How to be More Successful in 8 Days or Less

Achieving success at any endeavour is about deciding what or how you want to be, figuring out how to get there and then taking the necessary steps to achieve that. Easy if you say it fast!! Sometimes not so easy to make happen.

Here's a logical 8-step process to follow. Do one step each day, or as often as suits your schedule, and in 8 steps you'll have achieved a goal. Keep repeating and before long you will have many successes to celebrate!

Day 1: Write down how you will be once you have acquired the skill or achieved your goal. For instance if you want to learn to think strategically, you might write 'I am highly valued by my employer/clients for my ability to see strategic connections' and/or 'I advise and make effective decisions aligned with strategic goals.' Put this somewhere that you will see it everyday.

Day 2: Accept that you can learn and achieve new things and retain your integrity and ability to make choices. Multi-linguists do not lose their ability to speak their native language, and can often choose which language to 'think' in. Becoming a strategic thinker will not reduce your technical expertise. Increasing your business profit will not make you less of a nice person. You can choose. Keep reading your goal each day.

Day 3: Start a learning activity related to your goal. This might be reading a book, interviewing an expert, watching a video, attending a network meeting, hiring a coach or attending a workshop.

Day 4: Choose one new behaviour or action that you discovered yesterday. Rehearse it - try it out yourself, or with your coach. Get comfortable saying or doing this new thing.

Day 5: Try out the new behaviour or action for real. Notice what was easy and what was difficult about it. Also notice what happened next - what was the outcome? How did others react? What might you try differently next time?

Day 6: Try out your improved version of the behaviour or action. Again, notice what the outcome is. Think about any way you can improve on it. Make sure you are continuing to learn about this skill or activity - keep reading, watching videos, talking to experts and so on.

Day 7: Keep using your new behaviour or action when appropriate and add another one that you discovered in day 3 or from learning you have been doing since then. Use the same process for this. Now you are building behaviour blocks to strengthen your ability to gain your new skill or goal.

Day 8: Celebrate your achievements so far and keep adding new behaviours or actions until you have reached your goal. Use the process of rehearsing first then using new behaviours or actions. You're well on your way!