Think & Create

By: Brian Tracy

The very worst use of your time is to do well what need not be done at all. The Pareto Principle says that 20% of your activities will account for 80% of the value of your activities. This means that, if you have a list of ten items to accomplish, two of those items will be worth more than the other eight items altogether.

To achieve great things, you must always be concentrating on the small number of activities that contribute the greatest value to your life and your work.

Determine the Consequences
The value of anything in your order of priorities can be measured by assessing the potential consequences of doing it or not doing it. Something that is important has significant consequences to your life and your career. Something that is unimportant has few or no consequences of significance to your life or career. The mark of the superior thinker is your ability to consider possible consequences before you begin.

Ask the Key Question 
Continually ask yourself, “What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?” And whatever it is, work on that. Your ability to discipline yourself to work on those few tasks that can make the greatest difference in your life is the key quality that makes everything else possible for you.

Action Exercises
Here is how you can apply this law immediately:

First, make a list of everything that you do as a part of your job. Now, analyze the list and select the three to five things that are more important than everything else put together.

Second, imagine that you are going to receive a $100,000 bonus at the end of the month if you can work on your highest priority items every minute of the day. How would that change your behavior? What would you do differently?

If you like the above article, consider investing in Brian Tracy’s books and articles. Their full of wisdom, knowledge and workable practisable skills.

“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”
– Henry David Thoreau, Author, Philosopher

Decide.

That’s the starting point of all change. Anthony Robins in his excellent book, Awaken the Giant Within : How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!, says that you and I haven’t decided yet to lose weight, to manage our finances, to take charge of our lives, to bring up our children better, to take better care of ourselves, and so forth. And this is why we’re in our current state.

The way you are today is the way you want to be. It’s the honest truth. You, either deliberately or unintentionally, made your life the way it it today. By either not caring about where you’re going or not knowing that you have a choice in life, you’ve arrived at where you are now.

The good news is that you can change the course of your life. It wont be as easy as a blink of an eye but many have done it. It’s going to take a lot of work and you’ll be cursing every day. But within a few months, you’ll be glad you’ve made the change. You’ll see your life changing for the better.

Change doesn’t happen instantly. Your life is like a huge truck with a heavy loads. These monsters don’t stop fast. Their laden with good. It takes time for them them to make a change in their course. Your life is like that. Your past habits have built up momentum that it takes time for them to be replaced with new habits.

Decide today what you want your future to look like. Sit down quietly and decide honestly, based on the skill sets that you have, what could you become. Do you see yourself running your own business in 5 years time? Do you see yourself as an accomplished manager in a large firm? If you do, write them down.

Your goal must burn a hole in your heart. It must be the driving force that pushes you on and on every single day. It must be something you love to do.

NEVER DO SOMETHING FOR THE MONEY.

Most people would argue that if you’re going to work hard, why not go into an industry that pays a lot. At the moment, the oil and gas industry (the energy industry) pays a lot. Does that mean you should push aside your desires of being a carpenter and jump into the oil and gas industry? Who knows, it might work and it might not. But to make a success of yourself, follow your passion. Do what you love and you will rise to the top. You might or might not be as rich as Bill Gates, but you surely will not be in poverty. Your passion will drive you to find ways to enhance your business and life.

When you decide to make a change, take a look at . It’s one of my favourite books in helping me chart my course in life. Anthony Robbins explains in simple terms how we can change our habits and our life’s. he speaks about NLP and its role in charting a balance course through life.

A balanced life. That is what we’re all after, aren’t we?

NOTE: This is an old article but its worth going through it again.

What are the three keys to self improvement and motivation?

1. INSPIRATION.

Inspiration is critical to staying motivated and improving oneself. If you are not interested in your business, your motivation level will never be high and you will not be able to sustain interest for very long.

Take an honest look at your inspiration level. Are you excited about going to work or is it an obligation? You would be surprised at the number of people who choose a business that looks good on paper, but in reality does not interest them in the least.

These individuals will grow weary and uninterested pretty quickly because they have no inspiration or passion to sustain them during the difficult times they will encounter as a small business owner.

If you do not like your work, then think how you can re-focus your small business to better match your needs. Or consider making a change entirely. Without inspiration, there will not be motivated to even try self improvement.

2. SETTING GOALS.

Short and long-term goal setting is vital for any business owner. If you do not set goals, you would have no definite purpose on which path of self improvement to take.

How could you possibly be motivated if you were unsure about the direction of your company?

Take the time to put your goals in writing. A business plan may sound daunting, but it is really nothing more than goals, strategies, implementation and a budget. Write your own business plan and update it at least annually.

Include “mini-goals” that can be accomplished in a matter of hours, days or weeks as well as the more ambitious “grand-goals” that may take years to complete. Refer to this plan throughout the year.

But can a business plan really help motivate you? Of course. Written goals will make you feel more professional and certainly more connected to your business. It will also free you from having to reinvent your business goals every single day.

3. NETWORKING.

Another key factor in getting and staying motivated is networking with other small business owners. No one person knows all the knowledge.

However, when a number of people begin working together, the challenges will just be there waiting to be conquered.

In fact, the isolation of working alone is of one the most difficult parts of being an entrepreneur. You can never be on your way to self improvement without the help of others.  Mutual support is motivating.
Make it easier on yourself by connecting with others either in your community or online. Even when businesses are not related, you will often find common ground and ways to work together.

Many successful entrepreneurs report that finding the right networking group was a turning point in the growth of the business. Working together, a networking group can help its members generate more qualified sales leads and solve problems faster and more efficiently.

Sharing ideas, expertise and experience is also an invaluable aspect of motivation and self improvement.  Your own personal team of business owners will help re-energize you when the burdens of running your own business seem too much.

With your networking team to rely on, you can accomplish more in less time and probably have more fun in the process. You will feel motivated to accomplish self improvement when you know you are not alone.

After many years of blogging in different domains, I am coming back to my main blog, under my own domain, http://www.kgomez.com

This blog will be about ideas and how they shape the world we see and live in.

Your thoughts and participation is humbly welcomed.

Your friend,
Kenneth