Taking Action For Personal Success - Part V

Well here we are…almost to the final installment of “Taking Action for Personal Success.”  One more post after this. In my opinion action is the key ingredient for personal success.

Any individual can set personal goals, develop affirmations and visualize ever day, but unless they take some from of action, little to nothing is going to happen.

Over the past several installments we’ve discussed a myriad of topics related to action and personal success.  Today I’m going to finish up with…

Recognizing Action

Remaining in action is fundamental to achieving persona goals and personal success. When I coach, at the beginning of every relationship I make it crystal clear that I expect them to be in action. I am sensitive in regards to how much action is enough…and sometimes ask for a bit more…well this is mental strength training after all  .

As you work towards your personal goals, what might seem like a small step could actually be a huge leap in moving forward….don’t under estimate any action your take. A shift in thinking could be the most substantial achievement that you make.  

I know sometimes that steps that I consider challenging, my client will move through easily. In order for movement to be sustainable, you need to move at a pace that is challenging but manageable for you.

When it comes to action, the three most powerful tools are acknowledgement, acknowledgement and acknowledgement! Also acknowledgement is essential. And did I mention how important acknowledgement is?

Get the picture?

The most powerful way to encourage action is to acknowledge it when it occurs. Simply by looking at how far you have come, or how well aligned you actions are, can be a fantastic motivator to continue in your path of growth. Many of my clients don‘t realize how far they have come until I point it out to them. This, I feel, is a extremely powerful service offered by me…and other coaches as well.

Often I am the only person in my client‘s life who acknowledges their growth. Similarly, I am often the only person who knows about their most important goals. Having someone acknowledge how far you have come can make the journey seem light and full of joy.  For my clients this ensures that they get the very most out of our coaching relationship.

Contemplation

• What is the role of action in professional or personal life?
• What do you think are the advantages of asking others for specifics of their actions?
• Think about a personal goal that you have set for yourself in the past that you achieved – What were the factors that allowed you to achieve that goal?
• What role does acknowledgement play in taking action?

Enhancing Strengths

The next step  to take is to discover your personal strengths. Most people are aware of their weaknesses, but have not thought too much about their strengths. They may even take their strengths for granted; or believe that because they are good at something, so is everyone else. This may then lead them, and you, to assume that their strengths are not really special.

There is a great site to take such an inventory.  The site is Authentic Happiness and it’s based on Positive Physiology.  When you go to the site – Authentic Happiness – register and then take the “VIA Survey of Character Strengths” assessment.  This measures 24 Character Strengths.  It’s a fantastic assessment and best of all….there’s no charge!  There are a few other great assessments there as well, but the “VIA Survey of Character Strengths” is the best place to start.

As you proceed to take action in your life it will be important to draw on the strengths you have when things become difficult. For example, in the process of working on your action plan, you may forget what your strengths are if the process becomes difficult or discouraging.

As a coach, it is up to me to remind my client’s that they have the power within themselves to complete what they desire. I support my client’s to draw upon their strengths in order to move forward. During this process of awareness and growth my client’s, the techniques of ‘encouragement and endorsement’ are invaluable.

I’ve discussed these techniques in previous post and I encourage you to use them in your professional and personal life as well.

Focusing on your weaknesses doesn‘t support or encourage you to move forward, however, it is important to be aware of them so that they don‘t get in your way. It is more effective for you to think in terms of “distractions”, “barriers”, challenge” and “roadblocks” rather than “weaknesses”.

The term “weakness” implies an inherent flaw in a one’s make-up. The terms “distraction”, “barrier”, “challenge” and “roadblock”, on the other hand refer to short-term situations. They don‘t sound immovable. They sound manageable. They are not general statements about you. They only exist in relation to your strengths.

The problem with a traditional analysis of “strengths and weaknesses” is that it gives weaknesses the same status as strengths and implies that people should be working on them simultaneously. In a persons mind, however, any focus on weakness is bound to amplify it. People will remember criticism long after they have forgotten praise.

Research indicates that when asked to recall important emotional events, people will remember four negative ones for every positive one. (Roberts, et al, 2006) What this means is that in a traditional analysis of strengths and weaknesses, clients are getting four times as much information focus on weakness as strength!

As a coach I need…no I must provide a counterbalance to this negativity. And you can do this as well for your coworkers, friends and family.

A more constructive approach to helping others (and yourself) is to ask the person to focus on their strengths and set goals that build on their strengths. Only after a person’s strengths are thoroughly explored should attention turn to distractions, barriers, challenges and roadblocks.

As you develop your strength inventory you may also want to make a list of three things that may create a distraction, challenge or even a roadblock, as you move along their action path towards your personal goal. For example, if you want your working life to be more peaceful, a distraction may be:

• Being chronically late
• Clutter Draining relationship

Often, what support’s you to take action are not the things they add to your life, but rather the things you take away from your life. When I work with my clients I prepare them in creating an action plan to remove what is getting in their way and preventing them from being successful.

By removing the roadblocks – before they create a problem – this will help you in the long run. Take some time to think about strategies that can remove barriers.  I always ask my clients how I can coach them when these obstacles do appear. This ultimately creates a structure for providing powerful coaching.

I’ll finish up this topic next week.  Until then please share your thoughts in the comments below

If you’d really like to make fast progress towards realizing your full personal power and potential as well as develop the mindset of confidence, request your Introductory Consultation today!

Roland Gilbert

Roland N. Gilbert is Vice-President and founder of the Perennial Consulting Group a management consulting, coaching and sales force development firm that focuses on overcoming fear and other limiting beliefs and creating empowering solutions so that individuals can live out their passions!