You don’t have to make big changes to be a success. Does that shock you? Take a closer look at the lives of the most successful business people in the world. You will see how their current level of achievement is the result of number of smaller actions taken consistently over time, not one-time dramatic events.
Have you ever found yourself looking for some groundbreaking event to make a dramatic improvement in your business? I know I’ve fallen prey to that thinking at times. The best way to get stuck in the status quo is to feel sorry for yourself and the surest way to fall behind your competition.
Running your business or living your life with this type of thinking is the way to live a life of “shoulds.” I know I should do “x,” but “y” hasn’t happened yet. I should do “this,” but I can’t without “that.” Excuses, delays and more justifications for not reaching your goals than you can shake a stick at. Before you know it there are so many piles of “should” around that you can’t walk around your office without stepping in it. Before you know it you’ve “should” all over yourself and you’re a mess. It’s too late.
But there is a way out. And it’s probably much simpler than you think. Here’s a little tip that has been instrumental in revolutionizing my thinking about true business success. If you put this principle into practice I guarantee it will literally transform your approach to improvement in your business.
Instead of always trying to make something dramatic happen, concentrate your efforts on making small shifts in one-minute increments. If you and your team strive for the goals you want a minute at a time, you’ll make remarkable improvements in as little as 90-days. And it will seem effortless. After all, think about it. If you’re not happy about something in your life or business right now, that’s how it got that way to begin with. Small actions (or in-actions) stacked one on top of another. Minute after minute you’re creating your future.
It’s the smaller incremental changes you make on a consistent basis that determine where you will be a month, a year or a decade from now. If you dedicate yourself to improving just one target in a particular area of your business (or life) every month, you’ll rocket ahead of 94 percent of the population. That being true, imagine what you could accomplish if you boosted your performance in one targeted area per week.
To help get you going, here’s a quick-start list of power-habits I often have our coaching clients begin with. You and your team can choose one of these One-Minute Success Habits that you’ll individually focus on for that particular day.
They may seem simple, but don’t confuse simple with easy. Focus your attention on developing each of the following seven habits, one per day. You’ll discover that you may have been ignoring important principles that you already know are important, all because you’re too busy to focus on them.
*1. Go beyond the call of duty. Arrive early. Stay late. Put in the extra effort on the next project you are involved in to stand out from the herd. You will be recognized and your efforts rewarded accordingly.
*2. Give people more than they expect. Simply put; under-promise and over-deliver. When you provide more value than what you’re compensated for, you will be rewarded with more than what you believe you’re entitled to.
*3. Maintain the highest standards. Life will pay you any price you demand. Prove you deserve the best by demanding peak performance from yourself. Others will recognize your code of conduct and adapt to your standards.
*4. Do something each day for which you will not get paid. This will teach your subconscious that you have abundance in your life. Abundance of time, money, talent and emotions. If you never empty your glass, it will never be refilled.
*5. Do ordinary things in an extraordinary manner and don’t be content with mediocrity. Push yourself just a little more than you think you are capable of. Make it a personal rule that whatever passes through your hands will have your unique fingerprint of excellence on it.
*6. When you know there is a better way to do something, do it. Don’t hesitate. If you do, someone else will step in to take action and get the rewards. Take a step in the right direction and change one thing today that you’ve been intending for sometime now.
*7. Be sure to take a break, and recharge once a week. Take the time to refocus on your goals, the big picture, your relationships with family and your Creator. You will enter the new week recharged, refreshed and ready for growth.
After just four weeks you’ll be amazed at what you’ll begin to see. You’ll have proved to yourself how easy it is to make significant and measurable improvements — just one minute at a time. Then you’ll be ready to move up to implementing habits that are specifically designed for you and your business.
If you want exponential returns on your time, learn the lessons from people who have already made it to the top. Create your own success. And do it one minute at a time.
”’The lead business strategist at RPM Success Group, John-Paul Micek can be reached at:”’ mailto:JPM@RPMsuccess.com ”’or toll-free at: (888) 334-8151.