Top 10 Strategies Of Highly Successful Professionals

Last Thursday evening, I was the guest of a group of therapists who interviewed me about how I've built my businesses over the years ? both my therapy offices and my coaching business. Their probing, and very pointed, questions dramatically helped me clarify exactly what strategies have worked for me and my clients over the years. I hope you enjoy it. It is as solid and tight a summary of what has worked for me over the years as anything I've ever written. I'm quite proud of it, at least as an accurate reflection of what has worked for me.

1. Clarify the vision. Many of us have a tendency to be lazy about defining exactly what we want and where we want to be in a few years. Set your course as clearly as you can! A vague desire to "Work less and make more money" may be a comfortable day-dream, but it is not a success strategy!

2. Turn the vision into a mission. Once you know where you want to go, you have to be clear, get passionate, get DETERMINED to arrive! Develop a series of vital reasons, personal motivators, personal drivers that pull you forward. Why are you doing what you do? If you only want to make money, get a job! (It's easier!) What's your driving purpose?

3. Get a mentor. Hire a coach or create a frequent, steady, EFFECTIVE working relationship with someone who has been where you want to go, or perhaps more importantly, has a proven ability to help others get there. (Great sports coaches don't have to be great athletes! But they do have to know the game and be experts at helping their athletes win!)

4. Get a map and a compass! Develop a detailed, specific working plan. Work with your coach on this, and write it down! It doesn't have to be long and detailed, but it does have to make sense, and it has to give you direction and purpose for getting from where you are, to where you want to be. It should be detailed enough to tell you precisely what to do first, each Monday morning.

5. Improve the plan whenever possible. There is a contradiction here. Use and trust your plan, and rely on it! At the same time, life will give you unexpected opportunities, sudden short-cuts, and amazing possibilities. Be ready at any moment to jump on a "real" opportunity, but be very cautious about running off on every whim or impulse. How do you know the difference? Check with your coach!

6. Hang-out with talented people. Pick up the phone and introduce yourself to people who have achieved want you want to achieve. Read about them, get on their mailing lists or take classes from them. If they don't teach, develop a class and invite them to be your guest expert! But find people who are walking on the same, or a similar, path to your own, and follow in their footsteps, or walk beside them, or encourage them to catch up with you. Success loves company!

7. Work very hard. Again, there is a contradiction here. To achieve a high level of success takes an ability to play very hard, sometimes for a long time. If you've defined your vision accurately, the distinction between "work" and "play" will begin to blur, and you'll find yourself willing (eager!) to work a lot. It takes sustained, efficient, focused effort to achieve great things. I know of no short-cut.

8. Keep good records! This means accurate accounting, a personal journal of what works and why, notes about your best customers and the coolest things your competitors are doing. Jot down ideas, keep track. Especially, monitor the money.

9. Work smarter everyday! I think the biggest single thing in my success is that my family has no history of being in business, and even making money is a bit "suspect", but they LOVE learning! Early on, they taught me that everything I could ever need or want in life was in the local library. Learn from the competition. Learn how they did it 100 years ago! Read "Wired" and "Fast Company" to see how it might be done next year. Take the best, and leave the rest.

10. Always be planning your "next" million dollars. Whatever you're doing today is already becoming obsolete. By the time you read the book or attend the seminar, someone has already found a "better, faster, cheaper" way to do it. Always be looking over the horizon, seeking the next opportunity and figuring out how to incorporate it into what you already have and love. Keep growing!

© Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: "Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It's all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com

---

Inoculate Yourself Against Negativity

Unfortunately we come into contact with negativity everyday. We can't... Read More

Success Lessons From Boxing

Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester Stallone recently opened an academy... Read More

Leave a Legacy

What do Sam Walton, Ray Kroc, Hilton, Marriot, Firestone, Elvis... Read More

Own Your Success

Are you getting frustrated because the work you continue to... Read More

Individualistic Sucess Models

In individualistic success models, success is not due to the... Read More

Becoming a Success Giant!

IntroductionSuccess - we all read about it, hear it on... Read More

Consuming Passions Consuming Success

The other day I went shopping at the local consumer... Read More

Promethean Hispanic Fire

In the Greek tale of creation, a Titan (Greek god)... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Creative Multi-Tasking

Multi-task goal-completion work with everyday, "have to" activities If you... Read More

Life Issues Pt. 1 - Success

Hello everybody and a good day (or night !) to... Read More

No Shortcut To Success

Sometimes short cuts are not worth taking. They may bring... Read More

Of Courage and Greatness

Courage is something that is reflected and reciprocated, and is... Read More

Become a Good Observer

We must never allow a day to pass without finding... Read More

Creative Destruction

This past Memorial Day weekend I decided to revisit my... Read More

Marching To A New Beat

For our family, the Fall is filled with Friday Night... Read More

Success in Life and the Mystery of Focus

If you are wishy-washy and undecided about you want and... Read More

Whats the Secret of Your Sucess?

I'm going to begin this article by sharing a little... Read More

Personal Traits You Need To Succeed

Hello again! I have some more useful tips you can... Read More

The Bubble Of Prosperity

My life is a bubble; but how much solid cash... Read More

Motivation By Desire

Many of us have lost sight of what we really... Read More

Tools for Constructing the Road to Success

Too many times in the pursuit of our dreams, we... Read More

Success Involves Ignoring Critics

Critics can destroy or inspire you. Your own self critic... Read More

Run Towards Fear: A Prescription for Success

Fear, or negative anxiety, is the modern day bubonic plague,... Read More

Celebrate Great Rides

You have been preparing for months. You are in position... Read More

Failures: 2 Types 7 Reasons

We experience failure directly or indirectly. Here we will come... Read More

Thinking About Winners

Have you ever thought about what makes a superstar? What... Read More

Parable for a New Age

Daddy was a very, very odd little man-possibly a schizophrenic-for... Read More

Success: The Slight-Edge Formula

Self-improvement; A great deal has been written on the subject,... Read More

The Core Curriculum Of A Wonderful Life

An acquaintance of mine once lamented that she was utterly... Read More

Think of Wealth and Become Wealthy

Our thought are magnetic ! Like a magnet we attract... Read More

The Need To Be Successful

The need to be successful. This is the bottom line... Read More

How The Right Questions Can Change Your Life

Your own pressing needs, your long-standing frustrations, would benefit tremendously... Read More

Have You Planned Your New Years Revolutions?

Revolution:a sudden, radical, or complete change a fundamental change in... Read More