“In 2014 at the Marine Dealer Conference Expo, Ryan Estis encouraged and inspired me to make a “Take Action Now” plan. Part of my TAN plan started that day: To fully engage myself with the people around me, more than the “thing” I wanted them to buy from me. It’s amazing how many people like to do business with people that genuinely care about them.”
– Sean Brogan, Port Harbor Marine 2016 Salesman of the Year
What is an area in your life where you’d like to improve or grow?
A lot of people will be considering that question in the coming weeks, myself included. It’s that time of year.
There are also a lot of people who make the case for ditching the resolutions all together. Ignore those people. Do this instead:
Decide and Commit
The decision to change occurs in a moment.
But a moment of inspiration is almost never enough. Inspiration alone can’t sustain the effort you need to achieve a breakthrough result.
To perform at the next level, you need a clear course of focused, determined, massive action.
Action mitigates fear, moves people beyond their comfort zone and is a catalyst to create the momentum necessary to deliver real, lasting change.
VIDEO: Decide and Commit
The more specific and intentional we can get with our commitment to action, the better. You can check out my 10 steps to jump start change or the Matt Mayberry goal setting system for support.
I’ll deliver 20 live events during January and February 2017, including several big sales kick-off meetings. One of my favorite 2017 sales kick-off events is already in the books. I delivered the closing keynote to the 3M 2017 sales kick-off on December 7. That gives them a big jump on their competition.
Here’s my point: Why wait another minute? Jump-start your momentum into 2017. Take action now!
Stay in the Learning Lane
Reinforce the decision you’ve made and commit to continuous learning. This will help you accelerate momentum towards your desired outcome. I also love creating accountability systems through teams, technology and professional coaching.
One commitment you might consider is a continuing education calendar. Because it’s so easy to push learning aside when we get busy, it pays to carve out the time well in advance. When and where will you invest time to skill up in the new year?
Your learning calendar will obviously look different given your specific objectives, but mine is shaping up to look something like this:
- Tony Robbins, UPW, March 23-26
- Hoffman Process, Graduate Program, June 23-25
- National Speakers Association Convention, July 8-11
- Brendon Burchard, Experts Academy, October 26-28
Of course, I supplement my quarterly dose of live classroom and experience-based learning with a steady diet of reading, podcasts and professional coaching sessions.
What gets scheduled gets done. While you are getting epic shit done in 2017 it’s also important to schedule plenty of time to play!
Embrace the Process
Change is a process, not an event. Focus on the process and try to make a little bit of progress every single day. Anticipate adversity and setbacks. They are part of every growth journey and so often signal that the big breakthrough moment is near.
I am reading “How’s Your Soul: Why Everything That Matters Starts With The Inside You” and the author, Judah Smith, makes an excellent point:
“Life isn’t about arriving. We don’t stop learning when we get out of school. We don’t stop working when we get our first big career break. We don’t stop dreaming when we reach a milestone. We never stop imagining; we never stop growing; we never stop reaching, believing, creating. Life is a journey.”
Judah Smith
He goes on to pose an important question:
“What do you want your life to look like?”
As I consider this question and reflect on my 2016 commitments, I am starting to see 2017 clearly. I hope you are too.
Life is a journey. 2017 is almost here. 2018 will surely arrive. How we arrive will be shaped by the decisions and commitments we make today.
Happy New Year!
