How do you know when you are a success? With so many different definitions and varied opinions, it can be difficult to determine. The truth is- YOU determine when you are a success! That sounds pretty easy but lets look at three definite tips to make sure you end up exactly where you want to go!
So many times, people launch into business ventures or get a great idea and just 'roll' with it. Their outcome is not well thought out and therefore they end up exactly where they did not plan to go! How crazy would it be to show up at the airport one day and have no idea where you want to go? This is one of the reasons why so many businesses fail and why so many dreams fall like ashes to the ground- before they are realized.
- Setting measurable goals or laying out specific plans for your business is a great place to start. Knowing where you are going is part of the process of actually getting there so ask yourself some great questions. Where do I want to take my business? What will success look like to me? What areas in my business will lead to the success I seek? When you find the answers to these questions and then set measurable goals in the areas you find to be the most important, you are on your way to success!
- Often times, goals are set and then we get so busy that we forget the next step which is monitoring those goals; checking our results! Think about it; if you board an airplane from Portland Oregon to Miami Florida, your airplane will remain off course a good percentage of the time it is in the air. The pilot (and autopilot) continually makes little adjustments that result in you actually making it to your destination. Imagine if the pilot set course for Miami and then never checked in to make sure the airplane had not wandered off course? High winds and turbulence would easily throw the plane off course and you would not arrive in Miami. Monitoring your progress, checking in on your goals and making sure things are going according to your plan is one of the surest ways to arrive at your desired destination.
- Measuring and monitoring your goals will not be enough to help you reach your definition of success. You must be wise enough to manage your results. It does no good to set a goal, monitor its progress and then make no corrections if things are not moving in the right direction. Managing your progress means taking the necessary steps (sometimes radical) to insure that your plane is 'on course'! Changing times, economics, trends and technologies can wreak havoc on your plans but only if you are not actively managing your outcomes.
Take a look at your business or personal goals and ask yourself if you have measurable goals. If not- set some right away! Goals set? Ask yourself if you are monitoring those goals on a regular basis and finally, determine if you are managing and readjusting those goals so that you are continually headed in the direction of your dreams.
Success is fairly easy to predict! Find someone who is Measuring, Monitoring and Managing their business, their goals and themselves and that is where you will find success in the making!
