plow through all of the obstacles that life throws at you.
So, in the midst of a tough decision, take a step back, look at the big picture, and remember what you came to do. Your vision is more powerful than any obstacle, so don’t let little things get in the way of your long term plan.
Three: Playing Not to Lose Rather Than to Win
Anyone who has ever accomplished anything significant has had to take a risk. Could you imagine if Bill Gates would have stayed in school to finish his degree, and not taken a risk to pursue his vision? I would not be typing on this computer right now that is for sure.
If your motivation is to, not lose, or to stay afloat, rather than to go out there and kick some ass, you are well on your way to mediocrity. I know this isn’t you though, because only someone that wants to win would be taking the time to read this.
In order to win big in life, you have to move aggressively towards the direction of your dreams. Of course, it is tough, and you are going to come across a whole bunch of junk that will try to stop you, but winners push through, and destroy the obstacles.
If you really want to succeed, learn to be comfortable with making uncomfortable choices.
Four: Not Taking Responsibility for Your World
Complaining and blaming everyone else for the junk in your life, is just about the biggest waste of personal energy I can think of.
Our stake in life is determined by the decisions we make, and blaming someone else for the way you turned out, or where you are at financially is not doing you any good, and is keeping you from moving forward.
I am going to make this short, but to the point.
Start taking responsibility for the way your life has turned out so far, and make the decision to change the way it is going to be from now on.
If you can breathe and have a fully functioning brain, you have what it takes to change the direction of your life.
Make the decision to stop blaming others for your problems, and start examining what you can do to make a change.
Five: Making Decisions Slowly and Changing Your Mind Quickly
The ability to come to a decision quickly, and stick to that decision is the key component to success.
There are people out there that take forever to make a decision. They think of every possible negative outcome, and stew on it for days, weeks, months. When they finally decide to take some action, the first hiccup they come across makes them turn around and run the other way.
It’s ok to take some time and do your research, you don’t want to make a hasty decision.
However, once you have researched something and it feels like the right thing to do, make the decision to do it, and don’t run away when things get hard.
The old saying, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing done right”, comes to mind.
So when you make a decision stick to it.
Six: Dwelling on Past Mistakes Rather Than Learning From Them
Listen, you are going to make mistakes. I know I have made plenty in my career, and there is nothing you can do except learn from them.
Your mistakes don’t define who you are and who you’re going to be. They help you to become who want to be by narrowing down the things that work, from the things that don’t.
So use your mistakes as a tool to that helps you make better decisions for you future.
Look back on your mistakes and try to apply what you learned from them to your current problems.
Seven: Choosing a Mentor with No Real World Experience
Many people will tell you they are a life coach or whatever, but have absolutely no experience of their own. They just thought it would be cool to have the title, without having any real success. Don’t be the person that hires a mentor or life coach without checking for credentials.
There are three things you need to look at when you choose a mentor.
The first is to make sure they have achieved what you want to achieve. You’re not going to hire a personal trainer that is fat, so don’t hire a success mentor that is broke.
The second thing to look for in a mentor is that they have a history of teaching other people.
I have known a few people who were rock stars in their industry, but were terrible at leading the way. So make sure they have had some success helping others. The way to do this is to ask for referrals, or testimonials.
The third thing is accessibility.
Make sure that your mentor is actually going to be around to help you, and is accessible. You do not want a mentor that can only help you on Tuesday and Thursday. What if you have a problem on Wednesday? You know what I mean. So, just be sure that when you go and find that mentor, that they are as committed to you as you are.
