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Jumpstart Your Success-And Keep It Jumping! 7 Great Questions to Move You From Vision to Results
Copyright (c) 2006-2023 Bruce Elkin
Tony came to me because he was stuck. Nan came because she was drifting.
Both had desire, talent, and tried hard. But neither could pull all the pieces together to create success. Each made progress, then fell back; stuck again.
Why? They spent too much time and money trying to figure out HOW to create success, and too little time taking action to create real and lasting results.
Sound a bit like you?
Perhaps, like Tony and Nan, you ask the wrong questions first.
To jumpstart success, start with WHAT? And WHY?
HOW is important, but comes later, when "what" and "why" are clear.
The seven questions below have helped thousands jumpstart success, and keep it jumping. They can help you, too.
# 1: What Makes You Come Most Fully Alive?
What excites you? What energizes you at a deep level? What truly matters?
Research on Harvard grads found that those who organized their lives and work around their passions were MUCH more likely to succeed (AND become millionaires) than those who focused on making $1,000,000.
So what do YOU love? What are you passionate about?
Not sure? Try this.
Think about the best things you have done, or imagine you could do. Write them down. Keep writing until you hit something that makes you shiver with emotion.
Do not worry, yet, whether it is realistic, or doable. (We look at reality in # 3.)
And do not confuse "lust" with "love." Most people do not love money; they love what they can do or create with money. Write about that, and keep writing until you hit something that makes you feel like crying with joy.
Identifying true passions can open huge sources of power. It is a major first step toward creating success.
# 2: If You Created It, What Would It Look Like?
Next, focus your passion into specific results.
Tony was passionate about skiing, but could not see how to build a "respectable" career around it. Because he had a flare for design, his father pushed him toward architecture, but that felt "too mainstream."
When I helped Tony combine his skiing passion with his design talent, he became a successful ski area designer. He made great money, skied 5 days a week, and felt deeply fulfilled. Even his father was impressed!
A wannabe writer like Nan might envision, "My recipe book about organic hot dogs is #1 on the Amazon, Times, and Oprah bestseller lists."
Making vision clear and compelling translates passion into power.
# 3: What Is The Current State Of Your Result?
Imagine asking directions when you do not know where you are?
Not easy, is it?
To turn vision into a successful result, you need to know where you are and what you have: strengths, assets, experience, contacts, etc.
The key to knowing where you are is to "describe" reality, not "judge" it.
If, like Nan, you know a lot about organic hot dogs, but have no experience writing, do not judge: "I cannot write a book."
Describe: "I cannot write a book, YET."
Reality is your ally, not your enemy. Be honest about it. Truth is power!
To ensure a statement is objective, ask, "Is this true? Absolutely true?" If it is not true, it is a judgment.
Nan told me, "I have no skills." But, when we applied the test questions, she saw that was untrue. When prompted, she was shocked at how many she could list.
Current Reality also includes problems or obstacles, and fears, doubts, and uncertainties. Acknowledge these, but do NOT dwell on them.
Focus instead on what you want, what works, and what is already in place.
Focusing on what you want and what you already have energizes you. It makes you optimistic. It builds momentum that moves you toward your results.
# 4: What Are Your "Next Steps"?
When you hold a compelling vision in mind with a clear description of reality, a gap appears between them.
Accept the gap. Use the energy that arises out of it to build a bridge from where you are to where you want to be with two kinds of actions--strategies and tactics.
Strategies are large, often general action/results such as develop "a marketing plan," or design "promo materials."
They include sub-results (a draft plan, rough promo materials) that, when added together, lead to the larger result.
Strategies are essential guides to action. But, you do not do strategies; you do tactics that support strategies.
# 5: How Do I Get To Small, Doable Actions?
Once your strategic steps are roughed out, ask, "What smaller results and actions support my larger steps?"
Tactics are small steps such as, "research market," "clarify offerings," and "develop a hook." Taken together, they yield "a marketing plan."
Starting with small steps builds patterns of success. It gives you confidence and momentum, which leads to larger steps. Success leads to success.
You do not need to know all the steps, just your most promising next 2, or 3.
Taking action changes reality. New steps become obvious. Take them, note results, and ask again, "What are my next steps?"
This plan-as-you-go process honours vision AND reality. There is no failure, just feedback. Your actions teach you what to do next. Make up the path as you go.
# 6: What About Setbacks, Problems, And Adversity?
Successful people in all areas are those who deal best with adversity. They turn obstacles into opportunity. How?
They see adversity as TEMPORARY. "This too will pass," they say. They accept problems as part of reality, and move on by focusing on desired results.
They take OWNERSHIP for their results, regardless of what happens or who is to blame. Blame is for losers. Ownership is key to success.
They see adversity as LIMITED to specific situations. They do not let it, or feelings about it, bleed over into other areas of life and work.
Successful people focus on what they can CONTROL, and take appropriate action. They realize the wisdom in the old saying, "We cannot control the wind, but we can adjust our sails."
By accepting adversity and focusing on results, successes use problems and setbacks as "creative moments". They re-establish the vision-reality gap, learn from their situation, and take action toward results.
# 7: How Do I Know When I'm Done?
A clear vision includes success criteria. Our writer who wants to be on the bestseller lists will know she has succeeded when she achieves those goals.
Some people set financial criteria. Some set quality criteria. Others set both. For many it is just a deep sense that, "this is it--reality matches my vision.
Celebrate success, and use the energy of completion to start your next creation.
By asking these 7 questions, Tony and Nan jumpstarted success-and kept it jumping. You can do the same. The key is to ask and keep asking them.
Start small, stick with it, and remember-success leads to success.
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