Preparing For Success
Written by: Claire Johnson, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you currently have a goal in mind that you are working towards? Are you prepared to do what it takes to achieve it, and do you know what it is actually going to take to get there? These are essential questions to ask yourself when you set yourself a goal and begin the journey towards it.
Are you fully committed and prepared to go all in to get what you want, whether it be work or business venture, fitness goal, or one of life’s bucket list items? Can you honestly say to yourself that you are doing all that you can to achieve it?
Most fail is in the preparation phase and not taking enough time to investigate, research, or learn what is required to achieve the goal. It is essential to understand the timeframes of your chosen task, the amount of work and effort you will need to commit to it, and in doing so, you may need to reassess other priorities. If you are serious and going all in, it is highly likely sacrifices will occur in other areas of your life. You may need to cancel social events, readjust existing deadlines, or delegate smaller tasks to help eliminate distractions to fully focus on your goal.
If you are unsure of what is required for you to achieve your goal, I highly recommend finding someone who has walked the path before you and learned from them. Remember, success leaves clues, and accessibility to information is so easy now we really have no excuse for being fully informed to have a degree of confidence with taking on the new challenge.
Once you are clear on the expectations, it is time to identify the obstacles that may get in your way so you can either create a plan as to what you will do should they arise, deal with them before you start, or where possible, simply remove them. Again, this is essential for a strong setup to increase your chances of success.
I would try to remove as many distractions as possible, so attention can be put where it is required. Remember the last time you were in the middle of a project, focused fully on it, and someone interrupted you? Not only can it be quite annoying, it is actually frustrating as you lose the flow and focus you had before the interruption.
There is a great quote, “jack of all trades, master of none,” that I often use with clients as it highlights the importance of focusing on one thing. Many of us have multiple responsibilities in our personal and business life, leading to conflicting timeframes, distractions, and sometimes feeling overwhelmed and busy instead of being productive and moving forward.
Think, when was the last time someone asked how you are, to which you replied, “good, really busy but good”? I have consciously chosen to remove this phrase from my vocabulary as I think it creates something to hide behind. Yes, you may be busy, but busy doing what? Are you spending your time working on a new project, decorating your home, or studying something new? Sometimes you may just be busy going through the motions of life rather than actually being productive, and whatever it is, I believe we should just own it.
It can be too easy to say you are busy creating an impression or illusion so if you are asked, choose to reflect and share exactly what you have been doing. This allows you to be honest and take the time to reflect on where exactly you have been spending your time, and has it actually been the best use of your time? Yes, this can be quite difficult, yet if you are serious rather than just dipping your toe, you need to go all in and fully commit.
Be clear with your intentions to yourself and those around you who are impacted. Have clear expectations and outline what can be expected from you and what you expect from others. If you have a team, ensure your vision is clearly understood so everyone is on board and can work collaboratively.
Finally, it is always a good idea to put pen to paper, confirming your goal, so it is there before you, crystal clear along with your proposed plan to achieve it. Take a look at what you have written and be honest with yourself. How much do you really want this, is there anything else that would prevent you from achieving it, and are you comfortable with the sacrifices you may have to make? Are you prepared and informed to the best that you can be right now to take the first step?
Now the journey starts, yet the process does not stop. Along the way, continually review and reassess to ensure you are on target and always have at the forefront of your mind this question, "Is what I am doing right now enough, and have I given it my best today?"
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Claire Johnson, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine
Claire is an expert mindset, nutrition, and training coach for women, authors, TV presenters, expert speakers, and female empowerment mentors.
Claire is the CEO of The Naked Warrior, which delivers 3 winning online coaching programs and Founder of The Naked Warrior Tribe online female empowerment community plus the author of two books — The Winning Formula: Discover the Secrets to Unleash Your Alpha Female and The Winning Physique: How to Get the Competitive Edge on Stage.
