If you�re hearing the song that Bachman-Turner-Overdrive made famous in the 60s, that�s exactly what I want! I�m not talking about �business� in a strictly financial sense, but �business� with the idea that whatever you�re shooting for success-wise, you complete your tasks.
Once you have a course plotted
for success, there are going to be a million things that will vie for your
attention and time. It�s not that these things haven�t been there before now,
and it�s not even that the world is plotting against you succeeding. It�s just
that now you have a focus and you�ll begin to notice things that seem like they
shouldn�t be on your radar screen.
It doesn�t mean that you don�t do
the little pesky things that are buzzing and want to be taken care of
(especially if it relates to your job), just that you must not let those things
pull you off-track.
So how do you stay on-task? The
best way I�ve found, bar none, is to keep a log of tasks that must be
accomplished as you move towards your goal. Remember to break the big tasks in
to a series of small ones and to give yourself a reward-system as you do it. I
use check-marks; others use stickers (sounds silly, but if it works for you,
who cares?), still others use tangible rewards as they accomplish �x� number of
small or large tasks.
Whatever motivates you is your
key�keeps it simple and keeps it attainable. If the carrot is too far out in
front of the horse, the horse will give up. If it�s just close enough to smell
and see but just out of reach, that horse will keep moving towards the incentive.
Let�s say your goal is to lose 60
pounds. That�s quite a chunk of weight and can take a long time to accomplish.
Let�s also say that you need a new wardrobe. Should you wait until all the
weight is gone to buy those new clothes? Probably not�your current closet full
of clothes will look awfully loose and ill-fitting if you do.
But let�s talk about small,
incremental rewards that help move you towards your goal. If you lose 10
pounds, your current clothes won�t look baggy on you, but you will notice a
difference in your waistband that might bother you. Don�t chuck the pants or go
buy a new pair�take the current ones to a seamstress or tailor to be taken in.
It�s a small reward and saves you
the money of buying new pants that you will continue to shrink out of. It also
keeps you motivated. For the next 5 or 10 pounds, think about some new
cosmetics or a new hairstyle�small things that will make you feel better,
inside and out.
Take care of business and stay on
task. Now that�s the way to chart yourself to success!
Article by: Clem C. Benton, Jr.
http://www.12path.com/proud/cc/