Do It, and You Will Feel Like Doing It

This question came in from a Success 2.0 Webcast

“I’m in the Insurance field and not doing as well as I expected and I could blame it on a lot of different things but they would all in some way point back at me. I’m great with people, I always put my clients first, but there are days that I simply don’t want to get out of bed and take on that daily struggle to make that happen. My question is, have you ever been in that situation and, if so, how do you over come it?”  Thank You, Tommy

Tommy, I guess this makes you normal!  Dad has a couple of quotes that really hit home with this one.  “Logic will not change an emotion, but action will,” and, “Do it, and you will feel like doing it.”  Not very complicated I know, but still it is true.

Here is a quick tip for you – plan the next day before you go to bed at night.  Make sure you have your morning detailed out and your priority list in order.  As you write this out, envision exactly how you want the day to go.  Then, when your opportunity clock goes off in the morning, start working your plan right away.  Don’t hesitate or procrastinate, just start doing.  The act of doing will then create the motivation to keep doing.

When Dad put this tip in action his career took off!  He made an appointment (with himself) to be knocking on a prospects “door” everyday at 9:00 a.m. sharp.  You will find that when you commit to action, and then follow through, your results will go through the roof!

What Makes Zig Such a Strong and Positive Person?

This question came in from a Success 2.0 Webcast

“I’m really amazed at how this very inspiring man, in the person of Zig Ziglar, survived and overcame this struggle. What made him a very strong and positive person?”  Yolly

Yolly, I think there are several things that contribute to Dad’s strong and positive nature.

First is his faith. Dad knows his future is secure so this takes away his worry and doubt.

Second is his family.  Dad has the home court advantage and he knows his family is with him.

Third is his attitude.  Dad really believes that attitude is a choice, and he has chosen a positive attitude.

Fourth is his action.  Dad takes action on what he believes.  He spends time every day working on his faith, spending time with his family, and reading things that develop his attitude.

Faith, Family, Attitude, Action – pretty simple!

A Simple Success Formula

Right…. Ok, so there probably isn’t a simple success formula, but I think you will agree that without these four elements success will be very unlikely.  I also realize that there are more ingredients as well and I would love it if you would comment and leave the ingredients we should add.

(Hope x Attitude x Action x Skills) + Integrity = Long-term Success.

Hope – without hope, why bother?  Hope is the spark that lights the fire that encourages you to just start, to give it a try.  As John Maxwell says, “If there is hope in the future, there is power in the present.”

Attitude – the right attitude keeps you going; the wrong attitude shuts you down.  Hope may get you started, but keeping your attitude right pulls you through the tough times.  Your attitude is your choice and your responsibility.  Once you realize you “own” your attitude, you can then create a winning attitude by filling your mind and your life with the good, the pure, and the powerful.

Action – nothing happens until your thoughts turn into behaviors – action.  The right actions done in the right way get results.  Even the right actions done poorly will get more results than taking no action at all.

Skills – learning new skills, honing the ones you have, preparing to be the best in all that you do, this separates the good from the great.  To go to the very top, attitude and action are not enough.  They both have to be driving great skills.

Integrity – who wants fleeting success? No one.  As Fred Smith said, “Every great failure is a moral failure.”  Don’t waste your time developing your attitude, your action plans, and your skills if you don’t do everything with integrity.  Your success will be fleeting and your life will be unfulfilled.

Recommendation: Review these five things every week and pick one to work on.  If you ranked your attitude as a 1 for the week, how much more would you have gotten done if your attitude was a 2?

So what other things do we need to add to our success formula?  Please comment!