Simply Successful Secrets

Goodness gracious. I've only just participated in my first meme blog posting and today I'm posting my second one. This is not something that I want to make a habit because it takes a fair bit of time, which is why I'm very selective with the ones in which I would play a role.

I'm placing this second one here only because it is related to the personal growth and development topics, about which I love to share.

I was tagged by Julien Pegler who was invited by Camille Crawford at NOW.
You can find the source of this meme at Simply Successful Secrets, where you can also read the 'rules' of the meme so that you too can participate with us.

Here are a few of my daily habits that have contributed to my success:

Read, read, read! I could not begin to tell you how many personal development books, articles, blogs and sites I've read. I love to keep up with the latest. The information is prolific and the 'conversation' is growing exponentially.

Stay in communication. Each day I am connected with others who are in the personal growth world. We find things out from each other and share each others' experiences. "Learn from the mistakes of others, you can never live long enough to make them all yourself." ~John Luther~

Participate in programs. Since the 1990's through to today I have been on many personal or business development program weekends such as Landmark Education, Anthony Robbins, Christopher Howard, various one-hour or half day programs, evenings led by a very diverse range of people such as Brad Sugars, Mal Emery.

Take consistent action. Never, ever give up. Do what you love to do and do it daily. I love to share resources and personal growth tips with others. My daily blogging reflects that. Whenever I find something useful, I share it with others. Sharing knowledge is what expands an empowered environment for us all to grow.

Develop clarity. Get more and more clear on what I want for my life and what I want my life to be about. Sharing these kinds of posts with others helps to get me more clear about what I love and what I want to contribute. I constantly search for the 'footprint' I want to leave on Earth and move toward that direction, daily.

Visualize with emotion. Spend time every day, a few moments before sleep and on waking, to see in my mind's eye and feel with every fibre of my being how it is for me when I fulfill every one of my personal goals.

Vision board. Yes, I have created one of these and it is posted up on the inside of my wardrobe door so that I see it each day when I dress for the day. Here's a little more about vision boards for you who'd like to create one too.

Have systems. For all the things to which I need to attend daily, I have systems in place to keep me organized. I have templates that I can personalize for emails that are repetitive. I have filing systems so that I always know what to do with the bits of paper that cross my path! I have a calendar that throws up reminders on my computer screen. Any promises, appointments, requests are immediately entered into that calendar with an advance reminder set in place. Wherever I can, I automate and organize so that it saves me time.

Be discerning. I'm becoming more and more selective and attend only to those things that move forward my vision. There are less and less low quality and time wasting activities that grab my attention, the more success that I experience. As success levels increase, so do the number of requests in my inbox and other places. I am more vigilant with productive, high leverage use of my time.

Create personal time. Greg (my partner) and I have set aside Saturday afternoon through to Monday morning as our time. We both have our own businesses and unless we schedule time together, it is very easily to allow external influences to keep us in activity 24/7 so we must set aside deliberate time that is ours to do with as we please.

Good friends. Have people around you who know you well and will tell it to you straight! "I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better." ~Plutarch~ I have regular phone calls and coffee meets scheduled with those friends, every week.

Focus on the good. This one takes me a lot of practice. Keep the focus on what is working and what is right, rather than what is wrong and not going the way I'd like it to go. My best tool for this is a poster at my desk, "Whatever you focus on WILL expand." It reminds me to 'switch' and replace a negative thought immediately.

Be aware and present. I am so much better at staying in the present moment, noticing my internal hunches and going with those than I used to be years ago. This is as a result of committing to being that way and being vigilant. It takes practice.

Value myself and my contribution. I trust that I make a difference. I believe in myself and value myself as unique. I take space because I have a right to do that. No human is of lesser or greater value than another and I include myself in that equation.

Learn and explore. I stay curious. It's amazing the things I discover when I give up that 'I already know'. I hear the gold in the communication from other people and can weigh up if something is for me or not, by staying open to the new. It keeps me flexible and OK with saying yes or no. It helps me forgive myself moment by moment when I change my mind about a direction I'm traveling.

Know when enough is enough. I am finishing my post here because I can see that I could go on forever. There are so many things I could choose to share which contribute to my success. So this paragraph is my cut off and I decide to be content and complete with what I have written here. I trust that others will fill the gaps with items that I have not shared here! :)

I'm handing the continuation of this meme to these wonderful bloggers:
Remember to visit Simply Successful Secrets for the 'rules' of the meme.

Nick Smith from Life 2.0
Peter Reilly from Ed Tech
Jeremy Jacobs from Corporate Presenter
Polli from PolliwogsPond
Jim Edwards from I Gotta Tell You
Steve Aitchison from Change Your Thoughts
Daniel Gilbert from Stumbling on Happiness
Steve Pavlina from Personal Development-Smart People
Tony Clark from Success From The Nest