I use the Road of Life as a metaphor for our journey through life, as we both understand that life is a journey, not a destination. On the road of life we are constantly confronted with situations that determine what our choices will be. Some are positive, some may be negative, but ultimately they affect what happens next on our travel down the road. As I evaluate what circumstances had major impact on my life, I can easily look back and determine which decisions made the most difference in my personal life, which of course affects what you do in business.
The two are intertwined as you do not stop being who you are at work. Your personality, attitude, and mindset are who you are based on your life experience. I am going to develop six check points that need to be part of your life plan if you are going to see the success you expect. These are online business ideas that are designed to help you progress through life with a positive and performance enhancing will to win. I will place these in a sequence that establishes priority for each one from my perspective, although you may see them on a different scale.
There is no right call here, the point is that we all need some direction as to what to do next and properly sequenced, these six check points will have dramatic impact for the rest of your life. For all of us that are jumping into new careers, in particular those that in the process of trying to earn a living online, these are imperative to position properly and to be acutely aware of their ability to help you produce positive change in your life.
Here is the lineup from my perspective. The first one is one that I somewhat beat to death, as I consistently place it at the top of most lists related to personal success. The reason that it is placed on such a high priority is that without this platform, other check points will not matter. You have to start somewhere and this check point starts the process.
Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life. I cannot say this enough, yet there are moments in all of our lives that we question this basic premise. Once we have reached adulthood, there is no one to point the finger at when things do not go our way. We have to understand that if life is not producing the outcome we expect; that we need to look at what we have done to see if the fault can be pin pointed for a better decision on the next round. If you do not accept complete responsibility for yourself, you will always be at risk, as someone else is making these choices for you. This ultimately places you in a bad place as no one on earth has the same feelings for you than yourself. Even family members, while certainly on your side, will be making choices for you based on their world.
In some cases, these decisions will tilt your way; in some cases they could actually affect you negatively. That is why it is critical to be the Captain of your ship, to set its course, and to be constantly aware of what challenges are on the chosen path, so that corrections can be made as necessary to generate the expected end result.
Live Your Life on Purpose. Purpose is one of those abstract concepts that sometimes need definition. It is the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. I am relating the term to our life journey and what drives us on that journey. Purpose will change on our personal road of life as we all change physically and mentally as we move through life. The reason it is second on the priority list is the foundational support it gives to the other check points. If we have found a purpose in life, that thought permeates through everything we do, driving us forward with a better sense of what needs done to achieve the goals we aspire to reach.
I have always liked helping people that need direction and advice in life and throughout my entire career have mentored the concept of Self Empowerment. I believe that we all need a helping hand every now and then to move us one step closer to our life expectations. While money is the driving force in why so many people are now looking to generate online incomes, money cannot buy happiness. Happiness is a mental and spiritual state brought about by a balanced approach to life. I find that personal relationships with family, spouses, and significant others affect happiness the most. Find what you like doing and you will find that you are happier and ready to meet the next day with full enthusiasm, as opposed to going to work because you have to, or living with someone because you don't want to hurt their feelings. Purpose gives you a reason to face life's challenges head on and to get through them with a mindset that knows there is always light after the darkest hour.
Be Willing to Pay the Price for Your Dreams. You cannot let any challenge take over your life. Be aware of the challenge and plan your way through it. Do not let anything get in the way of your thoughts and dreams. If it is education that is needed, find a way to obtain what you need. If you need a college degree and cannot afford the higher priced universities, then look for community colleges. If you need a license to conduct the service supported by the license, survey the schools in the area that prepare you for the licensing exam. If you were a working female and found yourself with child, do not let having to stay home hold you back. In today's economy where good paying jobs are almost non-existent, many mothers are finding ways to generate income from home with their computers.
Whatever the challenge may be, believe me, the winners have found a way around them. Winners will always find a way. I find that on our road of life, the first twenty one to twenty four years are years of training and education. Depending on what purpose you intend to follow in life, some of you may need a college degree, some of you may just need a license obtained from a trade school. Make sure in this first part of your life to obtain all the necessary training and education needed to support your purpose. Once you begin utilizing the education you obtained to support your life purpose, the rest of the trip becomes easier and starts leveling out as you zip down the road.
Become an Expert in Your Field. This means doing the job to the best of your ability. You have already gone through the necessary steps to be in the chosen field and have a good foundation to do the job and expand its capabilities. From this point forward, it is up to you to continue learning everything possible about the position. This may be reading trade publications or books and articles related to your job. It may mean taking additional courses to support specific functions within the job description.
Companies are always looking for the individual that takes the initiative to do things on their own to augment their position. If you want to get stuck in a dead end job, then accept it and never do anything but show up to work. Do not do the things mentioned earlier. What will happen is that you will find yourself wondering why your peers are getting advances and raises and you do not. Remember that Knowledge is Power. The more you know, the more valuable you become to the organization and in the process will become part of the inner workings of the company with a greater chance of advancement and the achievement of your goals and objectives.
Write Out a Plan to Achieve Your Goals. It is as simple as this, "Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail." Going through life without a plan is akin to starting out on a trip from Los Angeles in a sailboat to Fiji without maps. Can you get there in this situation? Possibly, but it would have been so much easier following specific paths that are used daily by others for the same trip. Unfortunately the school system has never done a good enough job in this area. They are too concerned about moving you through the system, as they see others coming up behind you and making room for them sets up the criteria to move you to the next level of education, sometimes not having completed the skill sets needed for the next grade.
I remember conducting Goal setting seminars in the 80's, which were the rage back then, but quickly found out that they should have been called Goal getting instead. Words are labels in our culture, designed to bring about mental pictures and sometimes emotions or feelings, impacting our ability to see the end result. The focus with these seminars was always to get people to plan for tomorrow. I found that many people were not adept at breaking the bigger picture or goal down into smaller parts that were more manageable. If I help you set a goal for next year's regional budget and plan for your company without breaking it down into monthly, weekly and even daily objectives, we have not done our job to the best of our ability.
Don't let the bigger picture scare you as it can. Look at creating more manageable components that can be controlled easier on a monthly basis, and into smaller components such as weekly and daily objectives. With a written and defined plan of action, you have taken control of how the pieces fit in the process of reaching your stated goals. This key point serves to give you the map we spoke about with the sailing trip example. You would not think of taking a super long trip across country without a map; personal and business goals are no different. Map each step out and see the great results from this line of thinking.
Never Give Up. It is relatively easy to sit back and hope that everything turns out to your liking. Life being what it is, will not always give you what you want. Your preparation for all contingencies in advance will have addressed the ones that need more attention. If you are following your Plan, this alone will save you countless hours of re-grouping, as each step was covered to counter the contingency. The Plan breaks everything down into manageable components and makes attaining your established goals so much easier. Your knowledge and understanding of your purpose in life, in tandem with your plan should give you positive movement along your road of life. The plan is only set for specific periods of time and allows for adjustments as you determine what is left to achieve each step of the way.
Large companies set plans in advance seven to ten years out, following trends and planning for all contingencies. I do not suggest you do this, but at least start out with a six months plan, broken down by month and week so you can monitor its progress and adjust it to meet your needs. If you are truly committed to your life purpose and accepted full responsibility for your stated objectives, have taken the time to write out a solid plan of action, and truly believe that what you are doing is exactly where you want to be in life at that exact moment, your expectations are closer to happening than had you not gone through the process. Quit chasing the shiny objects that constantly fly by and confuse your decision to do what you want to do.
Focus on priorities and what comes first. Once that is determined and you are seeing success with your plan of action, stay the course and go all the way to your stated objective. Do not let anything or anybody get in your way. You are the leader of your life and know internally how you feel you are doing. If it feels good, keep going and throw all of your energy into reaching small goals first, which will set up the medium and larger ones. Remember Life is a Journey, not a destination.
James Hobart, an industry leader in the Professional Beauty Industry for more than 40 years at every level, has certification in hypnotherapy. His insight and experience have helped many companies and individuals with their growth and development over the years. His book, Happiness Is Your Birthright, supports his philosophy on life and is a practical handbook to create positive change throughout one's life.
