Ten Strategies for Success at Anything©
By Steve Lentini
Success in life and in any endeavor is not an accident, nor is it the result of the "best laid plans". I have witnessed and experienced what looked like the best plans go awry. I have seen great leaders who had the best teams suffer humiliating defeats. If the best plans and great teams fail and success not an accident, like I suggest in the opening sentence to this column, what then are the seeds of success? How can we plan, add the best people we can find and then guarantee success? How, as individuals can we insure that we succeed in our business or career endeavors?
The answers to these and many other questions will hopefully provide insight on "just how do we insure success anyway"? That is, of course, if I succeed. Let's look at my "Ten Strategies for Success at Anything©".
1. Study nature.
We do not have to go far to see great examples of how to succeed. Get outdoors and observe Mother Nature at work. Plant a garden, go to a farm, take a walk in the woods or sit by the ocean. There is a natural system at work everyday that will guide us if we pay attention. By studying nature, we have a system to follow that does not require that we get an MBA or a PhD. Nature provides us with a common sense approach to success that always works. An MBA or PhD are certainly good training and yet, are not guarantees for success. There is abundance all around us and if we spend some time studying how nature produces this abundance, we too can "seed for our own abundant and prosperous future.
2. Plan your harvest.
Like Steve Covey suggests "Start with the end in Mind". Start by thinking about what you want to harvest. Would a farmer just randomly plow and prepare the ground without planning what the crop would be? If fruit was the desired harvest, would plowing a whole field be required to plant fruit trees? No, of course not. You would dig a whole for each tree and not waste time plowing the field. Plan your harvest and then build the plan. It will save you time. Working backwards, it will be easier to prepare the ground for what you want.
3. Research your crop.
Would a farmer plant orange trees in Alaska? Research your idea. There is no shortage of ideas in our world. They are not all good ideas.
4. Plant your seeds.
After doing the research and deciding to take the risk, plant the seeds. Your seeds are your thoughts, words and actions. Picture your results often. Use visualization daily to see your abundant harvest. Think positive thoughts; push all doubt out of your mind. Act as if you already have your harvest. Spend some quiet time feeling, what it would feel like, to have that abundant harvest.
5. Have faith.
After your seeds are planted, relax and have faith that things are happening. Henry David Thoreau once said "I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there and I am prepared to expect wonders." Sprouts will appear. Does a farmer fret and worry after planting a field? Does nature worry? Nature provides automatic seeding. Seeds are produced by the billions and billions each day. They are carried by the wind, birds, animals, etc. After you plant your seeds, persist through the doubt. Would a daffodil quit because the ground in early spring was too hard? Or because it was too cold, would it decide to stay in the bulb or seed stage? If so there would not be so many spring flowers. After you have planted your seeds, your idea, have faith. Push through the hard ground.
6. Stay in the field after the sprouts appear.
Farmers do not relax after the sprouts appear. They weed, feed, cultivate and prune to ensure a fruitful yield. After your idea begins to take hold, stay at it. Do not take your attention away from it. Do not be distracted. Nature does grow wild and when a fruit tree grows wild, what happens after a while? It will gradually produce less and less fruit. Branches called "suckers" grow that do not produce fruit. They choke out the productive, fruit bearing branches by reducing the available light and food. What you focus on expands. Pay attention after the sprouts appear. Weed out the naysayer and negative nabobs. Remove employees who refuse to "go with the flow". Feed those who do support you by praising and acknowledging them often.
Resist the urge to "rush to harvest'. Would you plant a tomato seed and then stand over it shouting "ok, now give me a tomato"! No, of course you would wait; because you understand that the tomato has a cycle. Well, our ideas, plans and careers have a natural cycle also. Be patient and stay on course, stay committed to do what you said you would do. Do not give in to the first discouraging event or setback. Keep your word no matter what and resist the "rush to harvest"
7. Allow yourself to be pollinated.
Nature has a whole system of "support staff" to ensure success. Bees pollinate plants, birds spread the seeds, manure fertilizes the ground, dead animals and plants enrich the soils. There is no General Manager of the Universe. Each player in nature knows its role and they each do what is theirs to do. Surround your self with coaches, advisors and others who are dedicated to your success. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Stay in relationship with committed others to your idea and cause. Get good people on your bus and get them in the right seat*. Once they are in the right seat, give them the room to "do what is theirs to do. * from "Good to Great", by Jim Collins
8. Track and measure the harvest.
Would a farmer continue to plant a field or a seed that produced less than the desired harvest? You cannot not manage what you do not measure.
9. Eliminate what did not work.
Nature is constantly eliminating what does not work. Maybe that is why dinosaurs disappeared. Nature quickly leaves behind what does not work. Use the tracking and measuring in step 8 to eliminate and plan for preparing the ground for what is next.
10. Take a rest. Like Nature uses winter, take a rest to reflect and study. Rest refreshes the ground and reenergizes the earth to continue producing abundantly. Take a hint from Nature, rest and restore.
In closing, success is not that difficult if we use the gift that nature provides. Prepare, plant the seed, pay attention in the fields, hire a coach and allow yourself to be pollinated, track the harvest, eliminate what did not work, resist the rush to harvest and take a rest.
Steve Lentini is the founder and President of the Centre for Human Development. An entrepreneur, author, speaker and coach, he brings his over 30 years of business experience to individuals and companies all over the country. He can be reached by telephone at 802-433-6090 or 978-257-0610. Email at steve@prosperityinstitute.com or by writing him at the Centre for Human Development, 3471 Chelsea Road, Williamstown, VT, 05679 or write to the Massachusetts office at 50 Bassett Road, Lynn, MA 01902.
Success in life and in any endeavor is not an accident, nor is it the result of the "best laid plans". I have witnessed and experienced what looked like the best plans go awry. I have seen great leaders who had the best teams suffer humiliating defeats. If the best plans and great teams fail and success not an accident, like I suggest in the opening sentence to this column, what then are the seeds of success? How can we plan, add the best people we can find and then guarantee success? How, as individuals can we insure that we succeed in our business or career endeavors?
The answers to these and many other questions will hopefully provide insight on "just how do we insure success anyway"? That is, of course, if I succeed. Let's look at my "Ten Strategies for Success at Anything©".
1. Study nature.
We do not have to go far to see great examples of how to succeed. Get outdoors and observe Mother Nature at work. Plant a garden, go to a farm, take a walk in the woods or sit by the ocean. There is a natural system at work everyday that will guide us if we pay attention. By studying nature, we have a system to follow that does not require that we get an MBA or a PhD. Nature provides us with a common sense approach to success that always works. An MBA or PhD are certainly good training and yet, are not guarantees for success. There is abundance all around us and if we spend some time studying how nature produces this abundance, we too can "seed for our own abundant and prosperous future.
2. Plan your harvest.
Like Steve Covey suggests "Start with the end in Mind". Start by thinking about what you want to harvest. Would a farmer just randomly plow and prepare the ground without planning what the crop would be? If fruit was the desired harvest, would plowing a whole field be required to plant fruit trees? No, of course not. You would dig a whole for each tree and not waste time plowing the field. Plan your harvest and then build the plan. It will save you time. Working backwards, it will be easier to prepare the ground for what you want.
3. Research your crop.
Would a farmer plant orange trees in Alaska? Research your idea. There is no shortage of ideas in our world. They are not all good ideas.
4. Plant your seeds.
After doing the research and deciding to take the risk, plant the seeds. Your seeds are your thoughts, words and actions. Picture your results often. Use visualization daily to see your abundant harvest. Think positive thoughts; push all doubt out of your mind. Act as if you already have your harvest. Spend some quiet time feeling, what it would feel like, to have that abundant harvest.
5. Have faith.
After your seeds are planted, relax and have faith that things are happening. Henry David Thoreau once said "I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there and I am prepared to expect wonders." Sprouts will appear. Does a farmer fret and worry after planting a field? Does nature worry? Nature provides automatic seeding. Seeds are produced by the billions and billions each day. They are carried by the wind, birds, animals, etc. After you plant your seeds, persist through the doubt. Would a daffodil quit because the ground in early spring was too hard? Or because it was too cold, would it decide to stay in the bulb or seed stage? If so there would not be so many spring flowers. After you have planted your seeds, your idea, have faith. Push through the hard ground.
6. Stay in the field after the sprouts appear.
Farmers do not relax after the sprouts appear. They weed, feed, cultivate and prune to ensure a fruitful yield. After your idea begins to take hold, stay at it. Do not take your attention away from it. Do not be distracted. Nature does grow wild and when a fruit tree grows wild, what happens after a while? It will gradually produce less and less fruit. Branches called "suckers" grow that do not produce fruit. They choke out the productive, fruit bearing branches by reducing the available light and food. What you focus on expands. Pay attention after the sprouts appear. Weed out the naysayer and negative nabobs. Remove employees who refuse to "go with the flow". Feed those who do support you by praising and acknowledging them often.
Resist the urge to "rush to harvest'. Would you plant a tomato seed and then stand over it shouting "ok, now give me a tomato"! No, of course you would wait; because you understand that the tomato has a cycle. Well, our ideas, plans and careers have a natural cycle also. Be patient and stay on course, stay committed to do what you said you would do. Do not give in to the first discouraging event or setback. Keep your word no matter what and resist the "rush to harvest"
7. Allow yourself to be pollinated.
Nature has a whole system of "support staff" to ensure success. Bees pollinate plants, birds spread the seeds, manure fertilizes the ground, dead animals and plants enrich the soils. There is no General Manager of the Universe. Each player in nature knows its role and they each do what is theirs to do. Surround your self with coaches, advisors and others who are dedicated to your success. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Stay in relationship with committed others to your idea and cause. Get good people on your bus and get them in the right seat*. Once they are in the right seat, give them the room to "do what is theirs to do. * from "Good to Great", by Jim Collins
8. Track and measure the harvest.
Would a farmer continue to plant a field or a seed that produced less than the desired harvest? You cannot not manage what you do not measure.
9. Eliminate what did not work.
Nature is constantly eliminating what does not work. Maybe that is why dinosaurs disappeared. Nature quickly leaves behind what does not work. Use the tracking and measuring in step 8 to eliminate and plan for preparing the ground for what is next.
10. Take a rest. Like Nature uses winter, take a rest to reflect and study. Rest refreshes the ground and reenergizes the earth to continue producing abundantly. Take a hint from Nature, rest and restore.
In closing, success is not that difficult if we use the gift that nature provides. Prepare, plant the seed, pay attention in the fields, hire a coach and allow yourself to be pollinated, track the harvest, eliminate what did not work, resist the rush to harvest and take a rest.
Steve Lentini is the founder and President of the Centre for Human Development. An entrepreneur, author, speaker and coach, he brings his over 30 years of business experience to individuals and companies all over the country. He can be reached by telephone at 802-433-6090 or 978-257-0610. Email at steve@prosperityinstitute.com or by writing him at the Centre for Human Development, 3471 Chelsea Road, Williamstown, VT, 05679 or write to the Massachusetts office at 50 Bassett Road, Lynn, MA 01902.
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