John Hersey Leadership Blog

Are you a procrastinator? Do you keep telling yourself that you must get organized but don’t take the steps to actually do it? You trudge along and lose yourself in busy schedules and family commitments.  Months pass and your goals and objectives have fallen to the wayside. Does this sound familiar?

When you meet successful people, do you ask yourself: why is this person more successful than me?  Why can’t I make that kind of money? Why me? A motivational speaker can show you how poor me thinking won’t get you far in today’s world.

However, there’s a way to fix these pesky, negative habits today. It’s time to plan for your success now. Before you jump into organizing your life/business, make a pact with yourself to be a proactive planner throughout the year. Don’t let negative thought patterns steer you away from your success.

Start slowly. The following tips will point you in the right direction towards a successful future. Take baby steps. You will be pleasantly surprised how doors and opportunities will open for you along the way.

Seek Out Positive Role Models and Mentors
There are times in your life when you don’t know what direction to take and feel stuck. It helps to have a sounding board. A positive mentor or role model motivates you and can give you that little nudge you need.

Mentors also remind you that you are human and teach you how you can learn from failure and mistakes. You also don’t have to limit yourself to just one mentor. Learn as much as you can from other successful people.

Read Everything You Can
Knowledge is the key to success. Great leaders know they didn’t get where they are today by just winging it. The average American reads only one book per year. Read books that will help you both personally and professionally.

Don’t make the excuse that you don’t have enough time to read.  Listen to books on CD in your car and make the most out of your time.  On the road to success, gather as much knowledge as you possibly can through quality, thought-provoking books and articles.

Attend Seminars and Classes
Lifelong learning is crucial to success. Think about how long you have been in business. Are you still using outdated technology that wastes both time and money? Do you need a refresher computer course? Are you clueless when it comes to the Internet?

Sign up for classes and seminars that will teach you new, useful information applicable to your industry.  In order to survive and thrive in this competitive world, it’s important to expand your mind. Be open to change – yes, change can be scary but it will open new opportunities for growth and success.

Take Time to Reflect
It’s easy to get lost in life’s hectic pace which leads to stress and frustration. Successful leaders need quiet time. When you take the time to reflect and be alone with your thoughts, you are able to visualize future goals and recharge your inner batteries.

Take a walk or just sit quietly in a room without the distractions of cell phones, computers and people. You should never be that busy that you can’t take at least a few minutes per day to reflect and examine. Your future success depends on quiet reflection – so don’t avoid spending time with yourself.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 1:49 pm and is filed under Leadership.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.