STEP 4 - STARTING THE PROCESS OF ACHIEVEMENT
In the last chapter I taught you how to view your goals and what you need to focus on to accomplish them. Now I'm going to show you the exact step-by-step process to get you started - taking your first step!
Now that you know your goal, we've gotten rid of your limiting belief(s), and you know that you can accomplish your goal, we can now start the process of attaining it.
If you look at the chart below, you'll see just 3 simple steps that will get you moving in the right direction.
Step 1
Choose your goal! In chapter 3, you chose 1 thing that you've wanted to do that you weren't pursuing because of a limiting belief. We eliminated that belief by converting it to its empowering counterpart, which freed you and gave you permission to go after it.
Write that goal down again so we can start the process of accomplishing it.
If you haven't yet downloaded and printed your free workbook, please go do so now.
Step 2
Do your research! Doing your research is important. This can involve going to the college and gathering the information they have about the course you'd like to take, doing a Google search with the topic of your goal - trying to find the best resources to start with, and/or finding someone who has already accomplished it (a mentor) and take them out to lunch. Like I always say; "If you feed them, they will speak!"
If you find yourself lost trying to find the right information to reach your dreams, simply keep reading....
I've been there and I know how frustrating it can be with all of the information that's available out there. We're in the information age now and the rules have completely changed! You used to only have to work hard, get good grades, get a good job and retire at 65. Now, in the information age, you also need to keep up with the rapidly changing industries by making sure you have the latest, greatest information and skills, to keep you afloat in the business world.
Here's what I've learned in the last few years...
A good formal education is only as good as your ability to adapt to new and changing trends. What applies today, may not apply tomorrow. So how do you go about keeping up with these changes? How do you stay afloat? And how do you know what information is right and what is wrong?
You may, at this point, have already realized the truth of what I'm saying here in your own life. You're probably screaming for HELP wondering what to do and where to turn. In the past several years, I've learned that a good indicator of the right information is to check its validity by verifying its track record.
Here are a few questions you may ask on your search for the right information:
These 3 questions will guide you to find the right people with the right information. If the steps have been outlined, they have applied the steps outlined, and got the result they profess, that is a great indicator that what is being said is truth/right.
BEWARE! - Do not to take advice from someone who speaks on a subject for which results have not followed. Many friends, family, and associates will be quick to freely give advice on subjects they know nothing about.
Should you take weight loss advice from someone who weighs more than you and has had no success in weight loss?
Should you take financial advice from someone with more consumer debt than you and who keeps racking up the credit cards month after month?
Or should you get your advice from someone who is actively living the life you want and getting the results you're looking for?
This may seem like common sense, but I can assure you that you've taken advice from people in the past that didn't have the results you were looking for. These people seem super confident about what they profess but the results aren't there to back them up in their claims.
So again, only take advice from people who have what you want, PERIOD!
I give advice based on things I've experienced and tested. If I don't have experience in an area, I will lead people to someone who has.
If no path has been tread, which is unlikely in this age of information overload, you must be willing to tread that path yourself and apply the information exactly the way it's outlined to see for yourself if the results follow. You can put anything to the test! If they say "do this and these results will follow", do it and see if the results follow. If they do, you've found the right information.
WARNING! - You MUST follow the information provided exactly the way it was outlined, in order to get the same results. You cannot just dip your toe in the water and then say you went swimming! If you're serious about getting the results, you must jump in and start to swim - really put it to the test!
Although treading the waters yourself is an option, it's not the best option. It's always an easier path to find someone who has already done it and to gain some insight from them.
Seriously, have you ever done something for which you felt stupid, just to find out it could have been prevented by asking for the help of a mentor?
For the first 20 years of my life, I learnt mostly from my own mistakes and successes and honestly, life sucked! It was though! It wasn't until I started learning from others' experience that life became a lot more fun. Not to say I don't have my struggles, but I'm better equipped now to deal with them.
In just the last several years I've been able to go from a shy, drug addicted, nervous, unhappy boy, to an empowered, inspired, life loving coach!
I've been able to get through life's crazy challenges with faith, confidence, courage, patience, and love. I've gone from feeling I am worthless and won't amount to anything (the world's perspective of me) to feeling that I can accomplish everything I desire and that I'm worth more to others than I ever thought possible.
I know that as I keep growing, I become a more valuable resource and support to others I associate with. And this all came about by learning from others' experience and consistently programming my mind with what serves me in my personal growth journey, by listening to the right audio CDs, reading the right books, and associating myself with the right people - those who have what I want. I've been able to completely transform myself and am on a constant upward path to becoming my best self. You can do the same! Simply find the right people to support you in your successes and in your failures.
"You can either learn from others' experience or spend the next several years learning from your own."
You can shed years from your learning curve by learning from those who already have what you want. It's also true that you can add years to your learning curve by listening to those who don't have what you want but are freely offering their advice on the subject. I call them creepers! Because these are people who creep into your mind - leaving negative or self-limiting thoughts that creep into your success to bring you down.
Whatever your life's pursuit, you can save years of failure and frustration by seeking out those who have what you want and are willing to share their wisdom with you. If you invite a respected authority on your subject out and offer to pay for their dinner, they will share their wisdom with you and it will be the most valuable and cheapest form of education you will ever receive.
So get started on the right foot and find a mentor who can guide you through the minefield of your destiny and move forward knowing that your destination is not too far off. Your mentor could possibly be the leader who shared this book with you. They have an answer if your goal involves making more money.
I've placed a lot of emphasis on the research phase because you can save a lot of headaches when you're exposed to the right information.
Start by doing your research. Either find someone who has done it (Online or Offline) and gain insight from them, find someone who can put you in contact with someone who has done it or... if you must, put it to the test yourself by jumping right in there and following the exact pattern outlined. If the results follow, you've just proved it to be the right information and as a bonus, you can now call yourself an expert on the subject!
As you do this, you'll be able to find the right information every time. This may seem elementary, but we often take advice from people who have no idea what they're talking about - they haven't tread the waters themselves.
Step 3
Choose your first step! Choosing your first step is the most crucial part. There's a quote by world renowned motivational speaker, Les Brown I love that puts emphasis on this. He says "You don't have to be great to start, but you must start to be great". I agree with this 100%. Don't get stuck at the research phase. It's important to do a bit of research, but it's even more important to choose that first step.
In chapter 3 I touched on this a little. I said "When you're standing still, there's not much hope for getting to your destination, but as soon as you take that first step, notice what position you are in - your body is leaning in to take that next step. Now you're in action!"
These 3 simple steps will get the ball rolling. Don't wait too long to get started on your goal. The longer you wait, the less likely you'll ever take the action necessary to accomplish it. I'll elaborate on this in the following chapter…