Making the decision to hire a business coach can be a very big decision for any individual or organization, and it can mean the difference between massive success and complete and total failure. At Jim Driscoll International, we realize that if you don’t know what to look for when hiring a coach, you could end up wasting a lot of precious time and money… only to end up exactly where you were when you started.

Anyone can claim to be a “business coach,” but only a handful of small-business coaches have the necessary characteristics that make them stand out in a crowd. Here are 12 tips to ensure you hire the right coach for your needs.

1. Hire a coach who has graduated from an established coaching program
   Business coaching is a skill that is mastered through practice and education.  Anyone can call himself or herself a coach, even if they have not had the proper training, because coaching is a field that is not currently regulated.  When you hire someone who has graduated from an established school or certification program, you can be confident that the coach has the appropriate skills to help you succeed.
2. Hire a coach who has had as much experience as a small-business owner as they have as a coach
   Consider how long they have been in business as a coach and how much experience they’ve had as a small business owner. The best coach will be someone that has been in your shoes and faced the challenges you’re facing.
3. Hire a coach who has both business and coaching skills
   The reason you hire a coach is to move forward, to find solutions to problems that are delaying your business growth, and to live the best life you can live.  A consultant provides help with brainstorming, gives advice, and educates.  You are most certainly aware of how important it is for a small business owner to possess planning, marketing, time management, and business strategy skills. Therefore, depending on the area you need help with, ensure the coach you hire is an expert in the topic, so that besides coaching, he or she teaches and advises you.
4. Consider the size and type of your business when hiring the right coach
   Some business coaches specialize in businesses with a staff of more than 100 people, while others specialize in small businesses or self-employed business owners.
5. Hire a coach with good references
   Check out what others have to say about his or her services.  Are his other clients like you?  Does he or she have experience in your field? Any coach with legitimate experience will be happy to provide references you can contact.
6. Hire a coach who is recognized as an expert
   Does the coach write, speak about, or teach a certain subject matter?  Are they known as an expert in marketing, sales, customer service, time management or business planning? What is their area of expertise?
7. Consider what other products and services they offer
   Besides coaching, ask if they offer other resources such as books, audios, videos or workshops.
8. Hire a coach who stimulates personal insights
   A good coach helps you gain understanding about yourself and your capacity, about what you truly desire and how you impede your own growth, in business and in life.
9. Hire a coach who challenges you
   He or she must challenge you to be your best and to be accountable for getting things done.
10. Hire a coach who is there for you
    He or she must be available to work and talk to you when you need them, be it by phone, email, or in person.
11. Hire a coach who is clear about fees
    Measure how open and clear the coach is about his or her fees.  Are you clear about what services you are getting for your money?
12. Ask for a free session
    Always ask for a free session. This allows you to get to know the coach and see if you are compatible and can they offer you what you need. See how you feel after the meeting. Did the conversation flow naturally? Did you feel excited and energized? You must feel like you can trust them.

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

 Visit our website at www.JimDriscoll.org

To find out if Jim Driscoll International® is the right coaching and consulting firm for you, I would like to invite you to sign up for a FREE coaching consultation today. Simply call 281-642-1275 or email Consult@JimDriscoll.org.

To receive a FREE copy of my eBook “Success Secrets of a Master Goal Achiever” which will truly educate, inspire and motivate you to go from mediocrity to Master Goal Achiever, along with my weekly Success Secrets Ezine Click HERE

As a Peak Performance Coach, I am proud to share with you one of the greatest lessons I have ever learned about success. I actually learned this lesson from my step father who was a very successful Dale Carnegie facilitator back in the late 70s and early 80s; and it has been the number one factor in my being able to achieve so many amazing goals in my own life.

In fact, my good friend, Ruben Gonzalez, who is a three time Olympian; (Soon to be 4 time) confirmed to me at Starbucks one morning that it was the number one thing that has allowed him and all Olympic athletes to become champions.

My friend, Billionaire Bill Bartman, says it is what allowed him and all successful business entrepreneurs to become highly successful.
Are you ready for the answer? All right, here we go…the number one thing that you can begin doing right now is…Choose.

That’s right; I said “choose.” That’s because success happens in a single instant.

Let me explain. The results you achieve in an endeavor are not the attainment of success; they are simply the confirmation of it. The reality is you become a champion long before the results show. As I said, success happens in an instant, the very moment you choose to do the things you need to do to be great and then continue each and every moment to choose to do those things.

Notice I said every moment? That’s because to be great you must stay in the moment. You can’t be thinking about the past; it’s over. And you can’t be thinking about the future. Instead, you must focus on the present moment and choose to do what needs to be done. You must understand that the future is created right now by the actions you are taking today.

We have come to believe that success happens when someone receives the award such as a gold medal or salesman of the year. But I am here to tell you, without a doubt, that greatness is not achieved when the result is recognized but rather when the individual chose to do the things he knows he needs to do.

Let’s consider an Olympic athlete like my good friend Ruben Gonzalez. They don’t become great when they break the record or win the medal. That just happens to be when the world recognizes it. It’s the evidence of their greatness. They actually became great when they took the extra actions needed and choose to do those actions over and over. For the swimmer and runner, it happens when they decide to do the extra laps. Greatness is found in the EXTRA’s. Extra time and effort put into doing the things they need to do to be great.

One of the most profound truths in life is that the difference between mediocrity and greatness is a very slim margin when being measured by the day or week. But the results in six months to a year are absolutely amazing.

Success is never about the big things you need to do. It’s about the small things that are done consistently, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. That’s why you must create the habits of doing the little things consistently.

Successful people have created the habit of doing the things that mediocre people are not willing to do.
If you’re in sales, then your rise from mediocrity to greatness can be found in making a few more calls each day before you leave the office or on your way home. It’s found in setting just a couple more opening appointments each week. It’s found in asking a few more people for referrals. As you can see, on a daily basis this doesn’t amount to much. But in time the results are amazing.

No matter where you are in your business right now, no matter what your performance has been, it can all change RIGHT NOW. It’s called a choice. You know what actions you need to do to be successful in your business. So choose to do them. Begin today. Right now, write down the things you need to do and then commit to doing them. Tell someone about your choice and allow them to help you be accountable for the actions you need to do.

Choose to do those extra things today, tomorrow and every day. In time, they will become easier for you to do and will become a part of your every day routine.

Remember this, what makes one great is developing the discipline of doing the extra things you need to do and then choosing to do them every day, whether you feel like it or not.

There is no difference between you and the number one person in your organization other than this one thing…CHOICE.

So, from this day forward take 100% responsibility for where you are in life. If you don’t like it, then choose to be a champion and begin doing the EXTRA’s that will make you a champion. It’s your choice.

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

 Visit our website at www.JimDriscoll.org

To find out if Jim Driscoll International® is the right coaching and consulting firm for you, I would like to invite you to sign up for a FREE coaching consultation today. Simply call 281-642-1275 or email Consult@JimDriscoll.org.

To receive a FREE copy of my eBook “Success Secrets of a Master Goal Achiever” which will truly educate, inspire and motivate you to go from mediocrity to Master Goal Achiever, along with my weekly Success Secrets Ezine Click HERE

Wow! Here we are going into the last week of December. The time to put 2008 and all that it held… or failed to hold for you behind. You have the rear view mirror torn off and you’re not looking back. You have committed to making 2009 your most successful year ever.

You have set your goals for the New Year and you are excited about getting started. But before you do, let’s insure you have a sound plan. Remember this; if you fail to plan then you plan to fail. If you were going to build a new home, you wouldn’t just order the lumber and as soon as it was dropped off begin nailing boards would you? Of course not. You can’t build a home without a blueprint.

So today I am going to share with you a simple but very effective 7 step process for creating your blueprint that when followed will guarantee the successful achievement of your goals.

A goal is more than just something you would like to do or have; it’s an outcome that you are committed to achieving and that you are willing to support with a plan and with action.

Please print this out and post it where you will see it daily. Make it a part of your everyday planning process. So here we go.

7 Steps to Effective Goal Planning

1. Write it down. Sounds simple, but most people never even take this first step. As soon as you decide on a goal, you must write it down, clearly defined and specific. Goal setting is no time to be even the least bit vague. Vague goals produce vague results while specific goals produce specific results. It also gives you something tangible that you can focus on daily.

2. Know you “WHY”. Too many people set a goal and then immediately begin trying to figure out how they are going to achieve it. When they can’t see how, they give up. But what we know about the human mind is this; when you know what you want and you know why you want it, the how’s will show up every time. If it is really a goal that you want to achieve, there will be a strong reason behind it. Take the time to identify why your new goals are important to you and write it down. You why will become your motivating factor.

3. Identify the specific skills and knowledge you will need. No matter what your goal is, there are skills and knowledge that you will need to acquire to achieve it. Take the time during the planning phase to identify them and determine how you will acquire them. Here is the good news; no matter what it is you are trying to achieve, someone has already done it and success leave clues. They have written books or made great audio and video programs that you can listen to. The internet is a great resource for obtaining the skills, knowledge and information you need.

4. Identify the people, groups and organizations that can assist you in achieving your goal. Successful people don’t waste their time, energy or resources trying to reinvent the wheel. Instead, they identify the people who have been there and they take the time to align themselves with those people to learn from them. Don’t be an innovator, be a master imitator. As I said, success leaves clues.

5. Identify the obstacles. Take the time to identify the obstacles that may get in the way of you succeeding. When you identify the obstacles, most times it’s nothing more than a bad habit that you have acquired. You must identify it and then identify 3 action steps you can do each day for the next several weeks in order to develop the new habits you need. The only real difference between successful people and those you are unsuccessful lies in the difference of their habits. Successful people have developed the good habits they need to be successful and they are always evaluating how they are doing in regards to those habits.

6. List you action steps. Simply begin writing down everything you will need to do in order to achieve your goal. You don’t have to know everything, just enough to get started. You don’t want to contract paralysis through analysis. Once you have your action steps written down, prioritize them and sequence them using the 80/20 rule.

7. Establish your timeline for completion. A goal is a dream with a deadline. You must have a timeline established in order to create a sense of urgency and to prevent procrastination. Your timeline is what converts your daily meaningless activity in to directed action. Everything you do each day will have an exact purpose that is leading you to the achievement of your goal.

There you have it, the 7 steps to creating an effective plan. Please remember this, in life, nothing is static. Every living thing is either growing or it’s dying. If you do not have goals that are backed by a sound plan, you are not growing as a person, but you are dying. Goals are to stretch you, to keep you growing, to make you something more than you are today.

Don’t live your life by default and become a wandering generality who has settled for a life of mediocrity. You were created to be so much more. This is your life, not some dress rehearsal. You are the writer of your life’s great movie script. You are also the producer and the director. But best of all, you are the star. Set big goals; make a sound plan using these 7 steps, commit to taking massive action every day, and make it a great life.

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

 Visit our website at www.JimDriscoll.org

To find out if Jim Driscoll International® is the right coaching and consulting firm for you, I would like to invite you to sign up for a FREE coaching consultation today. Simply call 281-642-1275 or email Consult@JimDriscoll.org.

To receive a FREE copy of my eBook “Success Secrets of a Master Goal Achiever” which will truly educate, inspire and motivate you to go from mediocrity to Master Goal Achiever, along with my weekly Success Secrets Ezine Click HERE

Are you tired of chasing the elusive dream known as the Balanced Life?  Does the idea of living a balanced life seem about as likely to you as finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Would you like to know the “Secret” to creating and living it right NOW?

It’s really quite simple; in order to truly be successful and live a balanced life, you must have clearly defined and specific goals for every major area of your life.

Anytime you put too much focus on goals in any one area of life, another area will suffer. No man has ever been on his death bed and said, “If only I could have spent more time at the office, or made just one more phone call.” It’s easy to grasp the concept of living the balanced life from your death bed.

For example: If you spend all your time at work and make a million dollars, but lose your wife and have no relationship with your kids; is that success? Is that balance?

How about if you work out every day and you are an elite athlete in great health, but have no social goals directed towards making a real difference in the world; is that success? Is that balance?

What if you spend quality time with your family but have terrible health because you ignored that area of your life; is that success? Is that balance?

I believe you would have to agree with me that the answer is a resounding NO.

A balanced life isn’t something that just happens, it’s something you create. And, in order to create it, you have clearly defined and specific goals in all the areas.

Here is a list of the 7 major areas for goal setting:

1. Mental Goals – Goals Pertaining to Personal Growth and Development
How do you identify and obtain the specific skills and knowledge you will need to live an extraordinary life?

2. Physical Goals – Goals Pertaining to Health and Fitness
How do you achieve high levels of fitness, energy and over all well being?

3. Spiritual – Goals Pertaining to Spiritual Development and Inner Peace
How do you organize your inner thinking so that you realize your full potential as a human being?

4. Vocational – Goals Pertaining to Business and Career
How do you become highly successful and move to the top in your field?

5. Family – Goals Pertaining to Family and Personal Life
How do you obtain balance between external success and personal relationships?

6. Financial – Goals Pertaining to Money and Investments      
How do you get your finances under control and obtain financial independence?

7. Social – Goals Pertaining to Social and Community   
How do you structure your life so that you make a real difference in the world and leave a lasting legacy? 

Again, you must have goals set for each of these areas. In order to do that, simply begin asking yourself, “What do I want to be, to do, and to have in each of these areas.”

Don’t procrastinate on this exercise. Take out pen and paper right now, and begin asking yourself this question for each area and write down everything that comes to mind. It might take a moment to get the creative juices flowing, but stick to it. Within an hour, you will have a nice list created. Make the goals as clearly defined and as specific as possible.

Prioritize your list and then choose 3 goals in each of the 7 areas that you would like to achieve this year or in the very near future. Take your time with this exercise and really think it through.

Get to work on this exercise right now, because next week, I am going to share with you my 7 step formula for creating an effective plan for the achievement of ALL the goals on your list.

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

Visit our website at http://www.jimdriscoll.org/

To find out if Jim Driscoll International® is the right coaching and consulting firm for you, I would like to invite you to sign up for a FREE coaching consultation today. Simply call 281-642-1275 or email Consult@JimDriscoll.org.

To receive a FREE copy of my eBook “Success Secrets of a Master Goal Achiever” which will truly educate, inspire and motivate you to go from mediocrity to Master Goal Achiever, along with my weekly Success Secrets Ezine Click HERE

It’s that time of year again, time for New Year’s resolutions. But let me ask you a question; are you tired of setting goals and resolutions that you never seem to achieve? Are tired of being frustrated and wondering why you can never seem to maintain focus on the things you want to accomplish?

This week I’m going to outline a very simple formula that you can begin to follow today that will allow you to achieve ALL your goals ALL the time. Print it out and post it where you can refer to it every day. Together, let’s make 2009 our greatest year ever.

Here is a simple 7 step formula for setting and achieving ALL your goals ALL the time:

1. Decide exactly what you want to be, to do, and to have in each major area of your life? Most people never do this, and therefore they live their lives by default. However, to create the life you desire, clarity is essential.

2. Write it down clearly defined and specific. This creates laser sharp focus on what you want to achieve. Your energy and your passion can only flow where you focus or your attention goes. It must be clear. Vague goals produce vague results while specific goals produce specific results. Here’s an example: To purchase a new Mercedes S500 by August 31, 2009.

3. Set a timeline for the completion of your goal. Your subconscious mind thrives on time specific goals. Time lines create a sense of urgency and prevent procrastination. They also turn meaningless daily activity into directed action. They provide benchmarks to measure your progress on a consistent basis. For example: I will save $300.00 by the 30th of each month with half saved by May 15th and the full amount saved by August 15th.

4. Make a list of everything you will have to do to achieve your goal. Continually review your list and add to it as you think of new activities and tasks, which you will do daily.

5. Organize your list into a plan. Decide what you need to do first, second, third and so on. Decide what must be done and in what order. Continually revisit your plan and rework it as needed.

6. Immediately take action on your plan. Do something, anything, just get started. It’s amazing how many people fail simply because they never take action on their goals and plans. Ask yourself right now, “What can I do right now, that will move me in the direction of achieving my goal?” and then do it.

7. Commit to doing something every single day that moves you toward achieving your major goal, whatever it is. This discipline of committing to doing something every day enables you to develop and maintain momentum. Daily action increases your determination and gives you energy. This single resolution, commitment to daily action, will turn your life around.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? That’s because it is simple. It’s just not easy. If it were easy, then everyone would be super successful master goal achievers. It’s going to take daily discipline and developing new habits. If I have written it once I have written it a thousand times:

“The ONLY difference between successful people and those who settle for lives of mediocrity lies in the difference of their habits.”

Successful people have created the habits of doing the things that others won’t do. Successful people follow the exact formula that I just outlined for you above.

With the formula in hand, there is only one real question, what will YOU do differently tomorrow, than you did today, that will take you closer to achieving all your goals in life?

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

 Visit our website at http://www.jimdriscoll.org/

To find out if Jim Driscoll International® is the right coaching and consulting firm for you, I would like to invite you to sign up for a FREE coaching consultation today. Simply call 281-642-1275 or email Consult@JimDriscoll.org.

To receive a FREE copy of my eBook “Success Secrets of a Master Goal Achiever” which will truly educate, inspire and motivate you to go from mediocrity to Master Goal Achiever, along with my weekly Success Secrets Ezine Click HERE

Two weeks ago I was speaking to a sales organization in Houston, Texas. My topic that day was goal achievement and the fact that we can all be, do and have anything we desire in this wonderful life we live.

After my talk had concluded, one of the sales reps came up to me and thanked me for my talk and informed me that his goal for 2009 was to earn 1 million dollars.

I told him “that’s great,” and asked him how much he was currently worth and how much he currently made?

Now I have never been one to squelch another’s dreams, but when he told me he was deeply in debt, and that he only earned $72,000.00 in 2008, I had to tell him I seriously doubted he would achieve this lofty goal and that he should consider making his goal for 2009 a little smarter.

Unfortunately, he left rather upset at me and appalled that I did not encourage him more. I wish he had stuck around for a moment so that I could have explained to him that in order to achieve any goal; it must include all five elements that make the goal SMART.

The five elements that make it a SMART goal are;

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Realistic
T – Timeable

The S is for SPECIFIC. Your goals must be specific and clearly defined. There is a big difference in earning more money and earning $85,000.00 by December 31, 2009. There’s a big difference between a new car and a new 2009 black Mercedes E350 with grey interior. I think you get the picture. You must be able to clearly describe your goal on paper in a way that even a child would know what it is you desire. Remember this, vague goals produce vague results, while specific goals produce specific results.

M for MEASURABLE. You must be able to measure the progress you are making towards the achievement of your goal on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. In life, nothing is static. Just like a plant, you are either growing or you’re dying. You’re either moving towards the achievement of your goal or your moving further away from it. Create a sound plan and implement benchmarks along the way and measure your progress daily.

A is for ATTAINABLE. I love the quote, “if you fail to plan you plan to fail.” With a sound plan, showing where you are and where you are going with all the action steps to follow, you know the goal is attainable and that will keep you motivated.

R is for REALISTIC. Your goal must be realistic before you can have the motivation to move you into action. You must believe with all your heart you can do it.

With the sales rep that came up to talk with, he had never even saved $10,000.00 before. What makes him believe he could really save one million in one year? Possibly in ten years he could do it, if he created all the necessary habits and really became focused and disciplined.

Finally, the T is for TIMEABLE. It’s said that a goal is simply a dream with a deadline. You must establish timelines for beginning, benchmarks along the way, and a deadline for completion. Timelines create a sense of urgency and prevents procrastination. Timelines are what turns your daily activity into directed action. You must establish timelines for all your goals.

So there you have it, the formula for SMART goals. Take the time today to evaluate all your goals for 2009 and ask yourself the question, does this goal incorporate all the elements to ensure I can and will achieve this goal? Increase your odds of success exponentially by making them SMART. 

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

Visit our website at http://www.jimdriscoll.org/

To find out if Jim Driscoll International® is the right coaching and consulting firm for you, I would like to invite you to sign up for a FREE coaching consultation today. Simply call 281-642-1275 or email Consult@JimDriscoll.org.

To receive a FREE copy of my eBook “Success Secrets of a Master Goal Achiever” which will truly educate, inspire and motivate you to go from mediocrity to Master Goal Achiever, along with my weekly Success Secrets Ezine Click HERE

As a peak performance coach, I have had the opportunity to work with many highly successful organizations ran by extremely successful individuals. And what I have found to be one of the most common traits that all of these successful individuals’ posses was this; they all take 100% responsibility for their lives and everything in it. That includes their success, their failures and their attitude. And because they take 100% responsibility, they never blame or complain about anyone or anything that’s going on in their lives. It’s an amazing experience just to be around these people.

The reason they take responsibility is very clear;   if they were to blame or complain, then they would be choosing a victims mentality. However, successful people choose to be in control of their life. They choose to sit in the captains’ seat and direct their lives path.

Successful people live by the formula E+R=O, which stands for Event + Response = Outcome. The idea behind this is really quite simple. The E in life, the events that happen, like losing your job, going bankrupt, the death of a loved one, the state of the economy, or someone doing something you don’t like, has nothing to do with your outcomes or the result you experience. If they did, then everyone would experience the same outcomes to the same events. But that’s not the case. Two people can easily experience two completely different outcomes to the exact same event.

That’s because events never equal the outcome. Instead, outcomes are created by how we respond to the events that happen in our life. When an event occurs in the world, you can’t blame the event; that’s just the world being worldly. Things happen. And when people do things you don’t like, you can’t blame them, that’s just people being people. You can’t control them. When you blame the events or other people, what you are doing is you are taking on a victim’s mentality.

There are two ways you can respond to events. One, you can react to the event by blaming it for your bad outcome, or, two, you can evaluate the event, and then, rather than use your emotions, use your mind to generate a response to it that will create the outcome you desire.

Successful people have learned to do just that. They evaluate the event, and then take the time to generate a response to it that will yield them the outcome they desire.

Let me give you an example; when I get home in the evening, I always ask my four year old daughter for a kiss, and sometimes she tells me no. Now I have two choices on how I can respond; I can either blame the event, her telling me no, for my bad outcome of not getting a kiss. Or, I can evaluate the event, her telling me no, and then, generate a response to it that will yield me the outcome I desire, which is getting a kiss.

For example, I might try saying, “Sierra, don’t you kiss me; I don’t like it when you kiss me. Ooh, get away.” What do you think she’s going to do? Sure, she’s going to inundate me with kisses. In fact, I will probably have to fight her off. My response created my outcome, not the event.

And that’s exactly how it is in real life. When events happen that you don’t like, don’t blame or complain. That’s focusing on the bad event and blaming it for you bad outcome. Instead, focus on the outcome you desire, and then generate a response to the event that will create the specific outcome you desire. Don’t react to it, respond to it.

This week, I want you to maintain focus on how you respond to the events that take place. Don’t react, but instead, take the time to evaluate the event, and think of how you can respond to it in order to create the positive outcome you desire. You’re never a victim unless you choose to be.

Remember, E+R=O; Event + Response = Outcome.

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

 Visit our website at http://www.jimdriscoll.org/

To find out if Jim Driscoll International® is the right coaching and consulting firm for you, I would like to invite you to sign up for a FREE coaching consultation today. Simply call 281-642-1275 or email Consult@JimDriscoll.org.

To receive a FREE copy of my eBook “Success Secrets of a Master Goal Achiever” which will truly educate, inspire and motivate you to go from mediocrity to Master Goal Achiever, along with my weekly Success Secrets Ezine Click HERE

Tuesday morning, while planning out my day, I had an amazing epiphany. Somehow, the simplification techniques I teach my clients no longer applied to me, or so it seemed. Here I was, writing out my action items for the day and the list was growing by the second. Time had to be blocked out for writing my new book that’s due out on December 9th, my new video series for Mentors Club that’s 2 weeks past due, my new Goal Achievers workbook and audio series due out next Wednesday, my new coaching curriculum workbook due next Friday, and then there’s preparing for my two group coaching sessions as well as my eleven one-on-one clients, and then polishing up and practicing my two keynotes and workshop I’m delivering later this month. Then there’s my personal life; quality time with my two daughters as well as my significant other. And what about skydiving and working out, and…… Yes, the coach was getting overwhelmed. Then came the epiphany ………It was time to revisit the good old 80/20 rule.

As I looked at the list, I asked myself, “what’s the 20% of action items on this list that earns me 80% of my income, and how can I focus 80% of my time on that 20%?”

I have taught for years that this is the only way to double your income while doubling your time off. So it was time for simplification and refocusing on what’s most important. As I went down the list I asked myself, “what exactly are my priorities?” and then I began applying the 4 D’s. Do it, defer it, delegate it or dump it. I’ll share more on that in an upcoming article.

Now, Back to the 80/20 principle. Understand that If you can learn to identify the 20% of your daily action items that earn you 80% of your income, and then create the habit of focusing 80% of your time working intently on that 20%, you will become very proficient at performing those task and you will be able to complete them in a much shorter period of time. The result of this phenomenon is that you will double your income because you’re the best at it and you are doing MORE of it, and you will double your time off because you’re doing it quicker and more efficiently.

As I said earlier, I have been teaching this principle to my clients for years and the results have created many rags to riches stories. I am sharing it with you now in hopes that you will apply it to your own life immediately. Please don’t let this article be just another futile lesson in hearing but instead, let it be your call to action.

I promise you that if you will take time RIGHT NOW to do the following exercises; your life WILL change forever.

1. Write down at the end of each hour exactly what you did during that time block for 1 week.

2. Evaluate how much time you wasted vs. how productive you were (And be honest).

3. Write down all the things you do each day and identify which ones earn you 80% of your income.

4. Structure your day to where your spending 80% of it on your list of the 20% that earn 80%.

5. Delegate, defer or dump all the other items that are of lesser value.

6. Focus on one thing at a time and stay with it until it is 100% complete.

Double your income and double your time off………The time is NOW!

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

 Visit our website at http://www.jimdriscoll.org/

To find out if Jim Driscoll International® is the right coaching and consulting firm for you, I would like to invite you to sign up for a FREE coaching consultation today. Simply call 281-642-1275 or email Consult@JimDriscoll.org.

To receive a FREE copy of my eBook “Success Secrets of a Master Goal Achiever” which will truly educate, inspire and motivate you to go from mediocrity to Master Goal Achiever, along with my weekly Success Secrets Ezine Click HERE 

I’m not sure why, but I just received an email, and all it said, in big bold letters was “DO YOU HAVE A WINNING ATTITUDE?”

My first reaction, in a semi perturbed tone, and notice I said reaction, (That’s never a good thing) was “Hey, what do you mean sending this to me? Of course I do.”

And then it hit, I needed an attitude check. One of the greatest lessons in life and one that all successful people have learned is that attitude is the only area of our life that we truly have the ability to control. And if we learn to control it, we have the power to create our life any way we desire.

So let’s define attitude. Attitude is the culmination of our thoughts, our feeling and our emotions. It’s not any one of them independently, but a culmination of all three. That’s because they work synergistically to create the results in our life.

Our thoughts create our feeling, our feelings drive our actions, and it’s our actions create our results.

So whatever results you currently have in your life you are 100% responsible for, because your external world of results is simply a mirror reflection of your internal world of attitude. And your actions are the bridge that connects the two.

At the conscious level, you choose to accept that thought. And once you did, it became impressed upon your subconscious mind as real and as fact. In response to the thought you accepted, your subconscious created vibrations that we refer to as feelings and emotions, and it was those feelings that drove your body to conduct the actions that created the results you currently have in your life.

So if you want to change the results you currently have in your life, simply change your thoughts, which will change your feelings, which will change your actions and thus create for you the results you desire.

Good positive thoughts about what you want will produce in you the positive feelings associated with that thought. In turn, those positive feelings will cause you to take positive and productive actions that will create or manifest that very result. It has to, because it is a universal law.

Stop right now and ask yourself, “Do I have a winning attitude?” What thoughts are you thinking and accepting? Realize they are seeds that are creating your future results. Take them captive today and stay focused on them at all times.

Think like a winner and you’ll feel like a winner. Feel like a winner and you’ll act like a winner. Act like a winner and you’ll be a winner. Create you’re winning attitude today.

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

 Visit our website at http://www.jimdriscoll.org/

To find out if Jim Driscoll International® is the right coaching and consulting firm for you, I would like to invite you to sign up for a FREE coaching consultation today. Simply call 281-642-1275 or email Consult@JimDriscoll.org.

To receive a FREE copy of my eBook “Success Secrets of a Master Goal Achiever” which will truly educate, inspire and motivate you to go from mediocrity to Master Goal Achiever, along with my weekly Success Secrets Ezine Click HERE

While Skydiving last weekend I had an amazing epiphany. 

As I was sitting in the plane cruising up to the jump altitude of 13,500 feet, I went into my normal pre-jump routine of practicing my response to a disaster. With my right hand I grabbed the cutaway handle as if cutting away a bad parachute, and then with my left hand grabbed the reserve handle.  I did this several times.

But I noticed, as I was going through the routine sitting there jammed in with other skydivers that I began to feel the rising emotions associated with having a bad parachute. 

In other words I was filling up with fear as I sat there, as if I was actually looking up at a bad chute and having to cutaway, and then pull the reserved handle. I sat in my seat wallowing in the emotion of fear for a moment.  After a few minutes of that I said to myself, cancel, cancel. That’s my cue to replace a negative thought with a positive one. I then imagined myself standing in the open door feeling the cool breeze, letting go for a long freefall, then pulling my main parachute at the correct altitude, and finally looking up at a beautifully opened canopy under the bright blue sky. 

I imagined having a nice three-minute flight back down to the drop zone, and making a perfect landing in the middle of a beautiful green field.  As I closed my eyes and imagined that moment I was immediately overcome by a sense of peace. The fear was overcome by that peace, by simply changing my thought.  What I learned from that was this; fear is simply an assumption.  It’s an assumption that in the future, you’re going to receive more pain than pleasure, more bad than good, or more negative than positive from yourself, your situation, or from someone else. But it’s simply that… an assumption.

So the next time you feel the powerful emotion of fear, realize that it is simply doubt and worry of the future event going unchecked that is causing those feelings and emotions. Ask yourself “what is the worst case scenario”, acknowledge it, and then immediately replace it with a positive thought. When you do that, you will have effectively managed your emotion of fear allowing you to move forward with positive and productive actions and results.

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

 Visit our website at http://www.jimdriscoll.org/

To find out if Jim Driscoll International® is the right coaching and consulting firm for you, I would like to invite you to sign up for a FREE coaching consultation today. Simply call 281-642-1275 or email Consult@JimDriscoll.org.

To receive a FREE copy of my eBook “Success Secrets of a Master Goal Achiever” which will truly educate, inspire and motivate you to go from mediocrity to Master Goal Achiever, along with my weekly Success Secrets Ezine Click HERE