Strategies for Success
from Lew Smallwood
Defining success is a difficult task because success is deeply personal and means something different to each one of us. However the process of achieving success isn't a mystery. It's not some deep, dark secret. In fact the 'secret of success' is so simple that most people miss it. There is a system for success that can be summed up in five words: intention, attention, action, perseverance and achievement.
Our 'intentions' shape our lives. Intentions are the things we continually move toward. They guide and indeed dictate every action we take and are a long-standing puzzle in the study of human consciousness. Intention is defined as: directing the mind with purpose toward some object or outcome. And our intentions represent both challenges and opportunities for creating a better life. Indeed, this draws our focus to one of the most interesting and perplexing questions about the connection between our mind, body and spirit - leading us to explore how our thoughts influence us both directly and indirectly.
Directing and then keeping our 'attention' on our intentions is the key component of superior performance in every activity we engage with. Our attention should follow our intentions as naturally as night follows day. Great achievers down through the ages have consistently demonstrated an ability to focus their energy, their entire being on the intentions they deem important. It's vital to concentrate and focus our energy only on the key tasks that support our intentions instead of frittering it away. Life is the study of attention. Where our attention goes, our heart goes also, and therefore our ability to focus on activities that have high value is central to everything we accomplish in life.
Taking immediate 'action' to achieve our intentions, in fact creating an absolute blizzard of activity is the next key step. Fast, focused and defined action is better yet. Perhaps the initial actions you take will be successful, but perhaps some adjustments or even different actions will need to follow. However the key issue is that once you decide your intention and focus your attention then massive and measured action will help you achieve the outcome you want.
The next key is 'perseverance.' This isn't about running a marathon but rather committing to a series of short sharp focused sprints one immediately after another. Few things are impossible to the person who persists. Great successes are not achieved by skill alone but through perseverance. The rewards for those who persist far exceed the pain that precedes victory. Resolve in advance of taking action that no matter what happens you will never give up. You will bounce rather than break. You will keep on keeping on until success is achieved. It's difficult to develop this trait without a strong sense of purpose. So lock in your intention, focus your attention, take massive action and persevere until.......
We can then say that people who achieve success follow a consistent formula. The first step is to know our intention, to clearly and precisely define exactly what we want. The second step is to focus our attention otherwise our desires will always be dreams. In the third step we take massive action. Action that we believe will provide the greatest probability of producing the results we want. And because our initial actions may not create the results we want, we need to measure and analyse the responses and results that flow from our actions and decide if they are taking us towards or away from our intentions.
Then take the fourth step, which is to adapt, adjust, and accelerate our actions, to push on and persevere until we finally celebrate our 'achievement.' Do take the time to celebrate your victory, its important. And from Anthony Robbins: "There is a powerful driving force within every human being that once unleashed can make any vision, dream or desire a reality."
