All major accomplishments today are “multi-task jobs.” They consist of a series of steps that must be taken in a particular order in order to accomplish a result of any significance. Even something as simple as preparing a dish in the kitchen with a recipe is a multi-task job. Your ability to master the skill of planning and completing multi-task jobs will enable you to accomplish vastly more than most people, and is critical to your success.
Once you have determined you goal, make a list of everything you will have to do to achieve it, organize the tasks into a checklist, and begin working through your list, one step at a time.
MANAGE YOUR TIME WELL
To achieve all your goals, you must get your time under control. Time management is a skill set, and like any other, it is learnable. No matter how disorganized you have been in the past or how much you have tended to procrastinate or to get caught up in low-value activities, you can change.
You can become one of the most efficient, effective and productive people in your field by learning how others have gone from confusion to clarity and from frustration to focus. Through repetition and practice, you can become one of the most result-oriented people in your field.
The starting point of time management is for you to determine your goals and then to organize your goals by priority and value. You need to be absolutely clear, at any given moment, exactly what is most important to you at that time.
The second step is for you to set priorities on your activities, before you begin, and then to work non-stop until your most important task is complete.
REVIEW YOUR GOALS DAILY
Get a spiral notebook that you keep with you at all times. Each day, open up your notebook and write down a list of your ten to fifteen most important goals, without referring to your previous list. Do this every day, day after day.
The first day you write down your list of goals you will have to give them some thought and reflection.
Each day that you write down your list of ten to fifteen goals, your definitions will become clearer and sharper. You will eventually find yourself writing down the same words every day. Your order of priority will also change as your life changes around you. But after about thirty days, you will find yourself writing and rewriting the same goals every day.
Your subconscious and superconscious minds thrive on clear, written goals. Once you provide these goals, your unconscious minds go to work on them 24 hours a day, until they are accomplished.
UNLOCK YOUR MENTAL POWERS
Your ability to visualize is perhaps the most powerful faculty that you possess. All improvement in your life begins with an improvement in your mental pictures. You are where you are and what you are today largely because of the mental pictures that you hold in your conscious mind at the present time. As you change your mental pictures on the inside, your world on the outside will begin to change to correspond to those pictures.
You have been using the power of visualization continuously throughout your life. But the problem is that most people use visualization in a random and haphazard way, sometimes to help themselves and sometimes to hurt themselves.
Your goal should be to take complete control of the visualization process and be sure that your mind and mental images are focused continually on what you want to have and the person that you want to be.
PERSIST UNTIL YOU SUCCEED
Every great success in your life will represent a triumph of persistence.
Your ability to decide what you want, to begin, and then to persist through all obstacles and difficulties until you achieve your goals is the critical determinant of your success. And the flip side of persistence is courage.
The history of the human race is the story of the triumph of persistence.
Every great man or woman has had to endure tremendous trials and tribulations before reaching the heights of success and achievement.
That endurance and perseverance is what made them great.
Successful businesspeople and entrepreneurs are all characterized by indomitable willpower and unshakable persistence.
SUMMARY
Decide today to realize your full potential in every area of life. Take a piece of paper and make a list of the goals you want to achieve in every area of your life. Select the one goal, your “Major Definite Purpose”, that can have the most powerful positive impact on your life, and then do something every day that moves you toward that goal. This single exercise will change your life forever, and far faster that you can imagine.
About Brian
Brian Tracy is one of the top business experts and trainers in the world. He has taught more than 5,000,000 sales people in 80 countries.
He is the President of Brian Tracy International, committed to teaching ambitious individuals how to rapidly increase their sales and personal incomes.
CHAPTER 2
LIFE LESSONS FROM AN OUTBACK SHEARING SHED
BY ANDREW PHILLIPS
I learned my first lessons about goals, time management, and persistence in an Outback shearing shed. Growing up on an Australian sheep farm, our annual sheep shearing was a major event. With 2,500 acres, our family had thousands of sheep to be shorn every year. As the season came, we all worked tirelessly to bring the sheep from the distant paddocks closer to the shearing shed by driving them into yards and then into pens, in readiness to be fleeced by the shearers. When the itinerant workers arrived on our property, our kitchen hummed around the clock for the next several weeks with countless sandwiches, stews, cakes and pots of coffee.
I didn’t know what to make of these unshaven, tough-looking men wearing blue singlets, double-thick, greasy jeans and shearer’s boots. I watched them from the distance during ‘smoko’ – which was the shearers’ break from work – for morning/afternoon tea and a smoke. Then, the summer I was 12, my father asked me if I wanted to work in the shearing shed.
I liked the idea of having pocket money to go into town on Sunday to meet my friends, buy sweets at the general store and hopefully see the girl I had a crush on. I figured the job would help me achieve this. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had a goal!
THE ROUSTABOUT
Entering the shearing shed on my first day, I was hit with the combined smell of the sweaty shearers and the unwashed sheep’s wool. The tin roof and the blazing sun made for stifling conditions. At 7:30 in the morning, the temperature was nearly 40 degrees Celsius and I had 10 hours to go!
The bell signalled the start of shearing and four men simultaneously raced into their designated pens, grabbing a sheep by the neck. While squeezing their legs around its body, they twisted it into a position to be dragged back out to their shearing station. Beginning with the sheep’s belly, they would shear off the entire fleece in 2-3 minutes, then hurl the sheep down a slide into an outside pen. The fleece was shorn directly on to the wooden floor and I had only a few seconds to gather it up before the next sheep came into place. Picking up the heavy fleece correctly and casting it on to the wool table where it would be cleaned of burrs and mud is a learned skill which took me awhile to master.
The shed was a hive of activity with burly men swearing, clamouring after sheep and calling out, ‘Where is the roustabout?’ I was the roustabout and I scrambled quickly so I wouldn’t get in their way. After collecting a fleece from the dirt-covered boards, I reversed direction to sweep the floor before the shearer pulled the next sheep from his pen. I was jostling like crazy to pick up the fleeces, one after another. I learned that the workers were paid per sheep and the best shearers would shear about 125 sheep a day. They worked fast and if I was in the way, they would shout at me, push me out of their section or knock me over flat. I had to move like lightening.
THE SHEARING SHED
I was the only roustabout for four shearers. I was inexperienced so I kept making mistakes and getting kicked and yelled at by these rough blokes. After the first day, I was completely exhausted and didn’t think I was cut out to be a roustabout. I didn’t want to show up the next day
but I remembered my goal of going into town. I knew I needed a plan. I developed a system to improve by watching the patterns. I could move faster if I noted the rhythms of the shearers. It took me a week to get the hang of it and the shearers finally invited me to sit and eat with them.
Later I understood that they liked my ability to manage my time and persist. These farm workers were ultra-competitive and forever joking and teasing each other and me. They worked hard for a living, travelling around Australia, shearing sheep all year-round. The shearers were a team on a mission—nothing would stop them from earning their pay — especially a kid. I have always admired the shearers’ work ethic and dedication.
A few weeks later, the shearers gave me a surprise initiation. Three of them suddenly grabbed me and one brandished the large ink blotter used on the wool bales to identify the farm and its wool. They thought it would be funny to paint me with the ink stamp. It wasn’t pleasant but I knew then that they considered me a part of their team. I felt proud knowing that I had succeeded in my role as a roustabout. My planning and determination had paid off. I was enjoying the perk of seeing my mates in town with some coins in my pocket. I had reached my goal!
THE POWER OF GOALS
Despite the tough work, I began to look forward to this annual event. I developed skills as a roustabout and I felt good about contributing to my family’s business. From my initial ambition of getting the pocket money to hang out with my buddies and buy treats, I moved on to wanting to earn enough to buy a new bicycle, then a motorcycle and later a business.
Each year, I had a new aim which kept me motivated and every summer, I achieved my goals.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but my successful outcomes were the result of striving for my objectives. Goal-setting became a habit for me. My experience showed me that the more I set goals and worked toward them, the more I could accomplish, and as I reached my targets, I felt more confident and optimistic. I later learned from Brian Tracy that personal goal-setting is the master skill of success.
I discovered that personal success is the result of two factors. The first is to determine exactly what you want. The second is to know the price you will have to pay to get it. Being clear about your goals is essential.
Napoleon Hill says, ‘There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants and a burning desire to achieve it.’ I have found this to be true in my own life and it has been the case for those whom I have mentored. To achieve your goals, you must have clarity and a plan.
MANAGING TIME
As I learned in the shearing shed, if you do not have a plan for managing your time, you will not truly succeed at achieving your goals. If I hadn’t mastered a system for collecting the fleeces and sweeping the floor efficiently before the next round of shearing took place, I would have slowed down the whole operation and certainly lost my job. Then I wouldn’t have been able to hang out with my friends on the weekend.
By predicting the consequences of doing or not doing something, I was able to determine the significance of focusing on a task and making it a priority.
An undertaking that is important to us has long-term consequences. It will help us achieve a future goal. A task which is not important does not have an impact on our future. We must learn to determine this key difference so that we concentrate daily on high-value activities. These actions will lead us toward reaching our clear goals.
As a 12-year old roustabout, I had to survive in sweltering, precarious conditions, endure ridicule and physical discomfort and persevere when I wanted to give up. I had to think quickly and prioritize my tasks. I continue to manage my responsibilities and take charge of my time by duplicating what I did when I worked in the shearing shed. When faced with challenges, I know that I can control my time by changing the way I think and work. I focus on the activities that really make a difference in my life.
Each day, I pay attention to my most important task at any moment and get started on it. I follow Mark Twain’s idea that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, then you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that the worst part of your day is likely behind you. If we consider our ‘frog’ to be our most important task, then we know we must ‘eat that frog’ every morning. We can resolve to complete our most important objective and not procrastinate. This is a key strategy for not wasting time and we feel better knowing that we are using our time effectively. As Ben Franklin wrote, ‘Do ye value life?
Then waste not time, for that is the stuff out of which life is made.’
A ROAD MAP
As an entrepreneur and business coach, I have travelled around the world and many people have told me that they want to have a fulfilling career, raise children who are engaged citizens and have more free time to enjoy their leisure interests. They know that managing time, avoiding procrastination and setting goals are ways to accomplish these ambitions but they are not sure where to begin. I learned from Brian Tracy that the key to achievement is self-discipline and I have put this into practice in my own life.
By applying the principles of self-mastery as they relate to goals, planning and persistence, I consistently attain the targets that I set for myself. Of course, I have experienced setbacks along the way, but since I have a specific purpose, I keep going – whether it is to achieve a small goal of getting to the gym that day or a big goal of closing a sale.
I discipline myself to write out my goals every day and I schedule my time in advance. Writing out a plan is essential so you have a road map for where you want to go, just as the shearers went from property to property and aimed to shear a record number of sheep per day. I then prioritize my activities so that I am working on the most important task first. I know that managing my calendar allows me to get more done in less time and gives me free time to play tennis—my passion!
Since I was 20 years old, I have carried in my wallet this quote by Calvin Coolidge: ‘Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men [and women] with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent.’
I believe that persistence is absolutely the secret to success. As Brian Tracy says, ‘persistence is self-discipline in action.’ I learned this lesson in my first job as a roustabout and I have been persisting ever since! Having to manage my time in the fast-moving and aggressive environment of the shearing shed, taught me the importance of self-discipline and never giving up.
TAKE-AWAYS FROM THE SHEARING SHED
1. Set Goals.
Define concrete timelines. Internalize why you want your goal.
Break down the steps you need to take to accomplish it. Write out your goals every day. Make goal-setting a habit. Continually review your goals to make sure you are on track.
2. Manage Your Time.
Make a timetable. Focus every day on the most important items you want to get done. Avoid procrastination. Every morning, accomplish your most important or difficult task for the day. Eat that frog!
3. Persist.
Discipline yourself to work toward your goals every day. Overcome challenges. Keep a positive attitude. The rewards will be worth the short-term sacrifice. You will feel great when you have achieved each goal. You can do anything you set your mind to!
An optimistic, can-do outlook makes all the difference. Go forth with confidence and the discipline to reach your goals!
About Andrew
Andrew Phillips has specialized in sales training, franchising and professional development for 20 years. He is a highly-regarded international speaker, trainer and mentor in the fields of sales strategy, leadership, and business growth. Andrew works with organizations and individuals who are serious about achieving goals. His core values are old-fashioned hard work, gratitude, and integrity.
Based in Australia, Andrew oversees International Franchising for Brian Tracy Global and FocalPoint International Business Coaching. His role is to recruit, train and work with forward-thinking entrepreneurs throughout the world. The FocalPoint business coaching and corporate training programs offer complete excellence in professional education. Developed from 35 years of research by Brian Tracy, the system combines top-level professional development and business programs. These popular seminars in sales, leadership and professional coaching are proven to increase revenue and productivity. They are customized to client requirements and have over 5 million graduates worldwide. The most requested programs are Perform at Your Best and Win Resales and Referrals .
An experienced entrepreneur and a proponent of lifelong learning, Andrew holds a Master of Management and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Adelaide. He leads by example and has logged over 10,000 training hours. Andrew’s aim is to help other business owners achieve their goals of financial independence and make a lasting impact on their communities. A board member of the global Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Andrew considers entrepreneurship to be the foundation of society.
Andrew resides in Adelaide with his wife and two daughters. He enjoys travel, reading, and especially tennis. Andrew can often be found courtside at the major tennis tournaments.
Contact Andrew at:
• [email protected]
• focalpointintl.com
• linkedin.com/in/andrewjphillips
CHAPTER 3
IMPOSSIBLE IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK
BY RAFAEL BADZIAG
I have to warn you. I am going to tell you some things about ultra running.
I am using it only as an example. I absolutely don’t want to talk anybody into it. If somebody feels inspired by it and comes up with crazy ideas, I am not taking any responsibility for it.
Ready, Set, Go! (Special Edition) Page 2
