The Main Thing Is To Keep The Main Thing, The Main Thing

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Tuesday May 20 2008

Welcome to this fine Tuesday.

This week’s theme certainly inspired some terrific comments yesterday. It appears that with Monday being a holiday, that some folks really took the subject to heart and looked closely at what they were “enthused” about. More importantly though, was how they expressed that “enthusiasm”.

One of the things that kept repeating was that, while folks say they felt “enthusiastic” about their chosen activities, it wasn’t expressed clearly in their actions. Interesting eh?

Universally, it was clearly agreed that “enthusiasm” was unquestionably one of the “main things” that must get our attention.

Our friend Thea provides an offering that might just be the ticket for today.

The Main Thing Is To Keep The Main Thing, The Main Thing

by Thea Westra

“Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit” (Conrad Hilton)

“Time cools, time clarifies; no mood can be maintained quite unaltered through the course of hours” (Mark Twain)

“It is wise to keep in mind that no success or failure is necessarily final” (Anon.)

“Successful people aren't supermen and women. They fail, but fail forward. Success is not about perfection, it's about progression” (Simon Reynolds - advertising wiz.)

When you create or design something new for your future e.g. a new goal or enterprise, then you can be assured that there will be ups and downs.

Initially there may be very few, if any “flat times” because of all the associated novelties and the learning curve. The excitement and passion may last days, weeks and even months.

If your goal or new enterprise involves a 3 or 5 year plan, then chances are that you will experience many highs and lows. We do “know” this, yet when the flat times arrive we behave as though “it should not be that way” and lose momentum.

Here are some tips for staying on the road if you are crystal clear that you are using the most effective “vehicle” of your choice to fulfill specific outcomes.

1. Be very clear and maintain your clarity of purpose for wanting to accomplish your goal/intended outcome.

Have at hand a minimum of five terrific reasons for why you “have to” and absolutely “must” accomplish your chosen goal. Continue to update that list and occasionally rewrite the list. Over time your initial reasons may lose their spur quality.

2. Create an environment that consistently reminds you of your original purpose and of your intended, ultimate outcome.

The following are a few basic ideas for this:

Surround yourself with physical displays such as computer screen-savers, wall boards, a piece of jewellery, markers/images in your diary, a house/garden plant that you watch grow as your enterprise does.

Choose with whom you spend most time and use regular meetings or calls with a buddy, coach, mentor or supportive partner.

The more people you tell about your goal, the more often you will be taken back to that time of your original excitement because of their questions about how you’re coming along.

Play pieces of music while working to inspire you and keep you “in the moment” of what you are creating.

Make it a weekly practice to listen to motivating teleseminars or CD recordings of other successful and inspiring people.

Spend regular moments of time visualising your intended future. Really work on getting your “picture” (of the ultimate point of final accomplishment) more and more clear for yourself so that you can almost touch, smell, see the colours and hear the sounds of all that's around you.

3. Set up physical spaces that fully support your designed future. Have your home office fitted with tools that really work for you. Have simple and clear filing and storage systems so there’s a place for everything and you don’t arrive at a desk each morning with numerous piles of tasks – putting you in a ‘space’ of overwhelm before you even begin the day. Begin to list and start putting together your necessary resources. For example, there is no sense offering hard-copy information to others if you do not have sufficient materials at your finger tips, should many opportunities show up all at once. Create email or hard-copy templates for standard replies to common requests.

4. Learn to control and manage the 'little voice' in your head. Thank it for sharing. Create an imaginary buddy for this ‘voice’, a buddy who tells you something to encourage and empower. You can even “tap” on your negative self-talk to gradually peel away the “onion-layers”!

5. Chart your progress and have your chart(s) on display. Know that you are moving and that you have made progress. Set specific milestones at preset dates that you can celebrate along the way.

A wide angled view of success is: being fulfilled, self-expressed, authentic and joyful. You cannot experience these without 100% congruence between you and your environment. Your environment either calls forth your authentic-self or keeps you locked in a cycle of frustration.

Resourceful sites: http://www.lifeexcellence.com/index.shtml; http://www.ecomhelp.com/KB/inspiration/kb_motivating-yourself-when-you-dont.htm; AND; http://www.coping.org/growth/success.htm

© Thea Westra is the senior thought leader, at her Forward Steps site. She resides in Perth, Australia with her ultra-supportive partner Greg. Thea publishes a monthly ezine (among many other publications and products) at http://www.forwardsteps.com.au Enjoy her life success blogs at http://www.timeformylife.com/blogs.htm and get personally connected here, http://www.ask-thea-about.com