Recently, I met a billionaire. ‘What am I doing wrong’, he asked.
Before you read on, did you read my last blog? (Click here to read it now if you didn’t!). Sadly it was about how 75% of adults fail to achieve their goals. It offers some solid solutions and ideas allowing you to impact that statistic.
Before we go back to our billionaire friend… we live in a time of tumultuous change. More and more people are transitioning from the worker day world to live’s of deeper meaning and purpose. Entrepreneurship is on the rise. This journey is littered with people of good intent, fallen by the wayside due to lack of support and incorrect preparation. Prospering from your purpose is as much a process as it is a calling.
In this blog series, Getting Great Stuff Done, I am sharing insights and ‘how to’s’ that you can implement into your business. I deal with Shinepreneurs across all levels of success. I coach, collaborate, consult and partner with many of them on projects and businesses. This allows me to get up close and personal, finding out what really works.
There is a lot to share. In the coming months you and I will be able to connect through blogposts, videos, podcasts, and also live interactive conversations. And to cap it all off we’re leading a 3 day Shinepreneurial Immersion in the beauty of New Zealand (keep late February 2017 free!). It’s never been a better time to Shine.
Step one on the way to Shinepreneurial success? Developing a Shinepreneurial mindset. This will allow you to operate at a whole new level.
The Shinepreneurial Mindset, how many of these can you tick?
- I have a clear end (vision) in mind.
- I know my Why!
- I am here to make a difference.
- I am curious.
- I have a simple, uncomplicated plan.
- I engage in effective action every day.
- I am committed to do whatever it takes.
- I have a team.
- I am part of a likeminded supportive community.
- I am willing to invest time and money, acquiring new skills.
- I have a coach, mentor.
- I am grounded, and connected to a higher purpose.
As Shinepreneurs we need a willingness to expand who we are, and what we are capable of.
Dr. Stephanie Burn’s research states there are 4 critical phases to goal achievement.
- Choosing the goal.
- Initiating action.
- Maintaining activity towards the goal.
- Completion.
In the first blog I spoke to the first two critical phases of goal achievement and now, I’ll address the final two.
Phase 3. Maintaining movement towards your goals is a critical phase and not everyone is suited to the tedium experienced during this phase. Once we navigate our unconscious impulses and choose our goal, we expend a huge amount of energy (like a rocket setting off to the moon, 90% of fuel is burned up in leaving the earth’s atmosphere).
Likewise learning new skills, traversing new territory inner and outer requires tremendous stamina and energy. So many people stop at this stage.
But wait, it gets worse! If initiation doesn’t kill you, the tedium of phase 3 will. Put simply, phase three is all about discerning the simple actions you need to repeat again and again ‘til you reach your goal. Phase 3 requires the repitition of effective action – daily/ weekly/monthly (think olympic swimmers and black line fever). I am being tongue in cheek of course, some of you were born to set, repeat, rinse ad infinitum.
In his book ‘Outliers’ Malcolm Gladwell talks of the 10,000 hours required to become an expert in your field. Now I’m not saying it will take you 10,000 hours, but it might feel like it. On the other hand, if you are a lover of regularity and shine in routine, you’re weird, and all the very best to you, you will love Phase 3!
Phase 4 is Goal Completion. When I graduated from acting school, I did not go to graduation. I never formally received my diploma. Apparently I missed out on the party of the year and the girl I had a massive crush on, confided with my best mate she fancied me too. Man, I was so bummed out by that. You gotta complete your goals. My old sprinting coach said the race ends 10 metres the other side of the finishing line. I was 12 when he told me that. Success principles never change.
Completing a goal can be challenging, to wit, many students get to their final exams and simply quit. Complete your goals, there is tremendous value in celebrating your achievements, debriefing the process and embodying the lessons learned. Fully owning your accomplishments lays a strong foundation for future success.
Completion is a psychological buzzword; it is psychologically healthy to carry a goal through to the end. The mind functions more completely when loose ends are tied up. Celebrate your goals, debrief, learn, own your success and examine your failings.
So, back to the conversation with the billionaire.
How did I end up at breakfast with a billionaire? It is one of the great perks of my job, meeting amazing people and hearing their stories. Over breakfast he confided in me, ‘I have been in business for 20 years. The first 10 years were so easy, we achieved our results and goals effortlessly. The whole company flourished, it was a delight to go to work. Everyone smiled. The last 10 years have been so hard. No one is smiling. I travel the world meeting world leaders, they shake my hand, make all sorts of promises, but after I leave, nothing happens. I don’t know what to do’.
His eyes searched mine for an answer. A long, dark pause ensued. I took in his anguish, and resignation. This had troubled him for longer than he cared to let on.
I gently responded, ‘What were you doing in those first 10 years that made everything flow?’ He paused, and I saw worlds of pain and upset pass across his face… then a quizzical, curious smile curled his lips. He sat, slowly nodding, vulnerable.
‘Hmmm. Aha’, an enthusiasm gently surfacing. ‘Pure intent’, he said, savouring every syllable. ‘Pure intent’, he repeated as if the words might slip away from him if he didn’t mouth them correctly. He continued at pace, ‘We worked with pure intent. Our vision was ‘green fields and blue skies for our children’. This brought out the best in everything we did. We all threw ourselves into our work, wholeheartedly. Nothing was too hard, no problem was too big. Everyone said ‘yes’ to us. We were so happy in our work, knowing we were doing good, and creating ‘green fields and blue skies for our children’. His whole body smiled.
‘So?’ I said, ‘And, the second 10 years?’
He gravely continued, ‘We stopped focusing on our pure intent, and got lost in trying to ‘do’ business and changing people’s ways. It has been very very frustrating, and hard’.
‘So what will you do for the next 10 years?’ I asked cheekily. He smiled, and we both knew the answer.
So, dear Shinepreneur, what is the pure intent behind your project or business, does it make your heart sing? Take time to connect with it, share it, and allow it to weave it’s magic.
Here is a simple little formula to help you surface your pure intent:
- Sit quietly.
- Gently close your eyes.
- Take a few deep, calming breaths.
- Ask yourself, as a result of dealing with you, how do you want people to feel? What do you want them to know? What do you want them to do?
- Write the answers down and create a sentence.
EXAMPLE from a current client: “As result of dealing with me, people feel safe, heard and empowered, they can see themselves creating a pathway to wealth; they are so happy with my approach that they choose to hire me”.
The client who wrote this is one of the best performers in a national, wealth creation firm. He works with people to develop wealth creation strategies. This intention underlies all of his interactions with his clients. I will be interviewing him in a few weeks so you’ll hear more from him soon. Pure intent works.
Finally, let me leave you with this quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (who wouldn’t want a name like Wolfgang?)…
‘Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
Get into simple, effective action.’
Stay Shiney,
Jules
PS. My next blog will be about the scourge of busy-ness, and why it’s sometimes best to do nothing.
