DEFINING SUCCESS IN BUSINESS & LIFE
When focusing on successful living we rarely think about failure. Understanding failure can be the key to success. Today let’s think about failure. There are 2 keys to the opportunity to fail.
1 – Being “stuck” in success 2 – Hope without a plan
Wouldn’t you like to be stuck in success? What could be wrong with that? It’s May and graduations are everywhere! Careers are starting. You are on the road to “success.” Pay off student loans, buy a car, get an apartment, save money, get married, buy a home, have kids, move up the corporate ladder, get a masters or PHD, move up the corporate ladder, increase your income to support all the necessities that define . . . success. Earn more, spend more, save more, work more . . . .repeat. This can be the wheel that runs our lives.
This sets us up for the next key to failure. . . hope without a plan. Are those things we just listed what you wanted or did you grow into them? Peer pressure doesn’t end in high school. Our success in school was defined by grades. Now it can be defined by money, relationships, social status and career. After years of hard work many people, in exhaustion, wonder. . . Am I there yet?
Remember being a kid in the car heading out on a trip and asking. . . “Are we there yet?” Even though we knew we wanted to go along someone else was in charge of the journey. Who is in charge of your journey to success? So, if you dare, ASK Yourself! Where is “there!” Am I there?
What should I do? STOP – turn around and look behind you! Imagine hundreds of head lights. . . the places you have been, what you’ve done and the things you have. Now turn around and look forward. Lots more lights! Are they opportunities or distractions? Define and choose. Define success for you! You may need to pull off the highway, and find your map. Figure out where you are and how to get to the place you want to be. You can do this within your job, relationship and finances. You probably need to look at these areas of your life individually and together.
“Wishin it don’t make it so!” Hopes/dreams are key to success, but can only be reached with a plan. You only need to be stuck if you aren’t willing to stop, reassess and do things differently.
Plan for success and work your plan!
GETTING BACK TO BASICS
Getting back to basics means we STOP to look at what we are doing . . . then change it! In the fire metaphor it’s “stop. . . . drop. . . .roll.” So in the last blog we looked at stopping the chaos of our current day. . . now the tough part. . .drop.
DROP!?! Are you nuts? I can’t drop anything! Why do you think I’m so busy and overwhelmed? Too many priorities!
Guess what! They are not of equal priority. Often, we choose to take things on and then never let them go when we really could. Our activities and commitments are not all lined up with our values. Values, hmm, what are my values? Something we might have known when we were young and idealistic, but now we are adults and have important adult things to think about. Family, finances, career, career advancement, quality time, church, volunteer activities. WOW! We spend lots of time on these things and fly back and forth from one to the other. Meanwhile, we increase our productivity by having the latest tech tools that allow us to be in 2 or 3 places at once. Multi-tasking is the mother of all efficiencies! Often we “confuse” our use of technology with efficiency. What happens then? We are never anywhere. Think about it. . . have you ever “missed” something because you were doing 2 things at once? You bet you have! So the solution is. . .
Start to stop! Look at what you are doing and drop something, delegate something, shorten something. If you will commit to a thought process with the “less is more” in mind you will be getting the basics of what success is for you! Determine what you value. Then shorten or remove activities that are stealing from your ability to be fully present.
Now. . . Roll with it! Repeat Stop Drop Roll to your best days ever!
Hit the Reset Button For a Better Day
Do you feel like a fireman? Responding to alarms all day? Stop – Drop & Roll! This is what to do if you’re in trouble in a “physical” fire but also the recipe for the solution to the fireman life style. Are you rescheduling, having drop-in appointments/people, unmet deadlines, regularly running late or cramming to meet deadlines? Now observe yourself. Are you tense, short tempered, often tired or dreading a new day? These are all symptoms of the "firemen" life style. Want to get out of this fire? Try this. . .
First – Stop! Schedule time this week to stop! Look at what you are doing. What is happening that is making your life a continuous fire drill? Put 30 -40 minutes in your calendar to “stop” the madness!? Consider putting this time in your calendar weekly to observe & reset.
Second – Start a list. If you keep a calendar take a look at what’s happening there. Hopefully you will see good things, fun times, laughter and successes! But you will also see the symptoms of your firemen life style. List both so you can see where they fall and maybe start to see what triggers it. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a lot more good than bad! If you regularly expected to have a good day?
We “begin” with dreams and good intentions, but often the pace and events of life slowly affect our direction. Somehow, without our knowledge, we are off course.
If you take this time to “stop” you have hit the “reset” button so can start at the beginning.. . . identify trouble spots and good spots. You have begun the process of defining what you want to do, so now you can do it!
Practice will only make “perfect” if are practicing the right things!
Next week we’ll talk about the scary part. . . . drop!
Gardening...Metaphor for life
The Power of 1 Coming Soon
Gotta Minute?
We can decide to be at the mercy of time or to be in charge of our time. Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Ivan Misner, John Maxwell and many others have written and spoken on the use of time and how to organize and get the most out of your life and your work.
Have you ever been to a great seminar or read a great book that inspired you to make better use of your time and never followed through with any changes? If so, you are among friends! We have all "been there done that!"
Want to change that pattern? Literally, take a minute, breathe and focus. Look at what you're doing and how you're doing it. This doesn't need to take a lot of time. Take a small look at a defined amount of your day or week. Set a small goal. Something attainable and repeatable. Maybe, 5 minutes at either the begining or end of your day. Find a partner who would like to do the same and hold each other accountable. Decide how often you want to do this and for how long. Then take 1 small step... DO IT!
You will see the change in a couple weeks if you are consistant! Enjoy the sensation of gently applying the brakes and getting in charge of the minutes of your life!
Welcome
About Kathi Jo DeYoung
I launched Joyous Journeys in 2005, bringing my nearly 30 years of business experience to the aid of my clients. I started out my career in education and transitioned into business. I worked as a sales representative to the office furniture industry and as an administrative manager for a startup manufacturing business and large volunteer organization, using my skills as an effective communicator, process and goal setter, and strategic manager for the success of both supplier and customer.
My coach training at the Institute of Life Coach Training, an accredited program with the International Coach Federation, and group facilitation from Leadership Strategies, have made me effective working with sales, marketing and financial executives; human resource managers; and business owners. I have also done group coaching and team building within business departments. I have worked with employees at Waddell & Reed Financial, New York Life, Gordon Food Service, Byron Bank, 4 D Industries and many others.
I am a director consultant for BNI of Michigan and a member of the local Leads to Success BNI group. I also volunteer for Junior Achievement in middle schools here in Grand Rapids. In addition, I am a member of the International Coach Federation and the Professional Coach Association of MI. You may have read my articles published in national magazines and heard me as a guest speaker on radio and television.
Visit my Testimonials page to see how my experiences have helped my many clients.
Contact
PHONE:
616.644.3662
EMAIL:
kathi@joyousjourney.net
SKYPE:
kathi.jo.deyoung
LOCATION:
2050 Celadon Drive NE
Suite A8
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
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