Gather a support group
While mentors serve as a guide with which you review your past actions and plan your next steps, a support group is your companion to help you during the actual execution of your plan. It could be in the form of a support team or an accountability partner to whom you will be held accountable for the steps taken towards your goal and who will help you deal with situations that arise while you are on the road. It is extremely helpful to have someone nearby who is willing to listen to your frustrations and doubts, as well as to motivate you and remind you of how far you have already come. Who is in your support group?
Get good at your finances
The numbers scare a lot of people away. Start talking about assets, liabilities, and net worth, and people’s eyes will quickly dim. If you are one of those people who run from numbers, please stop because you will only hurt yourself. If you want to be financially independent, you must be able to keep an account. Whether you own your own business or want to invest successfully, finance will tell you how well you are doing and open your eyes to the state of the business. If you do not understand finance, then you should definitely learn this. It’s easy, all you have to do is overcome the belief that you don’t get along with numbers. Those interested in learning more may want to check their personal financial resources. Do you know your net worth? If you are bad at counting, why do you think you are incapable of learning it? How can you improve your financial intelligence?
Enlist help
I have a tendency to try to do everything myself; In some ways this is good, but in many ways it is bad. It is important to know and understand all aspects of your life and business, but this does not mean that you have to do all the tasks related to maximizing your potential in these areas yourself. Yes, we can always learn something new and become competent in new areas, but it is also true that we have only 24 hours at our disposal every day; and in order to live a full life, it is much more efficient to do what we do best, and outsource the tasks that we do not do very well to outsource to people who specialize in them. Delegating tasks therefore requires trust and the ability to clearly communicate what you want. For those considering outsourcing, Elance is a good way to find experienced freelancers.
How do you spend your time? Do you dedicate it to doing what you are great at? If not, what can you delegate or outsource so you can spend more time on what you do great? What is stopping you from outsourcing or delegating?
Learn to Sell
Many people cringe when they hear the word “sales.” “I would never do sales, it’s a slippery job.” It is this type of thinking that does not allow people to open up to the maximum. Selling is nothing more than convincing someone of something. When you try to get a date, you are selling. When you’re interviewing for a job, you’re selling. When you’re trying to convince your spouse or kids to go to Europe for a family vacation, you’re selling. In a professional setting, sales are paramount and serve as a lifeline for any business. If you want to get the most out of life and business, learn effective sales skills. I’m starting a series of blog posts on how to sell; also, you can learn from other successful sales coaches by reading materials from Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, and Og Mandino.
When you hear the word “sales”, what associations come to mind? Are they positive or negative? Do you know how to sell effectively? If not, how do you plan to learn how to sell?
Be persistent
Things rarely work out exactly as you planned; there will always be distractions and stumbling blocks. You will have to deal with them, being on the way to success. The key is to persevere and develop the courage to move on even when everyone around you tells you it’s time to give up and retreat. This does not mean that one must stubbornly stick to the original plan; rather, it is necessary to continue to pursue your goal as long as you have reasons for this. (Make sure you know “Why” you want what you want). When things seem to go wrong, keep in mind that “the road to success is paved with a thousand failures,” so every failure actually gets you closer to where you want to be. If you’re having trouble with persistence, read 6 Effective Ways to Be Persistent.