Success Advice
How to 10X the Likelihood of Completing Your Next Big Project

According to Bob Proctor, you have a 95% chance of making personal change happen if you make a plan and set a specific time to share your progress with someone. At the opposite end of the spectrum, you only have a 10% chance of making a change if you say “that’s a good idea” to your next inspirational brain wave without doing anything else.
Now think about it, how many times have you thought “that’s a good idea” and been inspired to do something without actually pulling the trigger to take one single, simple step towards doing something? This is one of the biggest challenges standing in the way of people from achieving their fullest potential.
Here are 6 steps to help you jump-start your next project and take action right away:
1. Identify which ideas are actually good
Not all ideas are created equal, and not all ideas are worth pursuing. In fact, some ideas and goals should be actively avoided. Warren Buffett tells a story about having someone write out their top 25 career goals on a piece of paper. After looking at the list, he asks the individual to circle the top 5 goals on their list. After that, he tells the person that the 20 remaining goals should be “avoided at all costs” until the first 5 goals are met.
It is a mistake to think that you can split your energy in multiple directions and succeed at anything. Instead, focus on the top 2 or 3 things that are most important to you, and actively avoid anything that takes you away from pursuing those goals or ideas.
2. Tell yourself you will do something with this new idea
Once you’ve decided that something is important enough to pursue, make a point of telling yourself you will do something to further explore the idea. This doesn’t mean making a commitment to quit your day job to pursue a vague idea for a startup. Nor does it mean dropping everything to travel the world for 6 months. Rather, it means that you commit to looking into something to get a better idea of what’s involved before taking the leap on a project.
“Ideas are commodity. Execution of them is not.” – Michael Dell
3. Choose a deadline or create a window of time to get something shipped
Outline a specific window of time to accomplish something, and then write out that plan in a calendar. The most important thing is to make sure the deadline is reasonable and that you are realistic. If you make a goal to double your income and launch a new business in the next 12 months, you may find yourself becoming disheartened when things aren’t working out after 3 weeks. I typically choose to work on tasks and projects in 1-3 month sprints, at which point I check in and reevaluate my progress.
4. Outline a specific plan of action on how to do it based on the timeline you have created
I use a variety of tools to help plan out my tasks and remind myself what I’m supposed to be working on, but at the end of the day, the best tool I use to schedule activities is a simple Excel spreadsheet to track tasks on a day by day basis. Check out the book “12 Week Year” for some ideas on how to choose specific action items and tasks which will help you move the needle on your work.
“Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” – Guy Kawasaki
5. Make a commitment to accomplish something specific based on the timeline and plan
Now that you have spent the time to research your idea, develop a timeline for the idea and structured a plan with specific tasks to accomplish this idea. You must make a commitment to yourself to carry out the tasks on your list and to strive to complete everything on time.
This task is incredibly important because it requires that you tap into a deeper level of motivation that goes beyond acceptance by the group or fear of failure. Instead, you need to reach deep down and make a commitment based on a deep need to accomplish the task that goes beyond recognition.
6. Set a specific time to review and be accountable for your plan and progress with someone else
We all know that even the most powerful source of internal motivation may not be enough to keep you going when times get tough. This is why you should make a habit of meeting up with a friend, mentor or colleague to review your progress on a certain project and to get ideas on how best to proceed. Make this meeting at a time that you both agree on well in advance, be clear on the feedback you want, and then don’t miss your deadlines!
At the end of the day, taking action is perhaps the biggest deciding factor that will directly contribute to your success and your ability to achieve your goals. If you don’t act, you’re dead in the water. So make a commitment to yourself today to give this a shot.
Think this system would work for you? Let us know!
Success Advice
The Dilemma of Vulnerability: How Safe It Is to Share It in a Business Environment

I get asked all the time: “Debora is it safe to be vulnerable and share my story? Will it diminish my credibility?” Vulnerability is one of the most potent ways to connect to your audience deeply. I want to make a distinction though. Vulnerability is not about sharing your story only, but about how you share it and how much or little you refer to the emotions and feelings involved in the story. (more…)
Success Advice
It’s Time to Stop Chasing a False Image of Success

Each person reading this will have a different idea about what accomplishing success involves. For some, you want to lose weight. For others, you desire to build a business that creates financial freedom. An excellent general definition could be becoming the best you in each major area of your life. (more…)
Success Advice
8 Steps to Go From a Wannabe to a Powerhouse Brand That People Will Love

In today’s digital world, consumers are navigating up to ten thousand ads every day. Brands are how consumers decide where to pay attention – they help us make decisions about what products we buy, the restaurants we eat at and where we go on vacation. For this reason, developing a brand is essential for the health of your business. Building a brand won’t happen overnight, but by pursuing the following eight steps, you can create a brand that will help your business stand out and put you on the right path to sharing your story with the world. (more…)
Success Advice
4 Principles You Need to Understand About Creating Success and Not Settling

You know there’s so much more you want to accomplish in your life, but you feel paralyzed by setbacks in the past and a little voice that tells you to sit back down. You’re afraid of failing and tired of all that life throws at you. You want to build a business, get a better job, make more money, have better relationships, be recognized as an industry leader, make an impact, skydive, and a hundred other things. You want to live full out and experience all that life offers those that take action. (more…)
- Success Advice3 weeks ago
How to Achieve Success – The Best Tip for Massive Growth
- Life4 weeks ago
Remember, A Setback Is Setting You Up for Your Comeback
- Success Advice4 weeks ago
The A-E-I-O-U’s of Success: Increase Your Opportunities for Future Success
- Success Advice3 weeks ago
Stop Letting This One Thing Rob You of Your Morning Productivity
- Success Advice4 weeks ago
It’s Time to Stop Letting the Fear of Failure Derail Your Success
- Success Advice4 weeks ago
4 Characteristics That Made the Legendary Didier Drogba Great
- Success Advice3 weeks ago
Use This Framework to Reach Your Highest Goals
- Success Advice2 weeks ago
5 Success Secrets From Elon Musk You Need to Know
Abhay
Jul 17, 2018 at 2:42 am
Hi McVal Osborne, It was very interesting to read this article.
Thank you very much for the useful ideas which u have given here.