My business mentor and friend reminded me of the importance of setting the process
for making your goals happen -- you get ready, set things in motion, and keep at
it staying open to opportunity.
Once you build momentum, the outcomes take care of themselves.
We can hardly make someone else or something else do what we want, can we? What we can do is having the proper attitude and approach to open up opportunity.
The more expansive our thinking, the easier to find help and support along the way. I think connecting people is the secret to success, and you agreed with me.
With that in mind, here are ten hacks to make things happen.
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(1.) Think Big Picture
Spend too much time in the weeds, and you're so totally immersed at the tactical level that you forget to ask the appropriate why and what questions. Ever wonder if what you're doing is the right thing for you?
Big picture hack: use Prezi to map out the whole ecosystem and context around your project and spend some time looking at it whole. A flip chart would do, except you want to have the freedom to make tweaks.
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(2.) Flip Value Position
When it start becoming all about you: your program, your book, your video, your success, your advice, your post, your everything, hit pause.
Flip positions, don't hide behind passion, use it.
Other-centered hack: think about three things you can affect a week. It's not that difficult, just listen to the people around you and be helpful without expecting anything in return. That will refocus your attention. What can you do to make things better?
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(3.) Co-llaborate and lead
When collaboration becomes yet another buzzword and is a great concept as long as the project is yours, you are driving, and setting the rules of a finite game, you lose.
Collaboration hack: help your colleagues, clients, and team along, share what you know, find a way to coach where appropriate and connect people with similar challenges and interests to build a solution without centering it around you.
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(4.) Pay attention
When you delegate attention, you also delegate the ability to see and fix cost overruns, or the fact that you may be working on the wrong side of the problem.
Budget hack: spot the first signs of overspend right at the time you vet scope of work. By being very clear on what you want (your goal), you can explore different and creative ways to get there. Find a team or agency that will present more options and let them do so.
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(5.) Don't expect, connect
Making a little room for connecting in meetings shifts posture from a succession of happy jumps from line items in a checklist to a productive working session. There's no moment like the present to include the people in the room.
Connection hack: practice this in your own home. If you live alone, find friends. Still your mind. Forget yourself and shift your attention to the other person. Start noticing how others express joy, stress, passion, interest, and so on.
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(6.) Talk yourself into it
If you discarded the best idea you ever had at the mere wink or noise from someone else, you are not alone. So many opportunities lost because of fear and lack of interest. Talk yourself into doing it and make it happen before you talk about your idea.
Idea hack: do it right away. From the trivial blog post that comes to mind while driving or reading something (call yourself and leave a detailed message), to the idea that you feel will get you to the big hairy, audacious, goal. Go from 0-60 while it's fresh.
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(7.) Evaluate the obvious
Do you take what you know today for granted? Have you lost the ability to unlearn? Often we forget to take the extra step and evaluate what is right in front of us.
Awareness hack: step back in time and find that place when you didn't know what you think you know today. Lose the information you think you have, and you will see something new.
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(8.) Find those who care
It's quite common to try and convince a whole universe of people who don't care, instead of building relationships with those who are already giving you *their* attention. It's a common distraction.
Relationship hack: engage with the people who are paying attention to you. Build from there. Relationships are long term, and when you start with those who care, you're at a tremendous advantage.
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(9.) Unleash creativity
By allowing moments of down time in your day and week.
Intention hack: when you observe that you're trying too hard, let your mind wander for a few minutes. Have a happy or fun place for it to go rest. Notice how the best ideas come to you when you're not thinking so hard?
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(10.) Acknowledge accomplishments
Yours and those of others. Can we agree that this is a grave sin? This is also another good way to shift attention from how difficult things are to you can do it attitude and problem solving mode.
Acknowledgment hack: cut yourself some slack and take the time to celebrate your accomplishments. You don't need anyone else to acknowledge them or you for the accomplishments to be real.
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It's easy to let events run their course. Use the power of present moment awareness to stay on track with your direction.
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Valeria is an experienced listener. She is also frequent speaker at conferences and companies on a variety of topics. To book her for a speaking engagement click here.