3 Steps to Success: Thinking, Acting, and Breaking Up the Day

Thinking, Acting, and Breaking Up the Day


1. You must recognise that good intentions are not enough.
Writing up a list of yearly goals or New Year’s resolutions might make you feel great. It may even make you feel like you are on your way. But you can’t claim to be making any progress toward accomplishing anything until you start acting on your Master Plan.

2. Don’t spend too much time thinking about your future success.
Imagining what you want out of life - the big house, the luxury cars, the yacht - may give you pleasure. But despite what the think-and-be-rich gurus says, it won’t make you successful. You must spend most of your time taking action, not daydreaming about all the toys you will have "some day."

Most of the most accomplished people I know - and in that group I include some success coaches who preach the think-and-get-rich philosophy - don’t waste their time thinking about success. What they think about is how to do a certain task or solve a specific problem. They know that wealth and success will come to them if they have a good plan and follow it.

3. Break up your busy day.
Once you begin to implement your Master Plan, you will find that you will want to keep working for hours and hours at a time. Because you will be making progress toward your goals, you will be energised by the work itself. (If this has not been your experience with work before, be prepared to start enjoying your days a whole lot more!)

The extra surge of motivation will be very useful in getting lots more important work done. You’ll be working more intensely, more intelligently, and just plain longer and harder than ever. But because you’ll be working longer and harder, you’ll need to force yourself to take little breaks - three- to five-minute breaks to reduce stress, recharge your batteries, and ensure that your body is not stuck in the same position too long.

It’s not easy to take breaks once you are in a groove. In fact, you may be amazed at how difficult it can be. Most of the successful businesspeople I know think nothing of sitting at a computer or being on the telephone for four to six hours at a stretch. This is a testament to the motivational power of having a Master Plan, but it still puts a lot of pressure on your body and brain.