Ok, you might be wondering how the hell a GPS system will make you money…. So let me put you straight. I am not talking about a “Global Positioning System.” My GPS system is a “Growth Plan for Success.” Let me fill you in: for any size business and any type of product or service offered you WILL need a plan to reach any stage of success. Success! What exactly is it? It’s a question most people will ask themselves more than once through the roller coaster journey of business. I believe success is usually a result of personal growth and understanding. Here are a few things to consider for your GPS.
Think positive
Thinking and acting positively is part of training yourself to feel and believe you are going to be successful. It is your self-fulfilling prophecy! But it will only work if you make it work. You need to create your own GPS, not one someone else has created.
So what does this mean? During your journey of having an idea to making that dream come true many different people will guide you, train you, give you their opinions, tell you the “secret” to success; although their intentions may be true only you can decide what will work for you and your circumstances. What worked for someone else may not and probably will not work for you. There are many good books and advice on the market but YOU need to sort out the good points from the bad and implement what works for you and only you!
Plan for Success and Dream Big
Let’s face it, success is no accident — you do need to make a plan. First, you need to plan your long-term goals. Decide where you want to be, and then decide on your strategy and have an action plan for things you want to achieve and target dates for reaching those goals.
Set your short-term goals after you determine your long-term goals. Review them on a regular basis. One of the biggest mistakes people make in business is not reviewing what they are doing, hence too many people are caught up working in their business for 6 months without sticking their head up to see what’s going on around them, then BOOM — business is over! Don’t let this happen to you!
How to set your goals? Each successive goal should be just a little harder than you think you can manage. By always making sure you are aiming higher than you think you can reasonably reach at each stage, even if you don’t quite make that higher goal, you will most likely have accomplished MORE than if you had set your goals lower. Dream dreams…. dream BIG dreams!
Your GPS needs to be a highly visible part of your everyday life. It should be a written plan and be somewhere you can see it every morning! You need to review your goals and review the steps you will take to achieve them. Your goals and dreams that you set have to become part of your everyday life otherwise they will just remain dreams.
Pick achievable tasks
Every day you should pick at least one thing to achieve that takes you nearer to your long-term goal. Take one step at a time, one turn in a new direction at a time, never stop moving forward and never lose your momentum. It is much harder to start over than it is to keep following your GPS. If you fail to keep sight of your goals, you will never achieve them.
If you want to be successful, create a “Dream Board” (as daft as it may sound) with the things you want to do or have when you reach your “destination.” Be as specific and detailed as possible at the time of creating it, remember you can always keep updating.
So what do I put on my Dream Board? The things you put on your board should be things you get emotional about when you think about them. Don’t put a picture of money up there, put a picture of what you want to buy with that money. Think about why it is you want that “thing” you can buy with that money. Then, make a chart of the steps you need to take to reach your goals so that you can cross each item off as you complete them. This will give you a great sense of accomplishment and a realisation that you are in control of your success every day by taking at least one step forward.
And remember to keep moving forward and keep believing you can do it. One way to help you believe in yourself and in your ability to reach your goals is to see yourself in the future one year, two years, or five years from where you are right now. Imagine yourself doubling your current income. How would that make you feel? What would you do with that extra money? What if you tripled your income? What would you do with all of that money? Chances are you may find it difficult to spend all of that money.
The more “real” your vision, the deeper the desire becomes and the closer to your “reality” it will become. The universe will already be in motion to give you what you request if you just keep moving forward with your plan. Keep focused on your goals — doesn’t matter if it’s more money, extra time with the family or just more learning, it can all be achieved.
Time is your worst enemy… or is it?
Make the best use of your time as possible. If you let fear hold you back, you will put off starting your “trip”, whether it be fear of failure or fear of success. Yes, you can actually be afraid to succeed, afraid of what your friends and family will think of you. So many people stop when they realise that they are on their way to success — that nasty little gremlin kicks in and you start asking yourself, “what if I can’t make it?”, I will look like a fool and everyone will say “I told you so”. Then procrastination sets in and you may find yourself looking for any excuse to not get started.
Let’s face it, we will ALL be at this point through our journey of business, but this is NOT the way to get to the “road to success.” Get focused and get started. It just needs to be progress; it does not need to be perfect.
Natural fear: how to overcome it? It’s OK to be fearful, that is natural. Take on a task in stages — think of it as stepping stones on a path that you can only see a short distance in front of you. As you step on the next stone, the path in front of you opens up a little more. You don’t have to see all the way to the end of the path, you just need to see the next stepping stone and keep moving along the path.
Stay focused and don’t allow distractions. Allow yourself peace and quiet. Put a sign on the door if necessary to let family members know you are hard at work on your GPS. Don’t let the growth plan consume you either — business is a journey of fun, but it can turn into a nightmare before your eyes.
Learn to work the plan, live with the plan, and see the plan as your roadmap to success. Don’t treat it as an enemy — actually, it is your best friend. Review your progress and goals frequently. Learn from your mistakes, and let’s face it there will be plenty of them. However, don’t think of the mistakes as failure, but just another way not to do things. By doing this you will grow with each step of the process.
Self-development is an exciting journey
You will never be the same person in the end that you were in the beginning, whether or not you reach your ultimate destination. Every successful step you take makes you more knowledgeable and skilful. Each unsuccessful step you take also gives you a different kind of knowledge that will steer you in a different direction.
This knowledge is invaluable and cannot be taught in any classroom or in any business book. But remember, when it’s not fun anymore there’s no point in taking that journey.
Plan your future with a success plan — your own “GPS” that becomes your daily routine. Keep challenging yourself to improve your knowledge and skills to succeed, not just in business, but in life as well. Keep moving forward. You will find that success you are looking for.