Editor’s Note: This article appeared on The Change Blog.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~ Albert Einstein
Have you ever had an important project or goal not turn out as well as you had hoped? Don’t worry, we all have! It’s time to reverse this trend by re-evaluating the actions we are taking in our lives to see if they are setting us up for success. Here’s what we know:
* Change is constant
* We control our actions
* Our actions and results are connected
* We can all turn our ideas into action and enjoy amazing results
The powerful formula below tells the truth every time! You must be proactive in each area to enjoy optimal results.
Your Actions + Your Leadership = Your Results
Three Areas to Evaluate for Better Results:
1. ACTIONS
Are your actions aligned with the results you want?
Often, we wait until the end of the year to decide that our results are not what we wanted. Perhaps you are not entirely satisfied with your business, relationships, health, or finances. We have to be honest and ask ourselves, “If the actions we are taking today will lead to the results we desire tomorrow?”
First, we need to know what we want to accomplish or bring into our life and then we can align our actions. For example, one client wants to get her art career back on track and is working to put together a small event for her friends at the end of the year. As a result, one of her actions will be to spend time each day in her studio.
What are the actions you consistently take to enhance your life? If you want to build your business, do you attend networking events to attract new clients? Do you attend conferences to broaden your knowledge? There is no right or wrong answer to these questions. You have to decide what you what.
The encouraging part is that we have control over our actions.
2. PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
Are you taking personal responsibility for your life?
One of my core principles is to Be the CEO of YOU INC. It’s about accountability, responsibility, making yourself a priority, and choices.
Life is a series of choices.
Each day you must decide how to invest your precious time and energy. Will you step up and be the CEO of your life or franchise out different areas and let others make key decisions for you? If you want a specific set of results, you must take an active role in your life and be proactive. If changing jobs is a core priority, then what steps are you taking on a daily basis to own the situation and create a new path?
You make the decisions, not someone else!
3. RESULTS
Are you doing everything you can to get your desired results?
Make no mistakes — results are not arbitrary. In a world where there is much uncertainty about the future, we can be certain that we will always get results. The uncertain part is if we will view the results as desirable or undesirable.
It all comes down to you.
Are you clear on the results you want to accomplish and are you taking the necessary actions to get there? If health and being in shape is a core value, does it make sense to order a high calorie coffee drink at Starbucks every morning and only exercise when you feel motivated? It’s one thing to say what you want but another thing to do it. Again, there are no right or wrong decisions, just the ones that work the best for you. Don’t be fooled, your results are directly related to your actions!
TOP 1% BOTTOM LINE: The good news is that you control your actions, which means that your results are dependent on what you do on a consistent or inconsistent basis. Many people want success overnight (this would be a good time to identify what that means to you), but success is a process that is created by the actions and ownership we take over time. Be honest, will your actions lead to the results you want in 2012? There is still plenty of time to assess where you are in different areas of your life and decide what shifts, if any, to get on the best path for success.
It’s time to make choices that position you for success in every area of your life!
Believe in yourself,
Alissa
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About Alissa
Alissa Finerman is an Executive Coach and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, speaker and author of Living in YOUR Top 1%. She works with managers, C-suite executives and teams to leverage strengths, shift beliefs and achieve meaningful goals. Alissa has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked with Ross Stores, Petco, BNP Paribas, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Brookfield Property Partners, Neutrogena, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Dress for Success. To learn more about coaching with Alissa, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook
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