Ash Lawrence

Make it a habit to set goals......

It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of goal-setting as a positive habit. It is recommended as a primary habit because it can truly be life changing.

Research studies have shown that people who regularly set goals are far more likely to be successful then people who do not. Napoleon Hill, author of the best-seller, Think and Grow Rich, once said, "Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement, and its lack is the stumbling block for ninety eight out of every one hundred people because they never really define their goals and start toward them."

A study was done to determine the importance of goal setting. College students who had gone on to achieve great success in business were asked to list their habits. The students who had made a habit of setting goals were in the top 3% of earnings in the population!

Goal setting is simple, yet 97% of the population never do it. By making goal setting a habit, you can start placing yourself in the top 3% of the population of successful people. Your goal-setting habit can help you reach any of your goals, regardless of whether they are for business, personal, relationships, and so on.

Here are some simple steps to help you start your goal-setting habit:

Step 1   Define your destinations, write them down, and be very specific; capture your goals on paper.

Step 2   Determine what the time line is for reaching your goals; set specific deadlines for each goal.

Step 3   Identify any obstacles that may stand in your way, list them, and state how you plan to overcome them.   

Step 4   Make a list of the people and/or organisations who will help you reach your goals.

Habit Tips

You can combine this habit with virtually any of your other habits.   As an example, if weight loss is one of your destinations, make it a habit to set specific goals for the amount of weight you want to lose and a time line for reaching that goal. If a healthy heart is your destination, you can set goals for exercising and lowering your cholesterol.

Triggers

Keep a note pad with you at all times listing your goals, time lines, and plans to reach your goals.

What will you choose?.......

“The longer I live, the more I realise the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

 

It is more important than appearance, natural ability or skill. It will make or break a business... a team... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

Your life, your choice...

Every choice you make today and everyday must have a purpose: to move you closer to your goals!

Every choice counts-there are no insignificant choices, no neutral actions. Even the smallest gesture has a consequence, leading you toward or away from your goals.

Choices are the meat of your daily diet and throughout this year you must choose wisely as your final results will be a direct reflection of the quality of the goals and choices you make.

One of the greatest forms of abuse in this world is the self-abuse resulting from wrong thinking and bad choices. The culprits of your struggles are your thoughts and corresponding choices-change them, and your life will turn for the better.

Some say that you must “play the hand that life deals.” But you build that hand largely from a deck of your own choices. Your hand improves as your choices improve.

Improving the condition of your life is an inside job. By choosing thoughts and actions that move you in the direction of your goals, you are bound to improve your station in life. Every choice carries a consequence.

For better or worse, each choice is the unavoidable consequence of its predecessor. There are no exceptions.

If you can accept that a bad choice carries the seed of its own punishment, why not accept the fact that a good choice yields desirable fruit?

If you change your thinking, you change your choices. If you change your choices, you change your life.

You can choose to be friendly or unfriendly, to be cooperative or stubborn, to be understanding or sarcastic, to be hopeful or hopeless, to wear a smile or a frown… to be excellent or mediocre.

Decisiveness pulls more weight than correctness. In some situations, you won’t know what to do.

You will want to do the right thing and have some sort of guarantee that everything will turn out fine, but you will feel unsure whether one course of action is better than an alternative.

Make a decision. Whether that decision is right or wrong, you’ll soon receive feedback that will help you progress.

Choose to make the most of life for yourself and everyone else around you.

Choose to deliver excellence and exceed all expectations.

Choose to focus on solutions rather than problems.

Choose to say yes to your dreams and focus on making them come true.

Choose to live passionately and completely.

Choose to make every moment count.

 “It’s your life, and it’s your choice. It’s also your consequence.”

Reflect, Review and Celebrate.....

Whether your goals for 2009 had to do with passing an exam, finishing your PHD thesis, becoming debt-free, exceeding your sales quotas, losing weight, or making some kind of significant and lasting change, I sincerely hope that I have provided you with a roadmap and that your confidence has grown, your vision has expanded, and that you’ve enjoyed living outside your comfort zone

.

As we start 2010, it’s important for us to reflect on the past, take inventory of our efforts, and make resolutions for the future.

Let’s begin by examining six words that I believe are some of the saddest and regretful words ever uttered.

• Could have
• Should have
• Would have

As you reflect on your efforts during 2009, ask yourself if you have any could have, should have, would have moments.

There are two questions to ask yourself when or if you catch yourself using these words. Amazingly enough, these questions are the same to each of those phrases. The answers to the questions may vary but very little.

• Why didn’t you?
• What prevented you?

Here are some additional questions for you to wrap your mind around. They will help you to determine how you have grown, what you have learned, what obstacles you have overcome, and allow you to acknowledge, reward, and celebrate your accomplishments during these past 365 days.

• What are your proudest accomplishments of these past 365 days?
• Did you start fast and finish each day strong?
• Are you maintaining focus and following one course until successful?
• How are you using deadlines to maximise your performance?
• Are you beginning each day with a written plan?
• Have you focused on simple strategies, simple solutions and simple methods for obtaining results?
• Has boldness become part of your portfolio of skills?
• Are you consistently driven by a strong sense of urgency?
• In what ways have you exercised greater discipline and self-control?
• Does your work and daily actions demonstrate a commitment to excellence?
• Have you displayed passion and enthusiasm in your work and home life?
• Are you deliberately growing your network of contacts?
• Did you do everything you could during these past 365 days to astound yourself?

Only you and you alone know the true answer to these questions, after all, the strategy you have used for the past 365 days has given you the result you now have….

As your continue your journey into this new year you must always remember that there will never be a day that will not require dedication, discipline, good judgment, goal clarity, focus, and the feeling that you can improve. Each day offers an opportunity for improvement and each moment serves as an advance or retreat in the pursuit of your goals.

Here’s one final challenge, as you plan for the New Year ask and answer the following set of questions:

1. What single, super-sized goal or objective must you achieve in order to create a massive breakthrough in your life or business?
2. Why must this goal absolutely, positively be achieved? (List every reason)
3. How will you approach and attack this goal to ensure victory?
4. When, on what date will victory be achieved?

My greatest desire is that you find within yourself the courage to identify that big, bold, audacious goal and that you step up and shake the world by the power of your actions.

“It’s your life, and it’s your choice. It’s also your consequence.”

Ashley

"Show Me".......

To “Show Me” conotates a certain pragmatic stubbornness, a no-nonsense approach to living, and a devotion to simple common sense.

It sends a clear message that a smoke and mirrors approach won’t fly around these parts, and that you will ONLY be believed once you can prove that the results are real and legitimate.

In my opinion, it’s a brilliant, transparent, and effective approach to life that anyone can adopt to perform at their absolute best.

For those that are tired of all the B.S. being thrown around, and all the blowhards who talk a good game but don’t have the integrity or capacity to back up the talk, this message will be well received.

In this challenge lesson, I’m going to show you how to apply, and challenge you to adopt the show me philosophy to your life and business.

There comes a time when all the theory, talk, and verbal posturing have to stop and when you I have to prove that we can and will deliver results.

From this moment moving forward, make your life a model of the Show Me philosophy.

Show Me, Don’t Tell Me…

1. That You Love Me.

Think of everything you can do, large and small to demonstrate your love without saying a word. The message will be received quickly and appreciated far more as well.

2. That You are Committed to Excellence.

Define the non-negotiable rules of a superior performance and then flawlessly perform the part. Your actions will be far more powerful than your words.

3. That You Really Want to Succeed.

Get up early, develop a daily game plan, throw yourself into every task and your actions will show and tell the world how badly you really want it.

4. That You Have Perseverance.

Bounce back from set backs quickly, never lose your enthusiasm for your goal, and confront every obstacle with an indomitable, unconquerable spirit.

5. That You Are a Professional.

Be on time, be fully prepared, be actively engaged, and consistently deliver results. You’ll never have to utter a word as your reputation will do all the talking for you.

6. That You Have a Sense of Urgency.

Work fast, focused and purposeful. Set a deadline on each activity and neither accept nor provide any excuses. Your show me actions will open up new and greater opportunities almost immediately.

The strategic benefits of living a “Show Me” existence are vast and profound:

• Your reputation will speak well of your character and professionalism.
• Opportunities will come faster and with less effort.
• People will trust you and gladly provide referrals.
• You will make more money.
• You will attract an entirely new quality of people.
• You will have the inner confidence of a champion.
• You will never have to apologise for not walking your talk.

And your life will serve as a role-model, inspiring others to become disciples of the Show Me” philosophy which is perhaps the greatest gift of all.

 “It’s your life, and it’s your choice. It’s also your consequence.”

Ashley

Hit the mean....

In his extraordinary body of work on Ethics, Aristotle tells us that, “We are the sum of our actions, and therefore our habits make all the difference.

Discipline is both a habit and moral virtue, and we come to an intimate relationship with this moral virtue, only through practice, just like the mastery of any art, language, or mechanical skill.

You might ask, what is the best way to practice?

Well, according to Aristotle the answer lies in his explanation of “the mean.” In his view, correct moral behaviour in this case discipline lies at the midway point between the extremes of two vices.

We must “practice hitting the mean” by determining which vice we tend toward and then consciously moving toward the other extreme, until of course we reach the middle.

Aristotle says that “Virtue is of two kinds, intellectual and moral.

Intellectual virtue springs from and grows from teaching, and therefore needs experience and time.

While moral virtues come from habit. . . . They are in us neither by nature, nor in despite of nature, but we are furnished by nature with a capacity for receiving them, and we develop moral virtue through habit. . . .

These virtues are acquired by first exercising them in the same way we exercise any muscle. Whatever we learn to do in our lives, we learn by actually doing it: we become writers, for instance, by writing, violin players, by playing the violin and we become engineers by practicing engineering.

In the same way, by doing noble acts we come to be noble; by doing self-controlled, acts, we come to be self-controlled; by doing self-disciplined, acts, we come to be self-disciplined; and by doing brave acts, we become brave. . . .

How we act in our relations with other people makes us just or unjust. How we face dangerous situations, either accustoming ourselves to fear or confidence, makes us brave or cowardly.

Occasions of lust and anger are similar: some people become self-controlled, disciplined and patient from their conduct in such situations, and others uncontrolled, undisciplined and impatient.

In a word, then, activities produce similar dispositions. Therefore we must give a certain character to our activities. . . . In short, the habits of self discipline we form from childhood make no small difference, but rather they make all the difference.

The moral virtue of discipline is a mean that lies between two vices, one of excess and the other of deficiency, and . . . it aims at hitting the mean both in feelings and actions. It is challenging to be well disciplined, for surely it is hard in each instance to find the mean, just as it is difficult to find the precise centre of a circle.

It is easy to get angry or to spend money–anyone can do that. But to act the right way toward the right person, in due proportion, at the right time, for the right reason, and in the right manner–this is not easy, and not everyone can do it.

Therefore he who aims at the mean should make it his first care to keep away from that extreme which is more contrary than the other to the mean. . . . One of the two extremes is always more erroneous than the other.

And since hitting the mean exactly is difficult, one must take the next best course, and choose the least of the evils as the safest plan. . . .

Your challenge for today is to take notice of the errors into which you naturally tend to fall – you might call these repetitive patterns. They vary in each individual’s case, and you will discover yours by the pleasure or pain they provide you.

Having discovered our errors, we must force ourselves off in the opposite direction through the habit of self-discipline. For we shall arrive at the mean by moving away from our failing, just as if we were straightening a piece of metal.

In closing, this much, then, is plain and transparent: in all our conduct, the mean is the most praiseworthy state as it represents superior moral virtue – discipline!

 “It’s your life, and it’s your choice. It’s also your consequence.”

Ashley

Know your limits....

We must all be aware of the reality of limits and do everything we can to leverage and work to the edge of those limits.

Each one of us has limitations and an awareness of those limitations ultimately leads to new choices, new innovations, and new failures.

In the pursuit of any goal you must accept the fact that sometime, somewhere, you will come face to face with the reality of limits:

• Limits of time,
• Limits of space,
• Limits of capital,
• Limits of energy,
• Limits of customers,
• Limits of information,
• Limits of know-how,
• Limits of personnel,
• Limits of contacts,
• Limits of technology,

These and other limited resources will besiege progress, and in some cases shut your down completely.

During any given time or situation, limitations WILL rear their ugly head, reminding you of their power to impede your progress.

Limitation means that there are only so many things a person, even the most determined, can have or do. People can produce an astonishing array of products and services, create massive amounts of wealth, and consume enormous amounts of goods.

Yet limits will always remain!

Such an observation is so obvious that it might be dismissed as trivial. However, the reality of limits is commonly overlooked, especially by those who believe that all failures are or should be avoidable.

Yet, an understanding of limitations keenly focuses attention on a fundamental and pervasive cause of failure: the absolute inability to have everything that is desirable and the pressing necessity of having to make choices.

Simply put, new choices, new innovations, and new failures are often the result of another’s success, which will ultimately deny resources to the ventures that fail.

The following is an example of how the Reality of Limits works in your daily life:

When the car was invented, many producers of horse-drawn buggies could not continue to operate. Their customer base dwindled, capital collapsed, and competition diverted resources into the production of cars.

Even the most successful buggy maker eventually experienced the economic impact of limitations.

Thus, failure can create opportunities by forcing new innovative ways of operating. Indeed, the reality of limits teaches that failure emerges, in part, from achievements of greater importance.

Every choice we make is impacted by the reality of limits. Therefore, consumers who want cars more than buggies cast both their choices and cash into the marketplace.

Winners and losers emerge as successes and failures, demonstrating the paradox of how limitation creates both power and pain.

The more successes there are in life the more failures there are likely to be. However, these aren’t clearly delineated in a one-failure-per-success formula. Rather, progress is expansive.

Growth occurs as more resources are discovered and developed and fewer resources are needed to produce more goods and services.

It’s imperative that you understand that both businesses and individuals who succeed will eventually create failure for others. These people will be forced to make new choices which can very well open up great new opportunities.

You challenge for today is to know and respect the reality of limitations, because, in a world of limitation, the fundamental question is not whether people should accept failure. They have no choice but to accept it.

Rather, the question is how to anticipate failure and redirect resources to grow from the experience.

 “It’s your life, and it’s your choice. It’s also your consequence.”

Ashley

The art of getting buy in....

Big results, big goals and dreams – the lofty pot of gold at the end of your rainbow can only be achieved with the help of others.

And in order to recruit other people to your cause, you must be able to communicate, motivate, and spread your vision to those around you. You need everyone drinking from the same glass and that’s no joke!

 

Communicating Results

 

The biggest obstacle to getting results isn’t time or money – its communication.

People are naturally reluctant to ask for help, and even more reluctant to share information about a desired outcome. It’s a basic human instinct to keep goals personal and confidential and on a need to know basis.

To share your objectives with others is to put your dreams on the line which means vulnerability!

Unfortunately, most people believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness. That sort of thinking is pure nonsense.

All successful people have asked for and received the help of other people along the road to their success, and all are great communicators. In order to get results, you must join those who have mastered the art of effective communication.

 

Communication Problems

 

If ordering a well-done steak with extra onions and no tomato from a single waiter causes problems, how can you probably communicate a long-range vision to a large group?

Keep a close eye on the following – getting buy-in and eventual success depends on figuring out how your bosses, clients, and peers process information, and then communicating with them on their level.

Some want physical phone calls everyday with updates. Others think of that as an annoyance. Some only want written updates and email while others want a more intimate person-to-person approach.

Neither is right or wrong, however if you want to communicate your ideas effectively, you must understand how those around you want their information delivered.

The strategy is easier then it sounds because everybody falls into one of two camps:

• People like lots of data and detailed information.
• Or, people like pictures or to hear information.
• Others just like the bullet points.

Think, Feel, Know.

 

The key is to take the time to analyse their preferences and identify which group your audience falls into.

Your task and challenge for today is to identify the people around you and how they like to digest information. Then accommodate your communications to fit their preferences.

 

Confirmation

 

Aviation is an extremely structured and formalised institution. If you are a pilot, you are accustomed to the necessity of confirmation.

When flying an airplane, a pilot must adhere to a strict discipline of communication. For every message sent, an identification and verification process must be followed before the message is completed.

Without exact confirmation, the sender must assume that the message has not been sent.

An air traffic controller cannot call a plane and say, “All right mate, turn left now to miss that big  aeroplane coming your way” The transmission must be to a specific aircraft designated by specific call letters and the pilot must verify it.

Yes, it’s a bit cumbersome but yes it is highly successful. Any miscommunication and lives are in jeopardy!

While communicating your goals may not be matter of life or death, you still need a confirmation after communicating a point. Something like this is an excellent example: “What did you take away from what I just said?” See how easy that was!

You may be surprised by some of the responses you get. It’s truly amazing how garbled your message gets once it goes through the filter of a listener.

By throwing in a few confirmations along the way, you have a better chance of cleaning up your communications.

 “It’s your life, and it’s your choice. It’s also your consequence.”

Ashley

Weapons of mass Production.....

An increasing worldwide fear is that we will one day face the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Such weapons include biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological devices, and range from the silent threat of a poison gas attack to a cataclysmic nuclear explosion.

Those who would launch such attacks know many could die, but their fundamental motive is to strike psychological fear and panic into society. Of course this works with devastating effectiveness.

From a performance standpoint there is a much more pervasive, and perhaps, a much more devastating form of weapons of mass destruction that we should concern ourselves with.

These REAL weapons of mass destruction have killed more dreams, ideas, careers, marriages and lives than any Scud Missile ever could.

These weapons are self-inflicted acts of sabotage that people have chosen to embrace and perpetuate.

These weapons are the silent, slow, gradual killers of performance that have caused millions of people in the past, and which will cause millions of people in the future to go to their graves with their hopes, dreams, and passions still inside them.

The REAL Weapons of Mass Destruction

Excuses Insecurity Self-Pity Anger Lack of Integrity Inconsistency Apathy Lying Sarcasms

Ambiguity Procrastination Self-Doubt Uncertainty Laziness Fear Worry Timidity Ingratitude

Much like an addiction to chocolate, the continuation of these bad habits is like having an addiction to weapons of mass destruction.

For those who think self-discipline and the enforcement of accountability is hard. I suggest you brace yourself for massive regret in 30 years!

I propose a far different view on the weapons of mass destruction. A far more positive, self-imposed form of psychological warfare called weapons of mass production.

These weapons are possessed by all high achievers and are designed to help you construct the winning attitude required to remain competitive amidst the current storm of opportunity and chaos.

The REAL Weapons of Mass Production

Focus Ambition Courage Accountability Consistency Gratitude Boldness Decisiveness Commitment

Responsibility Confidence Initiative Discipline Follow through Character Love Enthusiasm Integrity

These weapons of mass production are available for anyone who consciously and wilfully chooses them. These weapons will produce hard, tangible, massive results and will have far more to do with your success than any factor in your life.

Success is a case study in savvy self-management — a life filled with cutting-edge ideas, rigorous accountability, and relentless attention to detail. A successful life is a model from which every person can learn.

Your challenge for today is to identify any potential weapons of mass destruction in the form of personal habits, attitudes and beliefs that you currently engage in.

Seriously consider the short and long term impact of these weapons and determine to remove them from your life.

Once completed, develop your list of weapons of mass production and begin to focus on them for greater results, contribution and quality of life.

Be unreasonable and adopt these weapons of mass production.

Massive success requires being both insanely passionate about living up to your absolute best and to a certain extent obsessive about how you do that.

 “It’s your life, and it’s your choice. It’s also your consequence.”

Dancing with Wolves...

A white haired Cherokee is teaching his grandchildren about life. He tells them "A fight is going on inside me. A terrible fight, and it is a fight between two wolves."

One wolf represents fear, greed, hatred, anger, envy, pride, self-pity, resentment, guilt, inferiority, arrogance, deceitfulness, superiority and selfishness.

The other wolf stands for peace, love, kindness, joy, truth, compassion, humility, transparency, authenticity, friendship, respect, integrity, benevolence, generosity, faith, sharing, serenity and empathy.

"The same fight is going on inside you, and every other person too."

The children thought about this for a while. Then one little girl asked, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee held a long silence. Then simply said, "Whichever one you feed."

What works, What doesn't?

With only 25 days leftof 2009 now is a brilliant time to plan your strategy for 2010.

No matter who you are, where you live, what your goal is, somebody
has already been there and done that. There are no new battles, history repeats itself; all goals-from soup to nuts-have been attempted and achieved or attempted and failed by others!

You can earn good judgment and knowledge the old-fashioned
way-through the school of hard knocks-or you can reach out, tap into
experience, and make significant performance improvements. The choice is up to you.

It is your prime responsibility to acquire useful knowledge from others and to apply it appropriately. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

It behoves you to do your homework, to read, and to converse with others who have first-hand knowledge based on actual experience.
Shortening your learning curve saves buckets of blood, sweat, tears,
time, and money.

Experience is the mother’s milk of a successful goal. The benefit of
involving others in your plans is your instant accessibility to experience, knowledge, and wisdom.

There can’t be enough said about the importance of intellectual bench strength as there will come a time when you will be unsure; that’s why having another set of eyes and ears is essential.

The only REAL meaningful way to evaluate an individual and his or her methods is by looking at their results.

From raising good children to investing for retirement, from maintaining excellent health to spiritual peace… others have already made the trip. Search them out, and learn from what they did.

As you pursue a goal, knowledge is your greatest ally. With it you advance, without it you stumble. Progress is dependent upon momentum, and momentum is dependent upon information.

Useful knowledge obtained from others’ experiences allows you to build and maintain momentum.

Trying to achieve a goal without obtaining knowledge from others is a recipe for false starts and performance hiccups.

Goals mean growth, and growth requires new knowledge. Purposely, systematically solicit and import useful information.

How? Read books, ask questions, attend seminars, observe… pay attention. Teachers are everywhere, both living and dead, among strangers and friends alike.

No goal is achieved in a vacuum. We all need the guidance and support that comes only from involving others. Progress improves in direct proportion to the quality of your knowledge.

Lack of knowledge invites fear, intimidation, and hesitation. Good, solid, proven knowledge and experience inspires confidence and action. You must surround yourself with good people who possess solid experience.

It is possible to get decades of knowledge in days if you do two things:

1. Believe it is possible.
2. Surround yourself with knowledgeable people.

Choose a mentor or build a personal board of directors, a handpicked cast of characters that will help you craft a brilliant performance. Your weaknesses can become strengths. What your mentor or board of directors knows is worth knowing.

You challenge today is to take your promising ideas, goals, dreams and crackpot concepts to people you trust and let them help you with perspective, talent, money, etc.

Be open to an invite prompt observations and detailed evaluations of your plans.

You involve others for their vision and experience. Your purpose must be to have them help you remove or manage as many unnecessary barriers that exist.

In addition to shortening your learning curve, involving others provides an additional level of accountability.

 “It’s your life, and it’s your choice. It’s also your consequence.”