How do you know that you are on the right track to achieve what you really want in your business and life?

And once you are on the right track, how do you stay there?

Well, there are two essential things you MUST put in place to guide you. They are:

1. Create your own Success Definition

Having a definition of success that you have carved out for yourself will be a guide for you to follow when making decisions, setting goals and creating action plans.

It will help you make better choices for yourself. And as a result of making better choices, you will get better results.

It is easy to get caught in the trap of chasing success as defined by society, family and peers.

But ask yourself this

“Whose definition of success do I want to spend my one and only life living by?”

Take time to create your own definition of success for all areas of your life.

Think of it almost as a navigation tool steering you down the right path and keeping you there.

2. Get clear on your Core Values

Your core values are things that are central to who you are. They are the things, that when you are living and working by them, make you feel fulfilled, alive and living life fully.

You can tell when your core values are being trampled all over because life and work feel a push, a struggle and totally unfulfilling.

People who orientate their life and business around their core values are the people who are more likely to be living a fulfilled life, getting the results they really want and feeling successful on their own terms.

So, take some time out to get clear on what your core values are.

Once you have your definition of success and your core values nailed, make sure your vision, goals and action plans are built on them.

To make choices and decisions easier for yourself, keep asking:

“Does this fit with my core values and definition of success?”

If you head off on a journey without a map of how you will get to your destination, chances are you are going to end up taking the wrong road.

The same is true of trying to create the life and business you really want without a definition of success or knowing your core values.

I encourage you to get stuck in to creating your own definition of success based on your core values.

Then use them to drive your choices and decisions to get on the right path and keep you there.

What are your views on this topic? Please share in the comments below.

The other day I was browsing through posts by my facebook friends.

One in particular caught my eye.

It was a couple of really thought provoking questions asked by Pam Slim.

If you don’t know Pam, check out her website which is Escape from Cubicle Nation .

Both the questions Pam asked got me thinking and I found them really useful so thought I would share them with you here.

So, here they are:

Question 1 – What do you want to leave behind in 2011?

and

Question 2 – What do you want to bring into 2012?

I would like to add a third question to these two:

Question 3 – What do you need to do to make this happen?

So, as we head towards a new year, I invite you to ponder on these questions and see where they lead you.

Would love to hear what comes up for you. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Do you ever get that “I don’t know what to do” or “I don’t know where to start” feeling?

It can feel overwhelming can’t it?

It often shows up when you are looking to make change or do something new.

This feeling in itself isn’t a problem. It is how you respond to that feeling that is important.

If you are heading in a new direction you haven’t been in before, it is perfectly normal to get that “I don’t know what to do” or “I don’t know where to start” feeling.

It is a normal part of getting on the path to making change.

But the problem with it is this:

When people feel they don’t know what to do, they often do nothing. As a result they stay stuck where they don’t want to be.

If this sounds familiar here is

What to do when you don’t know what to do.

First of all, don’t beat yourself up about it or allow frustration to take over. It serves no useful purpose. It is natural to not know what to do when you start something new. Be kind to yourself.

Secondly, be honest with yourself about if you are using that feeling as an excuse to do nothing. If you are, make a commitment to stop making excuses. They keep you stuck and let you off the hook of taking action.

Thirdly, for the love of God do something!!!

Seriously, just do something. It doesn’t even matter if the first thing you do isn’t right. You are just taking the first step to finding out what to do.

Once you have decided on what you want the outcome to be, come back to where you are and just focus on the first step to move you forward.

• Maybe the first step is just doing some research on the thing you want to achieve.
• Maybe it’s hiring someone knowledgeable in that area to help you
• Maybe it’s doing a brainstorm or a mini plan.

Remember:

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Sorry to those of you who were expecting some sophisticated masterplan as the solution to what to do when you don’t know what to do. But it really is as simple as just do something. Take a baby step. And each step you take will lead to the next one.

Let go of needing to know “how” before you start. The “how” will be revealed along the way as you learn stuff and take action.

So, what baby step will you take today about the thing you don’t know how to do?

People don’t like to feel uncomfortable in any situation.

It feels… well…uncomfortable.

As a result, people will go to great lengths to avoid situations that make them feel uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, that avoidance strategy is a killer of making change, achieving results and creating success on your own terms.

Here’s why:

Change doesn’t happen by staying in your comfort zone.
Change only happens by stepping out of your comfort zone.

And thereby lies the challenge.

To make change and strike out in new directions requires doing something you haven’t done before.

It means rocking the status quo. It requires deciding not to settle for mediocrity.

All those things can feel scary. It can bring up all sorts of feelings like fear, resistance and self doubt. And that feels uncomfortable.

So, unless you are willing to expose yourself to feeling uncomfortable you are going to stay stuck. Believe me, I tried for many years to change a number of areas of my life in my safe little comfort zone and it does not work.

It was only when I stepped out of my comfort zone that the really good stuff started to happen in my work life, family life and lifestyle

You have to get out there and frighten the pants off yourself. You have to take risks. You have to feel fear and carry on regardless.

Here is something worth thinking about:

Thinking staying in your comfort zone is safe is a huge mistake. It’s not safe at all.

It’s not safe because you are risking a life time of just existing rather than living. You are settling for mediocrity in your work life, relationships and family life. That’s not safe. From where I’m sitting that is downright dangerous.

The bottom line is this:

If you are serious about creating change you have got to get comfortable feeling uncomfortable.

If you are willing to do that the sky is the limit. You could rocket your business results. You could transform your relationships. You could have the quality of life you really want.

To me, that sounds like something worth feeling a little uncomfortable for.

So I invite you take a look at what sort of feelings come up for you when you want to make change or create different results. What do you need to do to manage those feelings so that you can learn how to get comfortable feeling uncomfortable?

Hearing how others have dealt with this really helps other people who are struggling with it. So, please, step up and share with us an example of where you benefitted from dealing with feeling uncomfortable in the comments below. I have already shared one of mine below to get the ball rolling.

Related posts:

• Why You Should Break All The Rules
• Stepping Up and Being Bold
• Taking Risks (Part 1) – An Essential Part of Success

Can you remember what your dreams for your life were when you were younger?

Do you still have them? If not, what happened?

I come across many people who have given up on their dreams. Given up on how they would really like their work life, relationships and lifestyle to be.

Actually, I am not sure that they have actually given up or if they have just got buried under the daily grind of trying to juggle all their responsibilities and an over busy life.

Maybe it is the “Dream Snatchers” that have stolen your dreams away. Beware the “Dream Snatchers” – they are everywhere! They are the people who:

• if you dare to rock the Status Quo, rubbish what you want to shoot for.
• say unkind things about the choices you make because it’s not the life THEY want you to live.
• tell you to “get real” if you voice your dreams.
• tell you it isn’t possible

Sometimes we are even our own Dream Snatchers!

Whatever the reason………..

Where have all the dreams gone?

Well, I believe they are still all there waiting to be claimed.

I believe that if you dared to take a peek through all the mediocrity of the daily grind that you would see that your dreams are still there. Not only are they still there, but it is never too late to claim them and start turning them in to reality.

So the question is this……

Are you brave enough to step up and re-claim your dreams?

“Life isn’t a dress rehearsal. This is the real thing.” – source unknown

What are you waiting for? For the kids to get through school? Until finances have improved? Until your family and friends stop belittling what you want to do?

A bit of tough love here folks……….those are all excuses.

There is no reason not to just make the decision right now you are going to reclaim your dreams and get on the path to what you really want.

Working for yourself should be a platform on which to support you in living your dreams.

Fancy a piece of that?

If so, dare to dream. You don’t have to go telling everyone if it doesn’t feel safe for you to do so (those pesky Dream Snatchers are everywhere!!!). Step up and be bold and declare it in the comments below (it’s safe here – it is a Dream Snatcher free zone – I promise!).

To get you started, let me share with you one of my dreams:

Within my life time I won’t need to ask the question

Where have all the dreams gone?………

………..because we are all living them!

Related posts:

• Stepping Up and Being Bold
• Why You Should Break All The Rules

Do you suffer with email overload?

It is something that I hear endless complaints about. Particularly in relation to time management. Finding effective ways to manage the email inbox has almost become an industry in itself.

I often hear people declaring war on their email box and having a “blitz” eradicating hundreds of meaningless emails. I have even done this myself and I have to say that it feels really good.

But aren’t we just dealing with the symptom here? Isn’t it the real source we should be dealing with?

Often the source can be meaningless stuff we have invited into our email box by subscribing to all sorts of things. Emails that come from things like:

• Subscribing to newsletters on websites just to get the freebie offer they will give you to subscribe
• Linkedin groups that consist of folk just pushing their stuff down your throat and not really engaging in meaningful discussion
• And don’t get me started on those emails that have some fluffy poem then at the end tells you that if you don’t pass it on to at least 20 people in the next 90 seconds then you will be struck down dead!!!

It’s time to eradicate mediocrity from our email boxes.

This morning I sat back and looked at exactly what was coming into my email box and asked the question:

What value is receiving that regularly adding to me?

And do you know what?

With the exception of a handful of things the answer was “nothing”.

Now, maybe that just says something about my own subscribing habits. But maybe it says something about the mediocrity of stuff people are pumping into our email box each and every day with our permission.

So this morning, instead of just having an email blitz to get my email box under control, I have had an “unsubscribe” blitz.

Loads of stuff has bitten the dust. I am left with the stuff that I look forward to receiving. The stuff that I genuinely get some sort of value or pleasure from.

Dealing with the source of the problem rather than the symptom is far more effective.

The Power of the Unsubscribe Button

Have a look at your own inbox:

• How much of what you have willingly invited into your inbox is of any real value to you?
• Even if it is all good stuff, how much can you physically cope with?
• Is it worth putting a limit on your subscription habits?

Have a think about it and see if you need to introduce an unsubscribe policy.

The “unsubscribe” button holds much power. Use it wisely.

Do you set yourself a theme for each year?

It isn’t something I normally do, but this year I have decided to have one.

My theme for this year is:

Stepping Up and Being Bold

The reason this theme is so apt is because my husband and I have been on a mission since we left the Corporate world back in 2001 to create our ideal work life, family life and lifestyle on our own terms.

This year we are going to be taking this to the next level so we are going to need to Step Up and Be Bold in a big way.

Just sitting back and cruising along in what we have created thus far wouldn’t be enough to make the new stuff we want to have happen become reality.

Let me share with you a couple of examples of where I will Step Up and Be Bold this year:

• By implementing a new business model that will be the foundation of the business providing a passive income and ensure the business serves us in living the life we really want for the long term.

• Building further the foundations of a location independent lifestyle and a new financial independence strategy that gives us true freedom in all areas of our life.

Change won’t happen in the safety, security and comfort of what we have already created.

We have to do new stuff. Things we have never done before. Even things that scare us. But as the saying goes:

If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got

Setting this theme for myself for this year has reminded me that to eradicate mediocrity and create our ideal work life, family life and lifestyle we are ALWAYS going to have to Step Up and Be Bold.

It needs to become a way of being, not just a one off theme.

So, with that in mind, I would like to invite you to take a few minutes out and consider these questions:

• What areas of your work life, family life and lifestyle do you need to Step Up and Be Bold in this year?
• What will it cost you if you don’t? (and I don’t mean financially!)
• What are the possibilities and potential if you do?
• Is that something worth shooting for?
• What action are you going to take to step up, be bold, eradicate mediocrity and design how you want things to really be in all areas of your life?

Once you have had a think about these questions, please share your thoughts and insights in the comments section below.

If this is a subject that resonates for you and you want more tips and resources to help you along, head to the top right hand corner of this page and sign up as in the coming weeks I am going to be arming my subscribers with practical tips and resources to design a successful home business, family life and lifestyle.

Related Posts:

• The Beauty of Imperfect Action
• Why You Should Break All The Rules

This is a great time of year for asking ourselves questions that will give the New Year a serious kick start in creating change that will improve business success, family life and lifestyle.

Questions are a really powerful tool to kick start things in new directions.

I have put a few together here to get you started. So put some time aside. Sit down with a blank piece of paper and see what comes up when you ask yourself these questions:

7 Essential Questions to Kick Start the New Year

Apply all these questions to your business, family life and lifestyle as a whole rather than individually. That way you will avoid creating conflict between the different areas of your life:

1. What do you want to have achieved by the end of 2011.

2. What didn’t work well for you in 2010? Is it time to drop it or approach it differently?

3. What worked really well for you in 2010? How can you capitalise on that in 2011?

4. Does your business model support your ideal family life, the hours your want to work and revenue levels you want to create? If not, what do you need to change so that it does?

5. What support and resources do you need to achieve your 2011 goals? What action will you take to put them in place?

6. What habits do you need to eradicate to be more effective? What new habits do you need to create?

7. What personal skills do you need to upgrade/learn to take your business, family life and lifestyle to where you want it to be? What will you do about that?

Don’t be concerned if you don’t know the answers to these questions straight off. That is normal. But keep asking yourself the questions and start looking for steps you can take to start finding the answers.

Important reminder:

Change happens where there is enough space to take new action.

So if your schedule is permanently jam packed with day to day stuff nothing will ever change.What will you do to create some space to regularly ask yourself questions and create your ideal business, family life and lifestyle?

What question would you add to this list? What suggestions do you have for creating a great kick start to the New Year?

Related posts:

• Why Questions Are the Answer!

In Part 1 of this two part series Eradicating Mediocrity (Part 1) – What are you waiting for? we looked at stopping peddling the hamster wheel of mediocrity. However, the reality is that some folk will peddle that wheel indefinitely.

But at what cost?

Many people see the cost of mediocrity as things being a bit less than ideal, not good quality, a touch on the boring side and so on. So many people do nothing about it. After all, doesn’t seem a very high cost does it?

“What’s the harm in that?” you may be wondering. Or maybe you are thinking “ah well, that’s just the way it is” (I would have that last phrase made illegal if I had my way!!)

But that is part of the problem.

The real danger of settling for mediocrity isn’t always recognised for how damaging it really is – which is why it is so widely settled for.

The danger of settling for mediocrity is serious.

It is like a cancer killing the joy and fulfilment that should be part of your business and work life. It destroys relationships and rips apart families. It robs people of living a life they love with a passion.

Mediocrity is a killer.

Now, maybe you think I am overstating the case or being a touch dramatic. But it’s scary how many people underestimate the damage settling for mediocrity is doing to every area of their life.

The cost of doing nothing to eradicate mediocrity is much higher than you think.

Take a minute to think about this:

• If your business and work life feel mediocre or is delivering mediocre results, that is killing the quality of your life, your relationships, your lifestyle
• If your important relationships are mediocre that is damaging you, your kids, your family life and your quality of life.
• If your lifestyle is mediocre it’s like choosing not to live life.

The point I am making is this:

The cost of doing nothing about mediocrity is sacrificing really living the life your really want

Now, from where I am sitting that is a cost too high to pay.

So I think it is time for each and every one of us to step up and take a pledge – to eradicate mediocrity.

It’s time to take a long hard look at where we are settling for mediocrity in every area of our lives. To be honest about the damage it is really doing and what it is really costing us. And to commit to taking action to stop settling for less. Not just for our own sakes. But to be role models to our kids.

Let’s declare today the start of “Operation Eradicate Mediocrity”

What do you think? You up for it?

This is part 2 in a two part series. You can read part 1 here Eradicating Mediocrity (Part 1) – What are you waiting for?

Related posts: 

Why You Should Break All The Rules

Have work life and business become a disease?

There can’t be many feelings worse than seeing your child lying in a hospital bed and being told, potentially, it could be very serious.

This happened to me and my husband a few days ago.

I’m not going to even try and put into words what that feeling is like. It is impossible to verbalise.

Our son had been ill for a few days. He gradually got worse. Our GP suspected an infection of some sort and put him on antibiotics. They didn’t work. He continued to get worse. I took him back to the GP. The GP sent us straight up to the hospital.

To cut to the chase, turned out he had a bad streptococcal infection. It can become serious if it gets to the internal organs. We were blessed. It hadn’t affected his internal organs. They blasted him with heavy duty IV antibiotics. Within 24 hours he started to respond and improve. After 48 hours he had recovered sufficiently to come home to recover. He is now almost better and returning to his normal self.

The point of sharing this with you is this:

There are so many people who, at some level, feel their life is riddled with mediocrity.

Maybe it is their business, family life, relationships, money.

But why do so many people do nothing about it? Why do so many people just settle for the mediocrity hamster wheel and peddle it indefinitely?

What are they waiting for?

It seems to me that it often takes a huge crisis before people wake up and smell the coffee, not to mention do something about it. The problem with that is that it is gambling. Gambling that a crisis ends up with a happy ending.

Here is the point:

Don’t wait for a crisis to make a decision to kick mediocrity out of your life for good. Make that promise to yourself now. It’s time to eradicate mediocrity and create what you really want.

If there is any area of your business, lifestyle, relationships, family life that you are not happy with or feels mediocre, what are you waiting for?

As the famous saying goes:

Life isn’t a dress rehearsal. This is the real thing.

Stop settling for less than you want your life to be. Do something. Start to take action – now.

Whatever you do, don’t wait for a crisis to be the wake up call you need. Don’t gamble on a happy ending – create it.

This is Part 1 in a 2 part series. In Part 2 we will look at the real cost of not eradicating mediocrity and it’s not what you think!

Related post: Why You Should Break All The Rules