As a former athlete I often find myself situations that I come across in business and life in general back to my glory days.

It seems that many lessons my coaches were engraving into our minds are ever present today in my business.

One lesson that comes more often than others is this: you either let external stimuli directly affect you, or you take the fight to the opponent. This might seem a little harsh for everyday business interactions, but let me explain.

In your life and in your business there are only two things that can change the course you are on right now for the better, or for the worse. The two items I am talking about are as follows:

1. Something good comes into your life.

I think about this more in the passive sense, however it definitely can be somewhat controlled by your actions. I would describe these situations as unforeseen or even “lucky.” Let me define luck in the terms I am referring to – luck is where opportunity meets preparation.

A few real world examples would be that new client that called you out of the blue and now is your number one priority, that mentor you met while at a networking event, that $5 bill you found in your jeans while you were doing your laundry. These situations seem to just happen to you, but what is really happening is the culmination of your daily success rituals coming to fruition.

Action Steps:

1. Define your daily success rituals that will attract these “lucky” breaks to happen more often
2. Be PROactive in your life and put yourself in situations that can help you on your path to greatness

“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson 

2. Something new comes from within you!

I really like to follow entrepreneurs who are playing the game at a higher level than I am and work every day to mimic the plans they have used to create success for themselves. Creating high level connections, new opportunities, more business really gets my blood flowing and is why I prefer this method.

We can absolutely control the information/thoughts that we let come into our brains each and every day. The end result is taking the actions that the greats have already laid out for us to reach the success we are working toward.

Action Steps:

1. Be protective of the information you consume every day. Control your thoughts and you will control your actions.
2. Learn from people playing the game at a higher level than you are, READ!
3. Surround yourself with positive, like minded individuals.
4. Be honest with yourself and ask yourself these questions – who can I reach out to that will help me accomplish my goals/dreams/mission? What thoughts or positive affirmations do I need to rehearse every day to elevate my attitude?

Stop being REactive and start being PROactive.

Be great, nothing else pays!