Taking Action

“NEVER CONFUSE MOVEMENT WITH ACTION.”~ Earnest Hemingway

Taking Action means taking command of our lives.  Some people think to be successful they have to work 24/7. To the contrary, success is doing more in less time. It is not meant to mean always being busy.  Busy work happens when we don’t:                                                                                                                                                         ~ Determine the Outcomes we want to achieve.        

~ Decide the profits we want to earn and the amount of time invested.

~ Clarify our plan of action

 In Stephen Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People he says in Habit 2 ….. “Begin with the end in mind.”  To succeed in business you have to TAKE THE RIGHT ACTION. When I first began in direct sales I kept my business very simple.  I knew that I only wanted to work two nights a week and I also determined that I wanted to earn $150 a week (Remember this was in the 1970’s). With that decided, I needed to come up with a plan of action to support this outcome.  I also realized I had to work on mastering the necessary skills for booking ‘income producing’ appointments and closing the sale. This plan of action became my routine and the key to success was to consistently work the plan. I would often ask myself the question: “Is what I am doing now supporting my goals?”

I understood that if what I was doing was working then I should stay with it, but if it was not working then I needed to CHANGE.  I would like to share some things that kept me on track for success. The right actions for my business were:

 Deadlines  – So important – I always had a definite deadline to complete a task or to            accomplish an objective. Those deadlines kept me focused and on  purpose …and extremely productive. They became a ‘Point of  Accountability’ for me.

My Datebook (calendar or diary) –   I used a month-at- a glance format so I could see my schedule for the entire month. The reason my datebook became such a great tool aiding me in reaching success was due to the belief that I consider myself to be very “Responsible”. If I make an appointment; I keep it!!! If it is an appointment for an event, I show up. If I am hosting the event then I carry through on the plans.

HIRE an Office Assistant. – There is a saying; “If you don’t have an assistant then you are “an assistant”!  A Leader that Takes the Lead knows you can’t do it all! Probably capable to do everything but a Leader’s role is to Lead others; to grow the organization. Delegating everything except the people relationship; meetings, training, one-on-one time.

The true understanding of success is based on productivity.  Time is essential but just being busy over a long period of time is not success. Time is valuable…  So valuable, that the successful entrepreneur needs to find a way to maximize their time.

• TAKE the right ACTION in business.
• KEEP it SIMPLE
• HIRE a SUPPORT team
• START with the End in Mind.

These are the “Barbara” tips for success”! –I know they are SIMPLE — ” Did I forget to say –they are POWERFUL?”