Your future success is a choice; you have to choose to want to be successful
Just before he died, renowned playwright George Bernard Shaw was asked to name a famous deceased man whom he missed the most. Shaw replied “the man I miss the most is the man I could have been”. This was an interesting response from Shaw in his final days.
There is never a good time to question lost opportunities and go through the “would have; should have or could have” analysis. But imagine having to realize what you did not accomplish when you don’t have any time left to change the ouycome! Talk about a “worst case” scenario! So why wait until it is too late? Why not take action now and begin to create the destiny you want?
I sometimes ask clients to write their epitaph outlining in detail how they want others to describe them as a business professional as well as a person in general after they have left this earth (you know kicked the bucket). This exercise gives the individual the opportunity to describe the person they want to be! Once developed, it gives them a future goal or vision to aim for; it gives them a “purpose”. The obvious question then is how does one go about creating their future “self” or the person they want to be? Consider these suggestions:
1. Create the description – answer questions like – When asked, people will list __________ as my three greatest business accomplishments; People will describe me as a _____________leader when confronted with a challenge; My employees will describe me as their best leader because of how I handle __________ . When it comes to achieving results I will be described as _________. The one sentence that others will use to describe me would be _________. You get the picture. This is your ideal future so take the time needed to cover all of the bases. Apply the same approach to your personal and family relationships.
2. Compare the tomorrow vision to who you are today – this is a tough request because you have to be honest and candid with yourself. Now, I don’t want you to beat yourself up or lament over your shortcomings. Actually, this can be a very positive effort because there is no downside to it. The goal is for you to get better over time and that’s a good thing! You want to identify what needs to be addressed in order to close the gap, over a reasonable time frame, between the “today” you and the “tomorrow” you.
3. Make a list and set some priorities – In other words, from the information developed from your today versus tomorrow comparison, create a plan. The plan should address those skills that you will need to learn as well as the habits you will need to develop. Be realistic. Focus on no more than 1 or 2 items. Learning new skills or developing new habits is hard work and your focus needs to be on the quality of your learning and not how fast you can learn. Set interim learning goals over a 90 day period. At the end of each 90 day plan, evaluate how you did and create a new 90 day learning plan. When you achieve the learning goals, pick a new one and start the 90 day learning plan process all over again.
4. Be specific in your 90 day plans – Take each of the learning goals you have set in your 90 day plan and break them down into very specific next steps; tasks or “to dos”. The more specific you are, you increase your chances of success. After you have identified the next steps, set specific times that you will work on them. Use your time wisely. This effort is just as, if not more important, than what you currently do. Why? Because when you get better your business and everything else around you gets better also. Your 90 day learning plans should be designed to encourage you to take smart learning risks. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes when you start to use you newly learned skills or habits. Take the risk and learn from the experience.
5. Believe in yourself and play the role now – Have confidence in your ability to be successful in creating the “you of tomorrow”. Have no doubt or fear. Start acting like that person right now – today. Will you make a mistake here and there? Of course you will but like said “learn from the experience”. To act like you’re already the “tomorrow you” will require every bit of self discipline and persistence you can muster. Why? Because the task of creating your future is hard work and you will encounter many risks and barriers. When you combine the need for hard work with the reality of having to take risks and deal with barriers you have to confront many situations to take the safe route or worse yet, quit and give up.
Remember, your future success is a choice. You have to choose to want to be successful. Giving up or quitting is a choice. Doing nothing is also a choice. To quote a line from an Indiana Jones movie – “choose wisely”.
Quote: “The only person who can create your future is you. Embrace the opportunity and all that comes with it with all of your being. Your legacy depends on it”. – Chris Ruisi – The Coach
Chris Ruisi is an author, experienced executive / business coach as well as accomplished leadership/business motivational speaker. He mentors and guides executives and business leaders to find their “stretch” point to learn the full measure of their capabilities.” Chris understands how leadership works, how organizations work, how power works, and how decision making works. Known as a popular blogger, and sought after speaker, he has also created an extensive video library on YouTube. Through this work, he has created a community of entrepreneurs, executives, and business leaders who understand the importance of being able to Step Up, and Play Big.