THE FIRST 4 STEPS TO A HIGH PAYOFF YEAR IN 2008

© 2008 Linda Feinholz.

Are you staring at your calendar, musing over last year’s results, and wondering what IS the way to get started in really creating the business of your dreams?

We’ve all had that moment of scratching our head and feeling stuck. The moment, maybe hours, when we know we need to sit down and put our plans in writing. To make a couple of commitments to ourselves so we keep them in action, but we can’t get the picture in focus at all.

I kicked off my work with a new coaching client last week. Mike is looking at the next step in his career ladder. I posed lots of questions. He laid out for me his idea of where he wants to go, how long he’s wanted it… and then… there was a long silence.

A silence marked by the sounds coming from the other side of the office door.

A silence triggered by my question to him, “What have you tried so far?”

And then he said it. The painful admission uttered by most people with an idea that’s languished…

“Not much. I’ve thought about it a lot. But, what do I first?”

Mike thought that was his stalling point. Not knowing what to do. Is this where you’ve been stalling out too?

To get to that answer you have to ask the right questions.

Every single business starts from an idea. Every advancement in a profession is launched by a personal opinion or belief, or a specific realization of a possible way of being in the world.

While it’s a vital part of the process of creating a business, your “idea” is NOT your business. Ideas amount to nothing IF they never go beyond the thought. And from thought into action.

More often than not, business owners and professionals get so taken with their “idea” they fail to move forward. Like Mike, they get caught in a tug of war they cannot even name – wanting to move forward while being diverted and held back. They stall out because they miss the 4 simple steps that create a clear path to achieving that vision.

To make sure YOU don’t ever stall out with your “idea” you have to do first things first:

1) Define Your Vision – This is what all of your efforts and energy in this business will create. Your answer to this question is what gives your idea juice. In order for your answer to anchor your efforts it must be very specific.

The Vision for Your High Payoff Catalyst: To help 1,000s of entrepreneurs and business owners become successful faster and easier than they ever imagined.

2) Sort Out Your Resources – This is taking stock of all that you bring to achieving your Vision at this specific moment. Your answers to this question help you clearly see what you already have to assist you in making your business “idea” solid.

They should include: your skill set, your knowledge, your aptitude, where you came from, where you’re at now, what you have in your kit bag to make your idea a reality.

Your High Payoff Catalyst resources include some pretty unique skills, proven experience, relevant contacts and a 20-plus year track record of systematically helping hundreds of professionals and business leaders learn simple step-by-step processes that get them from “idea” to “action” to “results.”

3) Sort Out Your Challenges – This is taking stock of all that you know might delay you achieving your Vision. Your answers to this question help you to clearly see what you need to solve first. When we’re facing obstacles rather than our resources our time and attention is constantly diverted. It’s like carrying a 200-pound backpack with us on a hike.

This includes your own doubts, fears, limiting beliefs, and even old habits that work against what is wanted and needed to get to that goal. My Challenge? Getting beyond wanting every single step laid out before I start my journey.

4) Systematically Work BOTH Lists – This is giving deliberate attention to removing your obstacles at the same pace as you are using your resources. Each obstacle that you clear out of your path accelerates the success of each resource you use. And the lighter your load, the quicker your progress on your path.

Mike and I will be working on these two fronts at the same time: clearing out his limiting beliefs about how hard it will be to prove himself to his boss, and using new techniques to increase his personal productivity in the role he’s asking to step into.

To make progress to your goal, you need to simultaneously work two parallel tracks. When you recover your attention from your obstacles, you’ll easily know what is each next step to take. It will be staring right at you.

January 13, 2008 | Filed Under Goal Setting, Ideas, Processes 

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