Like in the post yesterday, I am still setting up the stage for future articles that will form the basis of this blog. The purpose of this blog is to inspire you to be the best you can be. To help you think of ways to reach your true potential. To succeed in life, you need a tried and tested way of getting there.

Revealed: My blueprint for success:

1. It is all in the mind.
2. Bias for Action.
3. Oh Baby Steps.
4. Change Habits.
5. Track your  Progress.
6. Build on your Success.

1. It is all in the mind.

Even the Great Wall of China was once an idea. If you can think it, then you can do it or be it. You have to think in vivid terms what it is that you want to succeed in. Do you want to be in the first 11 of your soccer team? Do you want to shed 10 pounds? Do you want to graduate with honors? Whatever your goal is, you have to visualize it and believe that you can make it.

Mental preparation is the most important part of the blueprint. You are going to encounter bumps and hills on the road to success.  The last thing you want is to add to the obstacles through self sabotage. At your core, you must believe that what you want to achieve is congruent with your beliefs, otherwise you will sabotage yourself.

Once you have it clear in your mind that you really want the goal e.g to shed 10 pounds, then write it down on a piece of paper.  Write down your goal and read it aloud and create an action plan. Translate your desire for that goal into a practical series of doable tasks.

2. Bias for Action.

I am a computer programmer. One of the problems that we programmers have is that we tend to over analyze and think of the most creative ways of solving a particular problem. This comes at the expense of writing the software. We call it analysis paralysis.

Don’t spend a disproportionate amount of time and effort analyzing how to solve your problem or how to get to your goal. Instead, have a bias for action. Borrow from our friends at Nike – “Just Do It!”.

Every step you make towards your goal (action), will give you more confidence and lessons, even if you fail. Like this blog for example. I spent so much time last year thinking of what kind of features to have, what kind of community to cultivate etc. Those were just delaying tactics, I later realized. That is why this year, I decide to just do it. It may not be perfect, but at least it is out there, touching the lives of a few people.

3. Oh Baby Steps.

For many years I used to start lofty projects with big goals but never really got to  the finishing line. Why? I always wanted to hit it big. I got bored with the details. But as I grew older and wiser, I realized that it is the small baby steps that  count.

When does a baby give up trying to walk? When does a baby’s parent say to the baby… “Hey little, you have tried too many times. Give it up!”. Almost never. You must have that same tenacity of learning how to make those baby steps. Once you start making small practical steps towards your goal, you will feel better and be more likely to succeed.

Even great super achievers like Tiger Woods have to make those small baby steps every day to stay at the top of their game. Plan your game, have a bias for action and remember to make baby steps towards your goals every day.

4. Change Habits.

We are creatures of habit. There is no way you are going to achieve different results if you keep doing things in the same old fashioned way. Say for example you wanted to save up to buy a house. If you were not tracking your expenses or saving money, then you need to change that.

To achieve any goal in life, you need to change some habits. Think of the goal you want to achieve, and decide what habits would keep you from achieving that.  Then change those habits.

I have recently had a great interest in healthy living. If you want to improve your health and fitness level, you may have to change some habits e.g how much food you eat, what you drink, what type of foods tickle your fancy or how much exercise you do.

5. Track your Progress.

When you set out to achieve a particular goal, you must have check points and milestones to track how you are doing. With our earlier example of shedding 10 pounds, if you gave yourself 10 weeks to get to your goal, then you can set a goal of losing say 1 pound per week. Then weigh yourself every week to see if you are on track. No point waiting for 10 weeks to find out whether or not you got to your goal.

It is important that you set yourself realistic yet challenging deadlines for your goals. If you don’t meet your milestones, analyze why you missed the deadline, and make necessary amends.  Writing your goals helps in the tracking and accountability.

6. Build on your Success.

Once you reach your goals, you should look back on how far you have come. Be truly thankful, count your blessings and then move on to bigger things. Yes, it is like chasing the wind, but success feeds on success. Don’t rest on your laurels.

Say if your goal was to make a million dollars. Once you get to you goals, don’t shoot yourself. Do something with that money. Make other goals, that capitalize on the fact that you now have your million.

Even for goals that are not monetary, you can always build on your successes. Say your goal was to attract to your life the perfect life partner. Getting him or her to your life should not be the end. You should set goals on how to improve your relationship and live in harmony.

With time, as you have more successes under your belt, you will be surprised by the momentum they will build in terms of improving your self confidence and you level of satisfaction.

Summary

Success does not just happen. You must first purpose it in your mind, resolve to achieve and create an action plan. You should always have a bias for action and make steady baby steps towards the achievement of your goals.

Succeeding in life calls for a change in habits. As you walk through the journey towards success, remember to change your habits and keep track of your success along the way.  Once you succeed, remember to turn that success to your next success.

All the best in your goals. Your comments are most welcome.

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We previously talked about what success means, and how to create a blueprint for your success. I truly believe that your success or failure is all in the mind. If you really need success and purpose it in your mind then you will succeed. But you need to be hungry for it.

A story is told of a shy young man who wanted to succeed. He saw an older man from his home town fishing. He mustered some courage and approached the highly successful old man and asked, “What is the secret to your success?”. Without saying as much as a word to the young man, the old man grabbed him and pushed him down into the lake.

The young man struggled to free himself, but the old man was strong and held him down. After a few minutes of a shockingly fierce struggle the old man pulled out the young from the water. The young man was belligerent and held the old man by the neck. “Why were were you trying to kill me?”, he asked.

The old man looked at the young man straight into his eyes and said “You see how much you wanted to breath while under the water. If you shall desire success with such intensity, then my son success shall be right there waiting for you.

Success begins with the mind. All you need is to set realistic goals, with appropriate time lines and have a big enough “WHY”.  Have you heard of the Australian movie Rabbit Proof Fence? The film tells the stoy of two Aboriginal girls as they trek/walk for nine weeks along 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of the Australian rabbit-proof fence to return to their home. They had a big enough “WHY” for walking such a lengthy distance. They were running away from prison to their native community.  I am sure we would not be friends for long if I told you to walk with me for mere 100 kilometers “to get to know each other“.

If you don’t have a big enough reason for doing something, chances are you will not do it. I want to inspire you to succeed. To awaken the giant within you. What is your goal in life? What do you want to achieve by the end of this year? Do you have a specific goal that you want to get to within the next 30 days?

You have to visualize that which you want, in the most vivid terms possible. The road to success is not paved with gold. Like all good things in life, success comes at a price. Be willing to pay the price, through preparation, burning desire, and perseverance.

To succeed, you need to take action. To take action, you need to have a reason. A quick and easy way of making yourself desire success is to use the carrot and  stick method. Let us say for example that your goal is to get a  job straight after college. This is how you might apply the carrot and  stick method to drive you to action.

Carrot Way

• Think of the money you will earn.
• Think of the nice holiday you will be able to afford.
• Think of the boost in confidence and opportunities.

Stick Way

• Think of the pile of bills that need to be paid.
• Think of the gaps in your curriculum vitae (resume) that you will create if you stay out of the job market for long.
• Think of the missed opportunities for advancement.
• Think of the shame in failing to answer to the question “What do you do?”

Carrot and stick (also “carrot or stick”) is  idiom hat refers to a policy of offering a combination of rewards and punishment to induce behavior. It may derive from methods used for training mules and other animals by drawing them forward with rewards (the “carrot”) and driving them forward with punishment (the “stick”)

Whatever you goals are, you can apply the carrot and  stick method to build that fire within you. The fire that will ignite you into action and help you get to your goals.

Summary

How much do you want to succeed? You need to have a ravenous desire to succeed. Without that desire, it is hard to take action and overcome obstacles on the road to success.

Most of the obstacles to your success will be mental. Things like fear and self sabotage. Create in your mind a big enough “why” you want to succeed, and the journey to your success will become easier. All the best my friend. May success be upon you.