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Want more progress? Work with the principle of clarity #59

If you really want to go after something important, apply the
principle of clarity. Most of us don’t, and progress is slowed to a crawl.

Lack of clarity (weak focus & indecision) flows from
having too many vague wishes.

If you were to ask 100 people what they wanted, how many
could tell you? I say 5 tops. If you asked these 100 to write down the
single most important / desirable thing they were going for, I would be surprised if 3 could do it.

We all have lots of desires. But, they can be so numerous
they will they compete for your attention. Having 5, 7 or 10 things you think you want is
a hidden way to hedge your bets and do nothing substantial.

A low level commitment to any one prevents failure,
lowers risk and removes all responsibility to move. For some, that is a payoff. If your desires are hazy, your actions and
decisions will hazy, be too.

Clarity helps in
three ways:

1.
You identify what it is you want it and why you
want it. That clarity opens possibilities that did not exist before.

2.
Once a decision is made, you will to move to action.
Clarity always pulls you forward, moves you to creative action.

3.
There is a strong connection between what you
truly want and your highest talents (what you have to offer). Being clear is just the beginning step.

Every successful business organization follows this same
process. Know what you want, why you
want it and how it will help you and those you care about.

Cheers,

Richard Reardon

How to create ideas that give you forward movement: #58

How to create ideas that give you forward movement: #58

We all need new ideas. Old ideas, those that got you to where you are now, have served their purpose. Useful or not, those ideas are gone.

A long time waiting:

I never realized how much my own thinking affects the ideas that I never got. I would wait for some idea to come along, and since no really good ideas showed up, I would wait. This cycle can go on a long time. My thinking was that ideas come on their own. Yikes!

How to get ideas that are good ideas:

The starting point for moving forward (there is an idea) has to be knowing the future. True, we don’t really know the future, and we have to live in the now. However, you can easily anticipate your future — the future condition you want. That simple anticipation of what could and should be will cause ideas to come to you. It is those ideas that can shape and give direction to what is next for you.

Try it:

1. Choose something you would like to see happen and list your three best ideas .

2. Next, list the information you would need to know to make these ideas blossom.

3. Save time every day to think about one and two.

You will be amazed with the quality and number of good ideas you have.

Why it works so well:

The theory is, one you decide to make a change you, already have the ideas and ‘steps’ in your mind to make it happen. Decision precedes getting the ideas. This is simple, but not well practiced by most of us.

Cheers,

Richard Reardon

800 560 1880

Attention is your power to accomplish x or y, or even Z! #57

Every step forward (accomplishment) is a result of where you have focused your attention. When I say attention, I mean your expectations, attitude, and beliefs. It’s what you think about a given situation.

You only have two choices – just be sure to pick the one that helps you.

When it comes to thinking, we have only two choices – the plus or the minus. Think of every situation as a stick with two ends. There is a good end, and there is a bad end. Good means solution and opportunity, while bad means pressure and drifting. You get to choose where to focus your attention. How you choose makes all the difference in your results.

Your attention has a powerful impact because:

1. Your attention gives pathways to energy and emotion.

2. Feelings of possibility (or doom) always follow thinking.

3. Thinking and feeling are one process.

4. You control the focus, not the feeling that follows.

5. You choose where to focus (it’s often habit, but still a choice).

6. What we focus on has a way of getting stronger or growing.

7. Successful people all have good control of their mental attention.

Action idea:

While this principle is easy to understand, it is not easy to apply consistently. It requires a fair amount of self-discipline, which, in turn is motivated by desire. If what you* want has enough appeal, these steps will help considerably.

1. Decide to control your thinking by focusing on what you want and keep it there.

2. Move to the level of solutions rather than the level of problems.

3. Remind yourself of why you want what you want, week to week.

4. Be prepared to cut loose from negative people, situations or conditions that are beyond change or that don’t serve you.

5. Think what you want and want what you think.

*Note: This process can be applied to individuals, teams, or functions. Changing anything in your business or life will require a change in thinking.

I hope that you can use some of these ideas.

Richard L Reardon

800 560 0880