12 Things SUCCESSFUL People Do Differently

***After you read this post, be sure to visit me at my new home here.***

What's Holding You Back?

***After you read this post, be sure to visit me at my new home here.***

What would you do if you knew you could not fail? If you knew you would succeed?

You would launch a new business, start a new career, lose weight, move into your dream home ... but something is stopping you.

What is holding you back?

I know most likely what is keeping you from your big dreams and goals is a few critical elements:

• Stories & Excuses: You can come up with reasons all day long to justify not taking action. If you're going to come up with a story, make it a story about how you're going after your dreams and goals. If you're going to make an excuse, make an excuse about why you can't watch TV or go out and party because you're focusing on making some really cool stuff happen.
• Other people: Some people don't want to see you succeed. Nay-sayers are everywhere, and you will most likely point out to them, by virtue of your ambition, where they are not going for it. By taking action, you'll make yourself a target of their personal frustration and jealousy. Stay away from them. 
• YOU: All of the above pales in comparison to how you're probably standing in your own way. Let's fix that.

Getting what you want ultimately begins with a decision, and making a decision has four parts:

1. You have to think you can. If someone else can, so can you. Period.
2. You have to believe you can. See #1. Belief is powerful, and you have to have a strong belief in yourself.
3. You have to believe you deserve what you want. This is a fairly deep topic. Suffice it to say that if you want something you don't truly believe you deserve, you won't get started. That would be tragic, don't you agree? Work on your self-confidence as you make your way through the rest of this process. I recommend reading this.
4. You have to commit and follow through. This will require some planning.

Your decision, coupled with one amazing, inspiring, well-thought-out plan will make your path quicker and easier {and who doesn't want that?}.

To create a solid plan, start with a longer-term, such as 5 years. Then, drill it down to something much more manageable. I'm a fan of working on something in 100-day increments, and I've created a 100-day Plan for just this purpose. {Go download and fill yours out now ... let's get this party started!} 

Base your 100-day Plan on your 5-year Plan. Stop with the stories and excuses. Ignore the nay-sayers and get the heck out of your own way. It's time you did what you've been wanting to do, because you're worth it.

"Stop playing small so you won't be noticed by others. Start playing big so you can inspire them." ~Honorée Corder {Tweet this!}

5 Tip Friday: Success Made Simple

One word to describe how I work: Intentionally.

Apps, software, tools I can't live without: My iPhone, MacBook Air & MacBook Pro, and iPad. Evernote and iTunes are my go-tos. I carry a stylus so I can take notes in Penultimate, which syncs with Evernote.

My favorite way to do a project: From start to finish. Reality: I have to use Brain Surgery Time to get my books written and other important projects completed on time.

My AM Routine: To make sure my attitude is right on target, I read for 20-30 minutes, followed by a 20-25 minute workout routine {I alternate cardio and weights} 6 days a week. On the seventh day, I rest, recharge and rejuvenate. I'm currently following Tim Ferriss's 4 Hour Body Program as my eating reference.

Best time saving tip: There are several, and today's share is: answer emails once a day, at the end of the day. Have an auto-responder that tells people how to reach you in the event of something {truly} urgent or emergent.

The best advice I've ever received: Play to win, instead of playing not to lose.

"NO." It's a Complete Sentence.

***After you read this post, be sure to visit me at my new home here.***

The majority of my clients have "nice person's disease" ... the desire to please others by saying "yes" ... "sure" ... "absolutely" no matter who is asking, or when they're asking, or what they're asking. Much of the time, it is to their own detriment, and the detriment of their practices and businesses.

In case you need it, let me give you special permission to say "no" (or one of its cousins "not yet" or "how about the 12th of never?"). The truth is, "No" is a complete sentence and requires no explanation.

You are already busy using all 24 hours in your day, so taking on new projects and tasks is a matter of sorting, prioritizing and perhaps discarding. Sorting is the picking and choosing - you have a finite amount of time to execute tasks, and you must look with a critical eye at each task prior to committing. Prioritizing is taking the chosen tasks and putting them in order of importance.

You must do these three things when a "new opportunity" for extra work comes your way: (1) separate false urgency from real urgency using your education and experience, (2) set expectations for beginning and completing the work based upon what you already have on your plate and the true urgency of the item, (3) let go of your need to please the person(s) asking and do what is best for you, your practice/business and your life, and (4) Say "No." when necessary.

It is absolutely fine to delay another person's desire for instant gratification and continue to stay focused on the task at hand.

Coach's Note: This is your life. Make it the way you want it. Keep in mind that you are the King or Queen of your domain - you are far from being at the mercy of your boss, partners and/or clients.

You May Also Want to Read:

8 Tips for Polite Communication in Today's Technological World {Honorée via JaffePR}
A is for Ask (or Don't Ask) {Honorée}

T is for Time Maximization {Honorée}

Tall Order! is a book that gets to the point. It helps you pinpoint what is going to get you the results you want, starting right now. Jeffrey Gitomer says, "Don't let the size fool you -- this book is compact dynamite! Buy this book!"

Honorée Enterprises, LLC. turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how we can specifically help you or your organization, click here. You can read all about Honorée here.

A Procrastination Funny ... and NO. {Smile}

Try some of these instead ...

You Must Delegate to Succeed

***After you read this post, be sure to visit me at my new home here.***

Most small business owners and service professionals are doing way too many things that they could be delegating to someone else. Are you in this category? Often the excuse used is that there are not enough financial resources to justify the expense, or they feel it's just faster to complete the tasks themselves. Even if you have an assistant, chances are you are most likely massively under-utilizing them.

Usually you will find that when you invest in having an expert -- like a bookkeeper, graphic artist, or (virtual) assistant -- do what they are good at, they do it quicker and better and usually at an affordable rate allowing you to do what you do best: bring in new business and create work product you can bill for producing. Or, you "spend" the time to train your assistant to execute simple but necessary tasks, the return on that time investment is well worth it. Again, this allows you to focus on those aspects of your business that only you can do. If you've evaluated your marketing efforts and determined where you need to focus, the next logical step is to determine what you should not be doing, and who could be doing it. (If not, go here.)

Ask yourself these questions:

• What am I doing that it would be better, faster and more cost-effective for someone else to do?
• List 3 things I can delegate to others, or pay for others to do.
• What would be best for me to stop doing? In other words, what are the tasks that are simple enough to delegate, or are tasks are not in your wheel-house (such as bookkeeping, legal work, filing, faxing, copying, etc.).

This effective evaluation should reveal to you many tasks that can and should be delegated to your team. No high level professional should send faxes, make copies and appointments, or run errands. They just shouldn't! Your time is better spent marketing, planning, meeting with potential clients, and executing sweet-spot, high-revenue generating activities.

Your assistant is there to assist you! I suggest to my clients that they make a list of items that need to be completed and then meet for a.m. and p.m. meetings to delegate those items, and then check in at the next meeting for the status.

Don't have a team? You can hire a virtual or personal assistant, get an intern, or hire professional specialists to take those necessary but difficult and/or tedious tasks off your hands. These valuable assets are worth every dime, because they allow you to focus on your core competencies and provide more of your high-dollar services. This will give you a feeling of balance, which in turn lowers your stress level. Then you're able to take on more of what you want!

Your team is critical to your future success. Invest in yourself by using your time and money to set yourself up for that future success.

Honorée turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how she can specifically help you or your organization, click here.