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By elaine, April 24, 2013 6:59 pm

“Infinite patience brings immediate results.”

- A Course in Miracles

Every summer holiday when I was a kid my Mum and Dad would take us to the seaside. We LOVED it! It was the highlight of the school holidays.

Being on the beach was so much fun. Driving to the beach, though, was a different story! My Brother and I dreaded the journey because it was tedious and boring. We sat in the back winding each other up and usually after only five minutes of travelling we’d grow impatient and repeatedly ask: ‘Are we there yet?!’ This trip always seemed to take forever. It was so frustratingly slow in our anticipation of being able to play on the beach!

Some of my coaching clients struggle because they want it all – NOW. During our first session they want the answer to EVERYTHING so they can just run a successful business or just get promoted into that leadership position.

“Give me the information, the tactics and I’ll rush in and get on with it!”

We live in a fast-paced world where everything is needed NOW! So there’s a lot of pressure on getting instant results – quick fixes – making money fast!

I saw this recently when coaching people in a modular business program. Two clients wanted all the content at the beginning instead of working through the program a module at a time in order to build a firm foundation. There is a difference between racing and pacing your way to success. Yet our impatience gets in the way.

As my mentor taught me: “It’s not just about information, it’s about implementation.”

Building a successful, sustainable business or becoming an effective leader takes time. You have to build the knowledge, skills and gain experience. Sometimes you need to start by creating a firm foundation and then experiencing things. It’s about creating consistent action and understanding the depth and breadth of what you are learning.

In our haste to be successful we create urgency and pressure to get it all done as quickly as possible. Racing to tick all the boxes doesn’t guarantee a successful outcome – you are missing the depth and breadth of understanding and connection along the way. This urgency gets in the way and blocks your progress.

Here’s the thing…

There is no destination… you’ll never be done! Your work isn’t about trying to get somewhere – it’s about being somewhere right now in every moment. I’ve noticed that sometimes the faster a person wants to zip through things the slower they actually move. They miss out on the experience and other messy stuff! Which is a huge part of being a leader or running a business.

They get bogged down in frustration, overwhelm and beat themselves up for not being successful. Instead of focusing on their current experience right now. It’s those little steps – one after the other – that creates momentum and ultimately completion. This can’t be taught – it has to be experienced.

If you just want to get the work over with in order to achieve your goal, then I guarantee it’ll be hard work, tedious and dull (like sitting in the back of the car with my Brother on the way to the beach!).

1. Take a deep breath – Breathe! This helps you to create a circuit breaker from your current thinking. Focus on your breathing and take your attention away from your frustration and urgency. Create some breathing space.

2.  Recognise and then let go of any anger or frustration or judgments – notice them but decide that they don’t drive you. You get to choose your thinking. Look out for any resistance and let go of old stories and doubts that no longer serve you – they are not the truth. Rushing ahead isn’t always a good strategy; it’s not about ticking boxes and getting stuff done.

3. Be fully present in the moment – This moment! Focus on the scenery along the journey, not just the end goal or the length of the journey you have to take. Savor the moment. Take time to enjoy what you’re doing. This will dissolve any anxiety and boredom and neutralize tedium. When YOU show up so does everything else (trust me on this one!).

4. Keep it simple – Focus on one thing and do it well. Break things down into small doable tasks and do them one step at a time. Where you place your attention is EVERYTHING! Attention creates your experience and connection with the one thing you’re doing right now in this moment. Have fun with it. Protect your attention from any BSO’s (Bright Shiny Objects).

5. Slow down to speed up – Create the right pace for yourself. Stay grounded and re-align yourself to where you are now and check in on where you want to be. Focus on reality and know that completing the ordinary stuff makes a difference because you’re creating momentum and completion through implementation. Things are more joyful when you slow down and stop trying to kill yourself!

For me, success is all about your thinking. You are what you focus on. Choose to move away from frustration and impatience instead of rolling your eyes at how long things will take to get done!

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By elaine, March 13, 2013 3:36 pm

The No. 1 common challenge for many of my coaching clients is the problem of getting things done!

Most of us have been on numerous time management workshops and read books on the subject. We know what we should do, but we still can’t seem to apply the strategy consistently.

Having the tools, processes or strategy is one thing…Setting your thinking and programming your inner dialogue for success is another!

Here are the top five reasons for not getting things done that I’ve experienced when coaching and training my clients (Oh! And I’ve observed a few of them in myself too!):

Overcomplicating things – It’s easy to become overwhelmed and create a complex strategy for something that is relatively simple. If you have too much to remember: doing this, not doing that and worrying about the other, then you become anxious and worn out and nothing gets done. You’ll look for other distractions.

You keep a complex plan in your head – You add to the problem by trying to keep a complex plan in your head. Relying on your brain as a storage device to remember EVERYTHING doesn’t work! Have you ever thought you’d remember stuff, then when you’ve gone back to it later, you can’t remember the detail and have to start all over again?

“I’m just not very organized…” This label is an excuse to give you permission to stay stuck. The reality is that you are VERY organized at being UNORGANIZED: You are following entrenched old habits and patterns. They just take you to a negative outcome. You’re just organizing the wrong things! See the pattern here? You may feel out of control, perhaps your emotions have taken over.

Quality of your inner dialogue – If I say to you: ‘Don’t think of the colour blue…’ What do you do first? You think of blue before you decide not to think about it! So if you’re saying to yourself: ‘I mustn’t forget to…’ you are programming yourself to forget! This is known as a bad command in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) terms. If you repeat this to yourself, you are likely to forget! You are focusing on forgetting rather than remembering!

You are too busy to think about it – You are stuck in the ‘do-do’ of doing and don’t take time to think something through to decide how you might do it differently. You wallow in procrastination. Thinking seems too easy to do so you resist or you perceive that it’s not a valuable use of time.

Here are some potential solutions:

1. Clear out the mental clutter – You can over-plan and over-strategize. So step back and get rid of the clutter. You might have far too many steps in the process, or you’re going into too much detail.

• Lighten the load by simplifying your process.
• Place high value on simplicity!
• Look for an easier route. You have to choose the right strategy for the situation.

2. Get out of your own way – Are you fighting with yourself, getting caught up in drama and creating feelings that are sabotaging your progress? Notice what is going on inside – write it down. You don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself.

• Become organized at being organized!
• What needs to change?
• What would being organized look like for you?
• Lose the label and dump the excuse of being unorganized.

You can do this!

3. Change your language – Listen to your inner dialogue. Are you giving yourself bad commands? Remember if you’re saying to yourself: ‘Don’t forget to call Jenny.’ You are actually saying: ‘Forget to call Jenny.’ You are more likely to forget! Change the quality of your inner dialogue by turning it around to something like: ‘I will remember to phone Jenny today.’ Give yourself commands in a positive way.

4. Make time to think it through – Allow thinking time! Use visualization as a tool to set your mind for success. See yourself making the call to Jenny:

• What are you saying?
• When are you calling her?
• Walk this through in your mind several times.
• Then take action straight away to make it happen.
• Make a post-it note and keep it in sight so this call is your mental radar today.

You are re-training your brain to get things done. Simple strategies work well. Think simple!

5. Attitude changes everything – To change your thinking you need to change your perspective towards the situation. The situation IS the situation, it doesn’t change – you are wherever you are right now. If you know that this is something you should do, then change your attitude towards it. This is what is holding you back.

• What would it be like to be in control or on top of this situation?
• What are you doing?
• What are you saying?
• How are you acting?
• How will you feel when you’ve completed it?
• What difference will it make?

Having a coach can help take responsibility for getting things done.

Clear out the rubbish in your current strategies for getting things done, stop fighting yourself, listening to your negative inner dialogue, and getting lost in the mountain of steps in your process.

Simplicity is everything! Look for a more effortless path and don’t be so hard on yourself!

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By elaine, February 20, 2013 5:01 pm

We all have ideas right?

Some of us have LOADS of them!

You may see yourself as an Ideas Person. Ideas just pop out of your mind all the time and it’s hard to keep track of them all. You feel like you might burst with excitement! But how many ideas actually leave your mind and make it into the real world?

Many of our ideas float around like untethered kites and never crystallize into anything tangible. The latest idea just becomes another distraction as you continue generating more and more of them. They stack up in a holding pattern waiting to come in to land. This stack can become exhausting and overwhelming because you don’t know where to start or what to do with them all.

I often coach creative clients who have loads of ideas. Every coaching session, they arrive with another one (yes… I’m guilty of this sometimes too – you ask my mentor!). And of course, this latest idea is the best one yet! …Until, the next idea comes along a few days later! Months can be wasted dreaming but nothing ever gets done. There’s no action, there’s just the next idea coming along…

IDEA          IDEA          IDEA          IDEA          IDEA          Another IDEA

If this sounds like you, then you need a formula to create some momentum…

Without a having a system it’s difficult to take an idea and make it happen (even the good ones).

I’ve learned that there are three elements to taking an idea an making it real:

Your idea needs to become grounded if you want to give it a chance of becoming reality.   Creating a system or process helps you to take your idea and plan HOW to create some momentum. You then need to take specific action to make it real.

Here are a few tips around each of these elements:

IDEA

I’ve sat in daylong leadership strategy meetings where loads of ideas are shared and everyone is very excited and enthusiastic. A year later the same ideas are still being talked about, because nothing happened in between.

We often see the IDEA as the sexy exciting bit because it’s fun being creative. There’s nothing quite like that adrenalin rush when you think you’re on to something new and great!

Get clear about your idea understand WHY you want to make it real.

Sometimes we stop at the idea stage because we’re frightened to take the next step and make it happen. If you don’t start then it can’t fail, because you didn’t have to try. Your idea needs your energy and belief if it’s going to germinate into reality. You have to take a few risks and step out of your comfort zone and do some things scared.

SYSTEM

For an Ideas Person, the SYSTEM bit is the painful process of planning and working out how it’s all going to happen.

For some of us planning, thinking it through and then creating a stepped process to make it work is the tedious bit… YAWN!

Why?

Because it involves sitting down and working it out a step at a time. THIS STAGE is hugely important because it’s the difference between your idea staying just a dream or becoming real…

Creating a system/process for implementing your idea will save you a lot of time and energy. Get some help from someone who can help you create a framework for what you need to do if this is not your GENIUS work!

Here are a few tips:

• Create an Ideas Book if you’re always having loads of ideas. Write each one down in a paragraph as you think it.
• Re-visit your book every one-two weeks to re-read each idea and cross out any that no longer feel like they are do-able or ‘have legs’.
• Schedule time to take your idea and break it down into doable steps.
• See your idea as the vision and the system as your tactical plan:
  • What tactics you will employ to make it happen?
  • What’s specifically involved in making this become real?
  • What individual steps need to be taken?
  • Who else needs to be involved?
  • When to you need to do it?
  • Where will it happen?

Work backwards on a timeline to identify some milestone dates and will help you to break down what needs to be done. Remember, big things are done in small chunks! Breaking it down will make it doable.

Creating a framework and then working through a process gives you clarity and direction. It helps you to feel more confident and in control.

ACTION

This is where the rubber hits the road. You have to actually show up and do the work! Just talking about it doesn’t make things happen – You have to DO it!

• Schedule small pockets of time in your calendar and take one step at a time.
• Commit to making it happen
• If you decide to delegate or outsource part of the work then you’ll need to commit being responsible for leading them to do a great job. There is a difference between delegation and abdication!

Take conscious, deliberate action regularly and this will help you to create momentum towards your outcome. Building momentum will encourage you to keep taking action, as you move towards your goal. You’ll also start to feel a sense of completion.

Review your progress regularly, so you can tweak and modify your plan if necessary.

If you have an idea that you want to bring into the world, always create a system for it and plan ahead for its arrival!

Success needs a system – EVERY TIME!

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By elaine, December 19, 2012 7:38 pm

Even though I travel to the States regularly, I still have to concentrate when doing some of the simple things like crossing the road or driving a car when I’m over there.

Stepping off the sidewalk and looking right for oncoming traffic… isn’t a good idea in the USA… because they drive on the right!

Something so simple can make me feel stupid, especially when I keep catching myself looking the wrong way! Duh! I just get the hang of it and then I fly home again!

Here’s what’s going on…

Whenever I cross the road I’m operating from my internal map that applies to the UK, one that was conditioned in me as a child: Look right, then left, then right again!” In the UK this works well but it could be potentially dangerous for me when I’m in the USA. So I have to consciously supervise my behaviour when I’m over there, because I’m not in the habit of looking the opposite way.

During our life we create systems for virtually everything that we do. Many of these become deeply engrained habits and patterns: We don’t have to think about what to do – we just unconsciously do it.

Do you remember what it was like learning to drive? All those things to do at the same time!! You had to consciously self-supervise your behaviour to be able to drive. It took so much effort and concentration.

Once you’ve mastered something you no longer have to focus your attention on your behaviour – you just get in the car and drive! Your behaviour is automatic once you’ve mastered the capability and acquired the confidence to do it.

Transition isn’t always easy…

Change involves us stepping away from what we know and feel comfortable with. And if you’re transitioning into a new role, playing a bigger game or wanting to show up differently in your life, this can feel huge…

I train Leading Through Change workshops and it’s common for people to associate change with negative words such as uncertainty, pain, loss, suspicion, worry, and self-doubt. It makes us feel disorientated and threatened as we cling to the past, holding on to what remains of our comfort zone because the future feels scary.

Change can also bring possibility, expansion, opportunity, excitement, and growth (both personally and professionally). It’s also a natural element of life – we are ever changing and in constant flow from the moment we are born to the moment we die (and possibly beyond!).

One of my clients was surprised recently about how exhausting change is! He was having an internal battle between his head and heart: His head was getting tired of all the consistent hard work,  but his heart wanted to remain true to WHY he was wanting to change.

Creating sustainable change is often about unlearning automatic behaviours that no longer serve you and replacing them with new ones that help you to be more successful.

If you want to learn a new behaviour or replace an old one, then you have to:

1. Identify the specific behaviour you want to change. Understand WHY you want to change it.

2. Focus your attention on that behaviour so you can start to recognize when it shows up because energy flows where attentions goes!

3. Become a student of you by observing and reflecting on your progress and notice the change in your behaviour as you develop. Become consciously aware of your self in the moment.

4. Be a supervisor of YOU by being deliberate and replacing the old behaviour with a new one. Employ conscious self-control – this is also known as self-supervision. This is the bit that is often exhausting because you have to keep checking in on yourself.

5. Give yourself permission to do things badly at first. It can take time get the hang of things. Be consistent and keep trying, even if it feels hard or you don’t feel like it. Persistence is a great tool – you’ll improve with practice.

6. Pace yourself with the change. Catching yourself in the moment can be exhausting work because you have to constantly think about what you’re doing. When you’re tired, it’s harder to be persistent because as things become more difficult, you resist. It’s a bit like lifting weights at the gym: The first attempt is easy and then it progressively gets harder as your muscles tire, until you can’t lift it anymore.

7. Self-control isn’t always a sustainable resource. Sometimes you need to take a break and rest. Otherwise the voice in your head starts complaining that it’s too hard; I’m crap at this! – and the self-supervisor lets go of the reins because your head and heart are not in congruence.

Just know that behavioural change can be exhausting work because you have to employ extra energy in the form of self-supervision to keep a check on all the new things you’re trying to do. It might be controlling your emotions in a meeting, managing the impression we’re making on others, handling nerves, or focusing on a new way of doing something – Whatever the situation, you’ll feel the need to supervise your behaviour.

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By elaine, August 22, 2012 4:51 pm

Life-lessons happen when you least expect it.

…Even when you’re on holiday!

I was blessed to spend a whole week hiking in Grindelwald, Switzerland. My chalet over-looked a stunning valley that led your eye directly up to the north face of the Eiger.

Bernard, our mountain hiking guru, knew a lot about this mountain. He’s is a very experienced hiker in the Alps (Swiss born and bred!). He told us of how climbers had perished here in their quest to conquer the north face. Many had been caught out by the sudden change in weather – some had frozen to death overnight or had slipped and fallen;, others were the victims of rock falls.

Then he led us on the Eiger Trail. This was a 10-hour hike beginning with a 3-hour assent up to the base of the Eiger.

It was hard work and I learned so much observing how people approached this assent.

Some raced ahead to ‘get her done!’ Not knowing the length of the climb they were soon out of breath, feeling tired and the affects of the thinner air. They weren’t prepared.

One woman in another group had to turn back because she’d started too quickly, became overwhelmed and panicked. She was both mentally and physically affected by this challenge.

It’s easy to get swept up in the enthusiasm and race ahead.

In our group, Bernard told us that his wife, Anita was a slow walker but she could walk for miles and miles. I watched and learned from her as we made our assent.

She was always at the end of the line, last to arrive BUT she focused on her own pace and enjoyed every step of the way. She was never out of breath or uncomfortable. She set her own pace and refused to be distracted by inwardly comparing herself to others who were pushing ahead and moving faster. She focused on her own goal and worked consistency to achieve it.

This got me thinking…

How many of us set an intention or goal and race off with enthusiasm and energy at the beginning?  We’re all fired up and excited…

Then, into the journey, we get exhausted or distracted… perhaps because we haven’t thought things through properly or we’re too busy ‘doing’ to notice that we’ve deviated off the right path? We use all our energy at the beginning and there’s little left to keep us going for the whole journey.

Continuing with our mountain metaphor…

In our haste to get to the summit we’re not interested in the ‘tedium’ of doing the work – one foot after the other. We just want the end result NOW! And we race to end as quickly as possible just to get it done.

So we set the wrong pace, lack the discipline and persistence to keep placing one foot in front of the other, we become impatient and frustrated because we ‘haven’t got there yet.’

We burn out, give up or become distracted by something else… We never reach the summit and instead well allow the excuses to take over: ‘it’s too hard’ or ‘it’s not for me’ or ‘I didn’t really try.’

Are you setting yourself up for success and committing for the entire duration of the journey or are you looking for any quick way to get it all done?!

This mountain metaphor can be transferred to your own life or work goals…

Here’s what Anita taught me on the Eiger trail:

1. Being successful involves discipline and persistence – You have to show up and do the work EVERY single day. Hiking up a mountain involves taking every single step along the way… one after the other. Creating a business or building a career is very similar. You have to be in it for the duration – not just when you feel like it.

2. You can only enjoy it fully if you set the right pace for YOU. Listen to your body and be guided by your own intuition. Stretch and challenge yourself – YES! Kill yourself – NO! Set your pace for success and commit to it. It’s not about racing, it’s about pacing!

3. Don’t get distracted by comparing yourself to others. YOU are YOU… You’re not someone else so stop trying to contort yourself. Be 100% pure YOU! Start from where you are today and do it your way! Be the leader in your life by setting your own pace. It’s NOT a race… It’s just you and the mountain! (it’s just you and your goal).

4. Enjoy the journey. There is much to see (and learn) along the way – take it in… FULLY experience what is happening and what is around you. Many people walk through life unconsciously and become de-sensitized because we’re just ‘too busy’ getting things done. Some hikers were focused on getting to the top and didn’t even stop to take in the breath-taking views and beauty around them.

5. We are all human beings – no one is better than the other… Racing to the top of the mountain (or your end goal) doesn’t make you BIGGER, better or more important than anyone else. You need to take action and do the work – one step at a time. Get there on your terms NOT on your ego’s terms!

It’s NOT about racing… it’s about pacing!

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By elaine, June 19, 2012 4:18 pm

“Self-discipline is the magic power that makes you virtually unstoppable.”

~ Dan Kennedy, Business Success Guru and Author

Okay… I have to admit that most of us are easily distracted. We are almost willing to be de-railed from our work plans by any bright shiny object that happens to come onto our radar!

This is especially true for me if it’s something that I don’t really want to do or it feels like hard work! (This can lead to procrastination and avoidance if not addressed.)

Many of us know what we should do but we have little self-discipline to make it happen. Instead we use labels such as I’m too busy or I didn’t have time rather than leaning in and committing to our intention. It’s a form of inner laziness that prevents us from getting things done.

I regularly see examples of this in the business world. Here are a few examples:

• Individuals who can’t seem to make it to meetings on time.
• Arriving late and unprepared for pre-booked coaching sessions (I make individuals re-book!).
• An entrepreneur who never quite gets around to marketing because something else always needs to be done first.

People who arrive late are often also unprepared for work. This lack of focus and attention wastes time, because they have to catch up before giving any value.

I’ve noticed that a common theme for many people with time management challenges is the lack of self-discipline.

Okay… I’ll admit it – some days I feel secretly lazy (especially when it is sunny!). It’s a challenge because I wake up having an inner fight to force myself to get up and get things done. It’s hard work challenging my lazy self to get on with what needs to be done. Sometimes I’d just rather sit back and have an easy day at home. After all, I’m the boss and I can do whatever I want! I have these secret lazy feelings also around keeping fit, whether it’s hiking or going to the gym (I LOVE it once I’m doing it!).

Instead of allowing this to take control, I’ve had to become extremely self-disciplined… Self-discipline is a powerful antidote to procrastination.

Without self-discipline your thinking and self-management principles are inconsistent and you’ll easily get distracted.

Self-discipline neutralizes the laziness and gives you the ability to get things done and to get it right the first time. Excuses and old habits fall away as you begin to move forward, take control and get things done.

Here’s how to encourage self-discipline:

1. Make a weekly plan and work out in advance what you want to achieve. This helps you to stay focused and feel in control of what needs to be done. Over time you can feel the momentum of making things happen. Stick to the plan – hold firm! Remind yourself what’s important.

2. Show up! At the scheduled time and be prepared and ready to work. Yes… It’s that simple…It’s common sense, but NOT always common practice. This includes showing up for ALL appointments that you make with yourself!

3. Meet your deadlines and commitments. This alone will make you more successful. More opportunities will start to present themselves and others will be attracted to you because you’re making things happen. Success breeds success.

4. Do it even when you don’t feel like it. Self-discipline requires a 100% commitment. It’s not just a fair-weather thing! It takes huge self-discipline to productivity invest energy and time to your intentions. This investment pays off every time. Be aware of those lazy voices in your head and challenge them EVERY time!

5. Take deliberate action. Take action and make things happen. Every day consciously do something towards your Intention – Small steps. Get deliberate in your thoughts and behaviours. This will inspire you to make different choices and create new habits. Get going!

All successful people have self-discipline. It’s a necessity that requires continual work every single day.

Self-discipline is a choice that enables you to chart your own path and create value by getting things done! There’s a huge difference between someone who talks about it and someone who actually gets things done!

Which one are you?

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By elaine, April 25, 2012 5:49 pm

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

 ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

When I decided to start my own business I was fired up and ready to go! I bought all the books my mentor (and other people) recommended and signed up for numerous online programs and packages.

Then I drowned in an ocean of self-help modules and leadership resources! I felt overwhelmed and scared because I  had so much stuff to learn. I had no plan so the  learning tools gathered dust on a shelf as I got busy doing coaching and trying to be successful!

My personal development stopped. I’d get stuck with some of the basic business challenges because I wasn’t growing. Others around me seemed to be growing faster and getting more success, this hurt!

Here’s what I realized…

Buying learning won’t help you to learn – You have to READ and APPLY the tools consistently! This is where most of us fall down.

I was trying to grow my business without growing myself.

This also applies if you work in the corporate world. You get promoted and take on a leadership role and there’s a whole new set of responsibilities placed on you!

Whether you work in corporate or for yourself, one of the minimum requirements of being successful is your ability to grow. The “Future belongs to learning.” Active continuous personal development separates the successful from the mediocre… and the gap between the two is wide!

Here’s my personal development success formula…

You have to INVEST in yourself on three levels:

1. Invest money (I was good at buying the books, mentors and resources!)
2. Invest time – (I didn’t invest the time because I was too busy doing!)
3. Invest attitude - (I invested in a growth mindset and take my personal development very seriously)

All three need to be present…

I know individuals who have ignored these and it has destroyed their careers by developing fixed mindset and  relying purely on status, ego and past experience to solve future problems. Learning is seen as a weakness by these people!

If you stop learning, you stop leading. You stagnate and you will fail.

Successful people invest time, money and attitude in their own personal development and it pays off.  They take learning seriously because they recognize its real value.

Here’s how to grow your own success from the inside-out:

1. Start from where you are now – You may have loads of resources backed up. Just choose ONE! Commit to working through that one resource, then move onto the next. Begin today.

2. Read for an hour a day – Wake up an hour earlier each day and read each morning first thing. If you do this 5 days a week – that’s five hours of reading! Just think how many books you could read in a year and the advantage you would have over your peers! Make notes and apply one thing you’ve read during the day (Start with 30 minutes and build up. Turn the TV off and read for an hour each night if you ‘don’t do’ mornings!).

3. Listen to audio books on the move – I listen to learning while I’m working out at the gym! I find the gym boring! Now I learn as I workout and time flies by. I make a few notes back in the changing room! You can also listen as you drive, fly or take the train!

4. Have an ATTITUDE for learning – Is your passion and commitment for what you do greater than any inconvenience in timing or travelling? I travel thousands of miles for my own personal development it’s not always convenient – I look beyond discomfort because I’m passionate about being the best I possibly can be. Get out from behind the convenience of your computer and look beyond the discomfort of travelling! Take your personal development seriously – Mean it! Activity seek out specific events and trainings that will help you grow. Group learning can expand your mindset and your skillset. Go to the source of the expertise and learn from the best if you want to be the best!

5. Plan your personal development time – Schedule dates and times for each week and show up! Look for opportunities to learn – Carry a book or IPad with you! Read while you wait for appointments (Instead of wasting time on Facebook!).

6. Apply what you learn – Reading is only a small part of the process. Growing involves USING what you’ve learned and is critical for success. I know hundreds of managers who have read: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, but only about 15% have actually applied any of the content to their life.

7. Work with a mentor – If you want to run a million pound business, then you want to learn from someone who has first hand experience and can provide wisdom, intuition and support. Working one on one will help you to: stay focused, be accountable, keep your commitment and create the discipline and persistence to make things happen.  A coach or a mentor can help you to maximise your potential and be the best in your career or business.

Are you passionate enough about your success to seriously  INVEST in your personal development?

How much do you REALLY WANT to be successful?