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Every book that describes the secrets of personal success has a list containing 3-5 or ten keys, things you must do if you want to be successful. I am sure I have not read them all, but I have read enough of them to realize the truth. No one really knows what it takes to be successful or there would only be one book with a single list.

You can either add my little list to the one you already have - or just do these things. In either case you’ll be more successful than you already are - assuming that you actually DO something.

From my experience and that of leaders I have met over the years, there are some easy (easy to say but maybe not so easy to execute) steps to creating a success system.

You will want to start by considering where you are right now, in your career, your business, and your life. Knowing where you are is the starting point for every journey.

Then begin clarifying your goals, in other words what you really want to have, be or do. Like when you are setting out for some physical journey such as driving to Disney World, once you know where you already are - having your specific destination in mind is the key to knowing what steps to take next. That way you will be able to look at the map and see that you are moving toward or away from your intended destination.

Next is to clear away the debris and useless details in your path. There are always going to be boulders in your way along your path to success. Unfortunately we are the ones responsible for putting many of them there ourselves. Are there things you are doing to subtly sabotage your own progress? Are there things that always seem to need doing before you get started? Are there things that you are doing now that are delaying your progress?

Once you have begun to clear away the useless time wasting success delaying activities it’s time to create new success inducing habits, structures, and beliefs. As I have observed many many times, nothing is neutral - everything takes you closer to or farther away from your intended destination.

If those things that take you in the direction you intend to go can be systematized and automated so they are done without thinking, you will be less likely to drift back into the old inefficient ways that had the opposite results from those you were seeking. What systems can you create that will make every action take you forward, toward where you want to be 3 months or three years from today?

Just like planning your trip to Disney World, when you know where you are right now, precisely where you are going, and have checked the map to avoid disruptions, detours, and delays then next step is to step on the gas! Execution in other words is everything. Just doing something, anything at all really, and you will separate yourself from 90% of your contemporaries!

By now I hope you are thinking about the implications of what you’ve just read and I also hope you will take a few seconds and post your comments for the rest of us. By sharing your experiences and insights here you will be adding to the richness of the conversation.

Just like you I am concerned about the continuous refinement of my strategies for effectiveness in these challenging times.

Developing personal, professional, and business effectiveness is easier when you do it with a little help from your friends. Using the ages old, and still effective, mastermind group process you can achieve more than you ever thought possible.

I created a report, from my personal experiences helping business owners and professionals achieve greater more sustainable success, that details how to create and manage your own peer group and it is yours with my compliments. Just visit my web site and you will quickly see how to download it to begin helping yourself realize your true potential. http://www.WayneMessick.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 3:19 pm and is filed under Leadership, Marketing, My Observations, Personal Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.