September 9, 2019 10:00 am Published by

5 Practices for Success #146

How do you define success? For me, I have a personal plan and a business plan written out. Each year, at home and work, I recalibrate and configure what “success” looks like. My personal plan is completed independently of my husband and then we collaborate to combine them, the dialogue we have while combining them is meaningful and offers great insight into each of our priorities and the changing landscape as we grow together.

I rediscovered my 2018 Personal plan today. Though I used it throughout last year, it was fun to review it and see what’s been accomplished since then. My current year’s personal and business plan hangs in my office and both are reviewed and prioritized every quarter. It was so validating to see that most of my 2020 plan is in progress or already completed – to be specific, three things remain incomplete. WOW!

Those incomplete items often cause me heartburn. The perfectionistic part of my psyche typically ruminates on those items and is blind to the wins. Not today. Today, the incompletions are noted, but they are not consuming the healthy space in my psyche and draining my energy. My attention is focused on what’s completed and in progress, and it’s fueling me powerfully.

I’m appreciating my health, and the progress made there while aggressively attacking business goals and objectives. Historically, I’ve chosen one over the other. That’s no longer true for me. Neither are the excuses or stories I used to justify my lack of results.

I have two goals left to accomplish this year, and I’ll be complete. I’m excited about that as it’s what I intended for 2019. Here are a few practices that work to sustain success throughout the year:

  1. Write down and create an agreement with those around you about what matters most. Discuss and review your plans as often as necessary. On a 90-day basis, set new priorities to accomplish a portion of your goals.
  2. Say “no” to anything that distracts you from your goals (read chapter 2 in my book Chasing Perfection if you need to learn this – I still work on being better at this!).
  3. Eliminate your excuses. Do what you said whether you “feel” like it or not. You will “feel” great once you do what you said!
  4. Surround yourself with people who will encourage, challenge, cheer and remind you when you need it.
  5. Celebrate your wins. The journey and the results are worth it – make sure you remember to acknowledge them along the way (not just at the end)!

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