Success Advice

Quit Focusing On The Outcome — A Simple Way To Get More Of What You Want.

Published

4 years ago

Jan 30, 2019

Being obsessed with outcomes is messing up the chances you have to do more of the work you love.

The goal orientated world we live in preaches outcomes and in the business world that takes the form of KPI’s. Outcomes are like having dessert as the entree — it doesn’t make sense.

Much of my career has been focused on outcomes until I figured out how to get more of what I wanted.

The three phases I went through were these:

Part One: Hustle/work hard.

At the start, you don’t need any motivation towards an outcome you want in your life. Momentum happens because the sheer shine of your new idea does all of that for you.

When I first started blogging, the first fifty articles were the easiest to write. I had no expectations, audience or critics to tell me I was a moron. I’d sometimes write for eight hours at a time and it was easy to punch out 3000–4000 words with my eyes closed.

I preached the idea that you have to work hard because that’s what I was doing and thought “Well if I have to do so much work then everyone else should too.”

I still believe in working hard, but it’s not my only criteria anymore to enjoy life. Things have evolved and hard work alone is not enough.

Part Two: First success

In the first year of blogging, I had my first taste of success. I wrote an article that had 84,000 shares on Facebook.

I fell for the delusion that I’d be Tim Ferriss or someone of that stature within a few short months. Oh, how wrong I was…haha.

There were several more mini-successes after that, but there was a lot of nothingness in-between each milestone.

Part Three: The plateau

I spent much of my career on the internet trying to hustle, work harder than everybody else and produce as much content as I could.

Like anyone that has tried to focus on outcomes, there comes the inevitable part called ‘the plateau.’

Then there was a period where for about a year there was silence. I hit a major speed bump and wondered if writing about entrepreneurship was what I wanted to do.

Out of boredom from being single and hating my job, I kept going. There was still no change or progress for a while. I kept focusing on my goal but if the truth be told it didn’t really motivate me.

There were many times during this period of nothingness where I could have given up. Then, things started to change

Part Four: The realization

A man named Torio sent me a message one day saying I’d helped him.

From that moment, I stopped focusing on the outcome.

I discovered that focusing on the process was far more important. That process for me was giving everything I had to inspire one person. Step by step I just kept focusing on that goal.

It was the process of blogging I’d fallen in love with by accident.

Now all I concentrate on is following the process I’ve created and trying to be just 1% better every few months at helping people. I read, write, fail, get criticized, take risks and repeat.

What you learn is this:

Show up and commit to the process.

Quit trying to get something through an outcome-based approach and focus on helping people solve a problem. Every time you get to help someone it feels much better than achieving any goal.

Hitting 84,000 shares on that early Facebook post meant nothing compared to the entrepreneur who emailed me and didn’t commit suicide because of an article I wrote.

Expect nothing.

Focus on what you can give.

Enjoy the whole process.

<<<>>>

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net

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Tim Denning

Aussie Blogger with 500M+ views — Writer for CNBC & Business Insider. Inspiring the world through Personal Development and Entrepreneurship You can connect with Tim through his website www.timdenning.com

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Success Advice

20 Ways You Can Become a Powerful Communicator

Published

2 weeks ago

Jan 25, 2023

Joel Brown (Founder of Addicted2Success.com)

Some people seem to naturally know how to effectively communicate in a group setting. They can express themselves clearly and listen attentively without dominating the conversation.

Being a powerful communicator is important for several reasons, including building and maintaining relationships, achieving goals, resolving conflicts, improving productivity, leading and influencing others, advancing in your career, expressing yourself more confidently and authentically, and improving your mental and emotional well-being. Effective communication is an essential life skill that can benefit you in all aspects of your life.

But, don’t worry if you don’t naturally possess this skill, as effective communication is something that can be developed with practice, planning and preparation.

1. Listen actively: Practice active listening by giving your full attention to the speaker and responding to what they are saying.

2. Use “I” statements: Speak from your own perspective and avoid placing blame or making accusations.

3. Avoid assumptions: Don’t make assumptions about what the other person is thinking or feeling.

4. Be clear: Express your thoughts and feelings clearly and concisely by getting to the point and avoid using jargon or overly complex language.

5. Show empathy: Show that you understand and care about the other person’s feelings.

6. Offer valuable insights: When speaking in a group, provide a valuable takeaway or actionable item that people can walk away with.

7. Be an active listener: Listen attentively and respond accordingly, incorporating your points into the conversation.

8. Choose the right time: Pick the most opportune time to speak to ensure that you have the group’s attention and can deliver your message without interruption.

9. Be the unifying voice: Step in and unify the group’s thoughts to calm down the discussion and insert your point effectively.

10. Keep responses concise: Keep responses short and to the point to show respect for others’ time.

11. Avoid unnecessary comments: Avoid commenting on everything and only speak when you have something important to say.

12. Cut the fluff: Avoid being long-winded and get straight to the point.

13. Prepare ahead of time: Sort out your points and practice them before speaking in a group.

14. Smile and be positive: Smile and nod along as others speak, to build a positive relationship and be respected when it’s your turn to speak.

15. Take responsibility: Take responsibility for your own actions and feelings.

16. Ask questions: Ask questions to clarify any confusion or misunderstandings.

17. Avoid interrupting: Allow the other person to finish speaking without interruption.

18. Practice active listening: Repeat what the other person said to ensure you have understood correctly.

19. Use your body language too: Use nonverbal cues such as eye contact, facial expressions, and body language to convey your message and build rapport.

20. Be aware of the tone of your voice: it should be calm and assertive, not aggressive or passive.

By keeping these tips in mind, you can improve your communication skills and become a more powerful communicator, which can help you build better relationships, achieve your goals, and lead a more fulfilling life.

I you want to learn how to become more confident in life then you can join my weekly mentorship calls and 40+ online workshops at AweBliss.com so you can master your life with more success.