Whether you want to become healthier by changing your food choices, start walking 3 to 4 times a week, take a yoga class; become more organized by uncluttering your workspace; or simply, spend quality time with friends and family, it all starts with a plan.
One of the best ways to master areas you want to change is to follow proven success methods, guidelines, techniques, or tips. After reviewing my personal notes, reflecting on years of experience in the workplace, and being an entrepreneur, I discovered four proven success tips that have been quite helpful to me. Others, I’ve shared them with say they have them rewarding as well.
1. Work on your mental and emotional well-being, daily. Prioritizing your mental wellness will happen when you start to place a premium on self-care. Begin with keeping a mental health journal. To prevent overwhelming what is probably already a schedule that has too many “to do” list, invest a journal to track your wellness journey. There are many offered at a nominal cost. A couple that I like are, “My Mood May Change but I Keep on Going” and “Make the Day Magical” which are both inspirational notebooks for women and are available on-line.
Additionally, paying attention to your internal script, thoughts you have about yourself, is critical. Every movie has a script that guides the direction of all involved in the production. It communicates the intention and set the stage for what emotions we will feel as we view a film or production. Well, so does our internal dialogue or script. And you might have noticed that it does its job well. Your internal script is constantly, either leading you forward or causing you to pause, and in some instances, re-enforcing a tendency to look backward. It’s encouraging you to celebrate a success or to condemn a misstep. What you need to know is a script can be rewritten and in successful movies, that’s exactly what’s done on a regular basis. In order for this to happen, there must first be an awareness of your internal script, especially if it’s negative, followed by an inspired intention, then a positive corrective action, as needed.
2. Commit to making small, consistent, incremental changes. While it has been proven that this is the best way to make sustainable shifts, it does not mean it’s the course most people choose. I’m finding more and more that people who are eager to get quick results, jump in with both feet and try to make sweeping changes, immediately. It could also be how you have acted on occasion. This is usually driven by your excitement because finally, you decided to tackle something that previously was a point of procrastination that held you back. But as we both know, this burst of overwhelming exhilaration rarely lasts. Sometimes, you may even commit to making changes in multiple areas of your life. What we know is, this approach of attempting to address several pain points or areas needing improvement, seldom, if ever, works.
And even if you experience momentary victories, they are not sustained. A few incremental changes could include – a) reading 15 minutes a day in lieu of saying you will read a book a week, especially if your past behavior indicates reading has not been a priority; b) exercising 2 – 3 times a week, instead of making a goal of exercising daily; c) reducing meal portion size, as an alternative to confessing you will fast entire meals, either short-term or long-term; d) taking an online mini-course, rather than enrolling in a 4-year degree program; e) or perhaps, starting your morning with 10-minute gratitude statements, instead of trying to start with 30-minute meditations. Incorporating a limited number of small consistent changes increases your probability of experiencing success. It can lead to a deeper commitment, intensifying the likelihood of you continuing the recent practice or behavior.
3. Choose to own your time instead of just managing your time. What is your perspective on time? Obviously, no one literally owns time, but since we are all given 24 hours a day, why not take ownership of what we do with our time and treat it as an unsolicited gift that can yield huge dividends? There is a general consensus, when it comes to time, that it’s wise to have a plan, and I agree. However, I am suggesting we view time through the lens of owning a prize possession that requires more than just management, but a level of respect, accountability, mixed with appreciation. The seconds, minutes and hours on a clock will tick away whether you want them to or not. So, choose to own your day instead of just managing your tasks and appointments. You may ask, what’s the difference? It all comes down to your mindset. Do you accept each day as a gift, or do you view it as an obligation to get a specific number of designated assignments or projects completed?
Depending on your mindset you will direct your focus on and energy towards time as an opportunity which liberates you or you will engage each day as one filled with chores that handcuff or stifle you. If you choose to start your day from the point of view of an owner, you are preparing yourself to intentionally engage in each 24 hours as a proprietor, a landlord of your time. On the other hand, if you embrace time with a management mindset, only, you have unwittingly placed yourself in a supervisory role. In this instance, you view your day as 24 hours of confined activities that you must manage– you have become an overseer of time. When it comes to time, it is better to be the owner who is in charge verses the supervisor who is delegated to manage.
What tools and methods are you currently using to keep you on task? Do you use a notebook, an online calendar, a journal, or are you using a management app or simply a checklist? Once identified, determine which method has been most effective. Now, re-evaluate to determine which method supports you embracing time from ownership vs. management only, point of view. I caution you that this may be different from what some experts say should be effective for you. With this new ownership mindset, ask yourself which one or two methods support effective, consistent behaviors and allow you to be aligned with time, as an owner? Now, consolidate or sync them for efficiency.
Next, a group supporting activities together. For instance, you can listen to an audiobook while exercising or driving to your next destination. You can recite positive affirmations as you are making your bed and getting ready for work. Deciding how, when, and how long, you will engage in all your activities or tasks changes your position from just managing to own your time. Time is no longer an albatross, weighing you down, demanding vigorous management methods. It is a welcomed gift that you have chosen to graciously receive, cherish and acknowledge, as the precious reward it is – ownership.
4. Evaluate results by measuring not only outcomes but also process. Think of it as, smelling the roses along the way. I will be the first to admit that outcomes are important, and we should measure them, but just as important is our process. What’s the real value of running the race, getting to the finish line, winning the prize, but you are not fulfilled? The win is hollow, there is an emptiness, and you are all alone. Of course, this example is an oversimplification, but the point remains, there is benefit to taking time to enjoy the roses along the way.
There is great gain to understanding the advantages of being attentive to the “process” of analyzing what you are experiencing, learning, and how you are changing rather than just focusing on the outcome. Placing the appropriate attention on process allows you to examine what happens to you and others on the way to your outcome goal. You start by asking what am I leaning, how am I growing, what shifts are being made that will last beyond this one outcome? Knowing the answers to these critical questions can provide invaluable lessons and rewards and should be included as a means to assess your process. What did I do first and why? Is what I’m doing helping me or others to make the shifts needed to cause positive change? What difference was made by acquiring this skill of learning this lesson in this manner, or what did I do good or bad that impacted close relationships along the way? During the process, on the journey to my outcome, what should have been my focus and why? Where did I place my attention? What will I pay attention to the in the future?
So back to my, winning the race example – winning the race was an outcome goal of my dedication and preparation. Yet, the hollowness I felt at the end, was because I did not take the time to appreciate the lessons I learned while I was learning them. I didn’t realize that if I had shared my growth journey with others, instead of focusing solely on the victory, I would have experienced more joy. And in doing so, it could have created an opportunity for family and friends to have a greater sense of connectiveness in my accomplishment, which is also part of my triumph. So, moving forward, as you plan your professional and personal goals and objectives, I am encouraging you to place a high premium on process and not just outcome goals. Doing so, will afford you an opportunity to learn more about yourself, the things you like, and the things you want to improve.
Furthermore, you are no longer just celebrating the object, the reward, the prize, but evaluating what happened on the way to the win. What habits did you develop, good or bad and how is it affecting you or others? How did you respond to stress or disappointment and what led to those actions or reactions? What did you discover about yourself that you didn’t know previously and how is your new revelation impacting your current decisions? I would venture to say, there is much to be learned when you take time to analyze how you showed up when working to achieve previous goals. By assessing your process, you will be able to appropriately evaluate how you evolve during your journey.
During conversations with others, I’ve discovered that the two tips most implemented immediately were #1, working on your emotional and mental well-being; and #3, deciding to own your time instead of managing it. Personally, I found myself gravitating towards #2 as my starting point. In full transparency, it is probably because I believed this would be one of the easiest for me to adopt because it involved monitoring incremental growth. However, I can understand why most choose to initially start by implementing #1 and #3, followed by #2 and #4. Regardless of the order, all four success tips, if applied will move you closer to your next successful endeavor.
Most leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, or life fulfillment seekers are open to innovative ideas and ways to enhance their personal development while promoting a healthy work-life balance. Like you, they understand that such undertakings can be both challenging and rewarding. Therefore, investing in simple yet impactful bits of information and tips are a few of the best ways to move you closer to success. The best way to increase the probability that you will execute what you have learned and apply your newly gained knowledge is to start today, and follow up daily, with massive action.
