TIME STEALERS – Vijay Chandhran

I was ever of the opinion that a cognisable attempt is to be made to bring to the fore certain operational hazards, we encounter in our day to day business, identifying the hazards and finding solutions to the same would ultimately improve our business and provide good remunerative returns to our organisation.

When things do not turn out as you expect, it is often because there have been some obstacles in the way. You are yourself the cause of some of these obstacles. Others are due to your surroundings. Some are of physical nature –others psychological. Have you ever tried to define the obstacles and inhibitions you find in your work situation? Do you know what and who steal time from you? Do you know your Time Stealers?

A large number of examples of time stealers, based on my varied experience spanning over thirty one years in multi-faceted management disciplines, as well as through my observations of many real life situations; are listed out for your perusal and benefit. The examples have not been divided between physical / psychological ones nor between yourself / your surroundings. Neither have they been listed on priority order – the intention is purely to stimulate you to define your own Time Stealers.

You will probably recognise many of them as familiar. Go through the list and put a tick in the column “Is it me? [ ]” Every time you meet a Time Stealer, which you have experienced in your work situation, put a tick without regard to whether you feel that it is your responsibility or whether you feel that you have a chance of doing anything about it. When you have been though the whole list and have identified the Time Stealers which apply to you, then go through the list again and choose the 5 Time Stealers you feel steal most of your time. Put a circle around there five ticks.

For each Time Stealers, we have in the right hand column, indicated a possible solution which, please, consider purely as a suggestion. The removal of obstacles is, of course, often considerably more complex, and the solution will often fill several papers – may be even a whole book. You can continuously work at identifying and removing the Time Stealers and by doing so, you would have optimised on your prime business time, leading to direct and indirect improvement in your productivity level.

Poor Meetings
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions

-----------------------------------me?
Purpose of meeting not clear. -----------[ ]----Draw up an agenda.
Wrong participants. ---------------------[ ]----Invite only those needed the most.
Too many meetings. --------------------[ ]----Evaluate the results in relation to the time

------------------------------------------[ ]----spent.
Poor / no minutes at all. ----------------[ ]----Make standard outline for minutes.
Irrelevant talk. -------------------------[ ]----Firm chairing of meeting.
No conclusions. -------------------------[ ]----Agenda to state which decisions to be

---------------------------------=--------[ ]----taken.
No follow-up. ---------------------------[ ]----Minutes to indicate Who? What? When?
Indecision. -----------------------------[ ]----Invite a person with decision-making

------------------------------------------[ ]----authority.
Poor chairmanship. ---------------------[ ]----Train yourself and your colleagues in

-------------------------------------------[ ]----chairmanship.
Not starting on time. --------------------[ ]----Always start on time. By waiting for

-------------------------------------------[ ]----latecomers you reward them and

-------------------------------------------[ ]----penalise the others.

Too many interruptions from outside.---[ ]----Allow no interruption except for

-------------------------------------------[ ]----emergency. Let the secretary /

-------------------------------------------[ ]----operator know when the meeting

-------------------------------------------[ ]----will be finished at the latest.
Not sticking to agenda. ------------------[ ]----Be on your guard against hidden

-------------------------------------------[ ]----agenda.
Failure to see ending time and / or time -[ ]----To begin with set time-limit for

allocations for each subject.---------------[ ]----meeting. Assign each subject specific

-------------------------------------------[ ]----time according to importance.

Too much reading
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions
-----------------------------------me?
Unclear and poorly edited material. ---[ ]----Persuade your subordinate / your

------------------------------------------[ ]----boss /colleagues to systematise

------------------------------------------[ ] ----information in a survey-able form.

------------------------------------------[ ]----Set a good example yourself.
Poor reading skill. ---------------------[ ]----Train your reading speed. Take a course.
No priorities for what to read and -----[ ]----List things you must read. Give them

how thoroughly.-------------------------[ ]----priorities and assign time in your Time
------------------------------------------[ ]----Manager / Things To Do. Learn selective
------------------------------------------[ ]----reading skills.

Telephone-time stealers
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions
-----------------------------------me?

Discussion too lengthy. -----------------[ ]----Separate chat from information.
Wish / need to be available to outside---[ ]----Train operators / Secretary to be

interruption.----------------------------[ ]----selective.
No plans for privacy. -------------------[ ]----Switch off the phone and schedule

----------------------------------------[ ]----periods in which you do not want

----------------------------------------[ ]----to be disturbed. Set specific times

----------------------------------------[ ]----for taking calls - or say that you

----------------------------------------[ ]----will call back.
Unstructured conservations. -----------[ ]----Make a plan in advance by listing

----------------------------------------[ ]----items you want to discuss.
Wish to be involved. -------------------[ ]----Divorce yourself from details.
Inability to terminate and shorten -----[ ]----Preset time-limit, ‘Yes, I can talk for …

conservations. -------------------------[ ]----Minutes’. Foreshadow ending, Before
----------------------------------------[ ]----we hang up…Be polite but factual,
----------------------------------------[ ]---- ‘I've got to go now’.
Unrealistic time estimates. -------------[ ]----Have a timer by your telephone.
Lack of priorities - all calls get through.-[ ]--- Discuss the problem with your

----------------------------------------[ ]----Secretary / Operator. Make a plan.
No Secretary. -------------------------[ ]----Ask a colleague to cover your

----------------------------------------[ ]----telephone for a set number of minutes.

----------------------------------------[ ]---Do the same in return.

Inability to say ‘No’
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions

-----------------------------------me?
Wish to help others. --------------------[ ]----If you always say yes, others will take

-----------------------------------------[ ]----your help for granted. Break this habit.
Need to feel important and involved-----[ ]----Stake your efforts on something that

in everything. ---------------------------[ ]----matters and show results in this field.
Fear of causing offence. ------------------[ ]----Learn to say no without offending: ‘I
------------------------------------------[ ]----would have liked to, if it had been
------------------------------------------[ ]----possible, but let me offer a suggestion’.
Not knowing how to say ‘No’. ------------[ ]----Train yourself in saying ‘No’. It will

------------------------------------------[ ]----make it possible for you to concentrate

------------------------------------------[ ]----on things that are important.
Ambition / desire to be busy. ------------[ ]----It is better to do less well than a lot

------------------------------------------[ ]----poorly.
Others quite simply assume you will -----[ ]----Probably, it's your own fault, because

say ‘Yes’. --------------------------------[ ]----of that you never say ‘No’.

Involved in too much
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions
-----------------------------------me?
Unclear priorities. ----------------------[ ]----Goals / Tasks clearly defined. Use

-----------------------------------------[ ]----Key Areas.
I want to be important and involved ----[ ]----Be selective. Use your time and energy

in everything. --------------------------[ ]----on the 20%, which produces 80% of the

-----------------------------------------[ ]----results.
Unrealistic time estimates.--------------[ ]----Recognise that everything takes longer

-----------------------------------------[ ]----than you think. Add 20% cushion to

-----------------------------------------[ ]----your estimates.
Overwhelming pressure and large-------[ ]----Don't confuse activity with effectiveness.

piles of paper. ---------------------------[ ]----Often a lot of activity only indicates that
------------------------------------------[ ]----you have got FLAPSI HAPSI.

Inability to finish things
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions

-----------------------------------me?
Lack of deadlines. ----------------------[ ]----Make it a rule to put deadlines on all jobs.
Lack of respect for your time / ---------[ ]----Fix some regular time when you are not

interruptions by other people. ----------[ ]----to be disturbed. If you really know what
-----------------------------------------[ ]----you want and have to do, you can also

-----------------------------------------[ ]----make a stand against your boss's /

-----------------------------------------[ ]----colleague's lack of respect for your time.
Lack of overview and perspective. ------[ ]----Systematise things. Use your Time

-----------------------------------------[ ]----Manager / Things To Do.
Overworked… Too much to do.----------[ ]---- Delegate old responsibilities when

-----------------------------------------[ ]----you accept new ones.
Laziness. -------------------------------[ ]----Impose deadlines on yourself and

-----------------------------------------[ ]----tell others about them.

Too much paper work
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions
-----------------------------------me?
No system. -----------------------------[ ]----Introduce and use the Time

-----------------------------------------[ ]----Manager system / Things To Do.
Poor communication. -------------------[ ]----Select the best and most time-

-----------------------------------------[ ]----saving methods of communication.
Poor administrative routines. -----------[ ]----Ask if things are done too elaborately

-----------------------------------------[ ]----/ the control too strict / too formalise.

-----------------------------------------[ ]----Are the administrative routines kept

-----------------------------------------[ ]----up-to date ?
Poor Organisation. ----------------------[ ]----Standardise written communication.

-----------------------------------------[ ]----See if the present paperwork can be

-----------------------------------------[ ]----improved. Systematise information

-----------------------------------------[ ]----processing. Let a Consultant take a

-----------------------------------------[ ]----look at your paperwork procedure.

Personal disorganisation
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions

-----------------------------------me?
Lack of system. ------------------------[ ]----Use your Time Manager / Things

----------------------------------------[ ]----To Do. Then you have the best basis

----------------------------------------[ ]----for keeping everything organised.
Giving people the impression that I am-[ ]----This may symbolise insecurity, lack

busy, of importance or indispensable. --[ ]----of system, confusion or inability to

----------------------------------------[ ]----meet deadlines.
Fear of forgetting things. ---------------[ ]----Use your Time Manager / Things

----------------------------------------[ ]----To Do. It is an important part

----------------------------------------[ ]----of your memory.
Cannot delegate. -----------------------[ ]----Accept that others have abilities

----------------------------------------[ ]----and experience. Learn to delegate.
Indecision. -----------------------------[ ]----80% of tasks arriving at your desk

-----------------------------------------[ ]----can be handled immediately.

Lack of self-discipline
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions
-----------------------------------me?
Lack of performance standards. --------[ ]----Set your own standards.
Postponing the unpleasant. -----------[ ]----Recognize that it has to be done. It

---------------------------------------[ ]----is not going to be easer later on. Do

---------------------------------------[ ]----the unpleasant things first, then the

---------------------------------------[ ]----rest of the day is easy.
Lack of direction n your work. --------[ ]----Say ‘No’ to unimportant matters.
Responding to urgent matters, --------[ ]----Ignore the problems that solve

Postponing the important. ------------[ ]----themselves. Delegate the problems
---------------------------------------[ ]----others can handle. Attend to those,

---------------------------------------[ ]----which only you can handle.
Not following up. ----------------------[ ]----A thing is not finished until it

----------------------------------------[ ]----functions the way it was intended to.
Not making use of techniques available.-[ ]----Establish which are available.

----------------------------------------[ ]----Decide on the use of them. Schedule

----------------------------------------[ ]----time in your Time Manager /

----------------------------------------[ ]----Things To Do.
Unrealistic time estimates. ------------[ ]----All you get out of unrealistic time

---------------------------------------[ ]----estimates is frustration, FLAPSI

---------------------------------------[ ]----HAPSI and less self-confidence.
I cannot say ‘No’. ---------------------[ ]----Stop being the nice guy.
Carelessness. -------------------------[ ]----If you have not got time to do

---------------------------------------[ ]----it right the first time, when you

---------------------------------------[ ]----will have time to do it again!.

Interruption by drop-in visitors
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions
-----------------------------------me?
No plans to avoid drop-in visitors. ------[ ]----Develop screening plan. Insist

----------------------------------------[ ]----on appointments.
My door is always open. ---------------[ ]----Establish a quiet hour in which

----------------------------------------[ ]----you are not to be disturbed.

----------------------------------------[ ]----Find somewhere else to work

----------------------------------------[ ]----at that time if necessary.
People ask me to make a decision. -----[ ]----Don't make decisions on

---------------------------------------[ ]----something you can delegate.
Below my level of authority. ----------[ ]----Refer to the subordinates in

---------------------------------------[ ]----charge of such matters.
Frequent interruptions by my --------[ ]----Manage by exception. Ask for

subordinates. -------------------------[ ]----information only concerning

---------------------------------------[ ]----deviations from plans and budgets.

---------------------------------------[ ]----Decide which tasks your

---------------------------------------[ ]----subordinates can do without asking

---------------------------------------[ ]----questions. Decide on which situations

---------------------------------------[ ]----they may interrupt you and which can

---------------------------------------[ ]----be postponed to be discussed at your

---------------------------------------[ ]----regular meetings.
Inability to terminate visits. ----------[ ]----You go to their Office. Keep standing.

---------------------------------------[ ]----Preset time limits for visits /

---------------------------------------[ ]----meetings. Make it clear that the visit

---------------------------------------[ ]----/ meeting is over, “Before we finish,

---------------------------------------[ ]----I would ……”.

Indecision and delay
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions

-----------------------------------me?
Lack of faith in decision making process.-[ ]----Systematise data collection and

-----------------------------------------[ ]----evaluate for more reliability.
Data addiction. -------------------------[ ]----Remember the 80 / 20 rule.
Irrational decision technique. -----------[ ]----Train yourself and your

-----------------------------------------[ ]----subordinates in decision techniques.
Fear of what may happen when ---------[ ]----Distrust and power struggles must

even small mistakes are made. ----------[ ]----be cleared away. Ask ‘What can
-----------------------------------------[ ]----we learn from it?’ How can we

-----------------------------------------[ ]----avoid it being repeated ?
Unrealistic deadlines. -------------------[ ]----Everything takes longer than

-----------------------------------------[ ]----you think. So leave 20% of

-----------------------------------------[ ]----your time open.
Postponing the unpleasant and difficult. -[ ]----Do them first, you will feel

-----------------------------------------[ ]----much better afterwards.
Ignorance of what the decision ----------[ ]---- Set goals, relate the

will lead to.------------------------------[ ]----decision to the Key Areas.

Crisis Management
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions
-----------------------------------me?
Lack of priorities. -----------------------[ ]----Learn to distinguish between

-----------------------------------------[ ]----the urgent jobs and the

-----------------------------------------[ ]----important. Establish priorities:

-----------------------------------------[ ]----What is your time primarily

-----------------------------------------[ ]----to be spent on?
Trying to do too much at the same time.-[ ]---- Learn to say ‘No’! Do one

-----------------------------------------[ ]----job at a time. Have an outline

-----------------------------------------[ ]----of the next tasks. Use your

-----------------------------------------[ ]----Time Manager / Things To Do.
Lack of foresight. --------------------- [ ]----Plan. Have an alternative

---------------------------------------[ ]----ready for unexpected situations.

---------------------------------------[ ]----Expect the unexpected.

---------------------------------------[ ]----Remember Murphy's 2nd Law.

---------------------------------------[ ]----‘If anything can go wrong, it will,

---------------------------------------[ ]----Prevention is better than cure’.
Overreacting and treating all ---------[ ]----Ignore the problems, which are

small problems as full crisis. ----------[ ]----of minor importance. Delegate
--------------------------------------[ ]----problems, which your

--------------------------------------[ ]----subordinates can handle. Then

--------------------------------------[ ]----you preserve the overview

--------------------------------------[ ]----and control.
Overlooking possible negative -------[ ]----Analyse what could be wrong.

consequences of a decision. ----------[ ]----Set up alternative plans.

Inability to delegate
Causes------------------------- Is it-----Possible solutions

-----------------------------------me?
Lack of priorities. ----------------------[ ]----Establish priorities. What is

----------------------------------------[ ]----my time primarily to be spent

----------------------------------------[ ]----on ? Use your Time Manager

----------------------------------------[ ]----/ Things To Do.
Fear of subordinate’s mistakes. --------[ ]----Train them. Measure, if they

----------------------------------------[ ]----live up to your standards.
Fear of losing influence. ----------------[ ]----Get an overview of what

----------------------------------------[ ]----is really important. Be

----------------------------------------[ ]----inspired by your Key Areas.
Can do the job better myself. ----------[ ]----Train your subordinates

----------------------------------------[ ]----and have confidence in them.

The Art Of Listening – Vijay Chandhran

A great deal of time spent in human relationship is taken up by listening. But do, we really listen comprehensively to what others have to say? Here we look at a much neglected function, and at how we might better perform it. Plus how we can make it easier to listen to ourselves.

“All this has been said before, but since nobody listened, it must be said again.” Nobody listened, it must be said again. Nobody listened how often in this case and how often must messages be reported, because they were not heeded in the first place. In business, family and other personal relationships, the failure to listen properly is responsible, at the very least, for an enormous waste of time.

Yet scant attention has been paid in the past, to the listening side of communication. Academic courses in communications still tend to place the emphasis on how to speak and write effectively, rather than on the effective reception and assimilation of ideas. Recently, though, some large Corporate Companies have started courses in listening skills for their employees. This is mainly because it has been authoritatively estimated, that only about half of the oral messages passed around in the course of a day’s work are fully understood.

Big businesses are naturally concerned about communication, because it plays such a key role in their operations. Oral communication, especially to a major extent, the fuel of the managerial machinery of a Company is the spoken word. Surveys have indicated that the senior officers of major corporations spend up to 80 per cent of their working time having discussions, either at meetings, in face-to-face conversation, or over the telephone. Assuming that they listen more than they talked and good executives usually do listening to other people, account for about half of their business day.

The volume of listening to be done on the job, diminishes somewhat on the way down the managerial ladder. Still, listening remains an essential function from the executive suite to the shop floor. It is central to getting things done and it strongly influences morale, which in turn affects productivity. Again and again, the same phrases crop up in surveys of the attitudes of employees towards their superiors. A man who is happy with his boss will say: “He listens to me”, or “I can talk to him.” Those who are unhappy will say the reverse.

A situation arose in a manufacturing plant a few years ago, which clearly illustrated the consequences of bad listening in industry. The plant had a serious quality control problem, which took months and relatively huge amounts of money – to identify and to solve. Then a young tradesman, on the brink of resigning, told the Personnel Manager, he had known what was wrong from the beginning. Why hadn’t he said something about it? Well, he said, he had approached both his foreman and the plant engineer, “but they wouldn’t listen. I stopped trying to tell them when they made me feel like a jerk.”

If this story suggests that listening habits in business (and not only big business) could be improved, it also suggests a prerogative to better listening in society in general. This is nothing more than a willingness to listen – a disposition that is lacking in people, more than they would care to admit. In his novel “Daniel Martin”, John Fowles writes of a man who divides his conversation into two categories: “when you speak, and when you listen to yourself speak.” That may sound extreme, but who doesn’t know a person like him? And who, on occasion, has not indulged in a one-sided conversation himself?

It is almost a cliché in marital disputes that the partners “can’t communicate”. It is certainly a cliché among parents that their offspring “won’t listen to sense”. On the other hand, young people complain that their parents don’t take what they have to say seriously. Clearly, the emotional messages people send out to their intimate are not being adequately received.

THE MIND DARTS AHEAD LIKE RUNAWAY RACE HORSE:

As Samuel Butler observed, “it takes two people to say a thing – a sayer and a sayee. The one is just as essential to any true saying as the other.” We are all “sayees”, but most of us afford little thought to our performance in this vital role in human affairs. We confuse hearing with listening, believing that, because hearing is a natural function, then listening must be effortless. According to an American speech communications expert, it is anything but: “Listening is hard work and requires increased energy – your heart speeds up, your blood circulates faster, your temperatures goes up.”

So listening is a kind of activity. Those who aspire to be good listeners must turn it from an unconscious activity to a conscious one. What makes a good listener? It all begins with concentration. We listen to other people through a thick screen of physical and psychological distractions, which can only be penetrated by deliberately applying the power of the mind.

Physical distractions are often easily enough dealt with, although few people bother to do so –shutting a door or window, moving out of hearing range of other people, cutting off telephone calls. The distractions generated within one’s own head are far more difficult to manage. For the act of listening has a built-in dilemma, which is that the speaker cannot keep pace with the workings of the listener’s mind.

The average rate of speech is about 125 words a minute; the average person thinks at a rate nearly four times faster. With all that slack time at their disposal, people on the listening side of a discussion are likely to be carried away by their own thoughts.

It is said that “the mind wanders” while one person hears another talks, actually it starts ahead and off the track like a runaway racehorse. This helps to explain why people jump to conclusions. They anticipate what is going to be said, instead of following what is going to be said in the present. In this regard, we might do well to remember the admonishment of a rough – and – ready tycoon as he started a meeting: “Now listen slow”.

It takes a concerted effort of will to deal with some of the other impediments to listening, that clog the mind and more so, since they spring from perfectly normal human feeling. For example, everyone’s range of interests has its limits, so we all have a tendency to resist ideas that are of no personal interest to us. It is natural to conclude that complex thoughts outside of our own fields of experience are beyond our comprehension, so we make no effort to digest them. Once one is immune to boredom, the first couple of sentences uttered by a dull speaker are enough to make us want to “time out” all the rest that he says.

It is difficult to suppress the emotional responses to another person’s words, triggered by our own attitudes and opinions – difficult, but necessary to good listening. Human nature makes us want to hear only what pleases us and to reject that which does not. We are therefore prone to listen carefully to ideas, which accord with our own point of view and to discount or mentally argue with those we find disagreeable. To listen effectively, we have to guard against the tendency to exercise emotional censorship – to bland out or skip over ideas, which we would rather not hear.

THE MEDIUM IS THE PERSONALITY OF THE PERSON DOING THE TALKING:

“The medium is the message.” This may be so of the electronic and print media, but it is not so in face – to – face conversations in which the medium is the personality of the individual talking at the time. You might not like that type of person, you might object to his or her appearance or mannerisms; but it is what is being said that counts, not who says it. The same applies to positive emotional responses; you might be so favourably impressed by some personalities that you take what they say for granted, and fail to hone in on the meaning of their words.

At the same time, however, you should listen with more than your ears. People give out non-verbal signals as they talk, as lovers know when they look into each other’s eyes. The look on a man’s face, his stance, his gestures, his pause and hesitations, may tell you more about his real message than the words he is saying, not just what he thinks.

CHECK UP ON YOUR CONCLUSIONS AND YOUR GRASP OF THE FACTS:

Parts of the difference in the speed of speech and thought, mentioned above may be employed by the listener, in practising such visual observation. Another part of the extra thinking time accorded by the workings of the mind, can be used to mentally summarise and analyse what is said. One way to prevent your mind from leaping ahead of the words being spoken, is to periodically check up on your conclusions and your grasp of the facts by asking questions. This clarifies misunderstandings and allows you to digest the other person’s thoughts, one stage at a time.

The full capacity of the mind may also be brought to hear on the task of listening, by training it to scan like radar for key ideas. In this way, the listener can get straight to the point, when it is his or her turn to talk. Some people have a prodigious capacity for details, but most of us are in danger of becoming confused, if we try to remember every detail in a long discussion. Our comprehension is better served, by identifying the points that make up the theme of the other message and then attempting, through questioning, to make our understanding of them clear.

Needless to say, the responsibility for effective discussion, does not rest solely with the listener. The disparity between speaking and thinking puts the onus on the speaker to ensure that his thoughts do not get lost in the gap between words and thoughts. Psychologists who spent many years studying listening problems, made the following suggestions for holding a person’s attention:

• Always start with the conclusion – never with a question.
• Do not lead up to your main idea slowly; if you do, the listener’s mind might have skipped ahead of you, by the time you get to the point.
• Translate what you have to say into potential benefits to the listener, whenever possible. People will sit up and take notice, if they feel there is something in it for them.
• Repeat your point subtly in the course of your delivery, preferably by citing examples that keep the listener from getting bored.

Don’t you think it is worth trying it out. You don’t lose anything, you only stand to gain. Learning is a continuous process. Learn to listen. The key to listening effectively is …......

“Listen to understand rather than Listen to reply”

Success is a Journey - Seven Principles! - Vijay Chandhran

Life and work have become hectic and complicated. There is too much to do and not enough time. We rush from one meeting, to another and when we return to the office, there are five, ten, fifteen, twenty, or more voice mail messages, that need to be returned and scores of e-mail messages to reply to, – and we have only been gone for a few hours. On our decks are piles of papers, that we have got to do something with. There are letters to write, proposals to prepare, things to follow upon and lots of other miscellaneous stuff, that is being hanging around for days, weeks, or months.

On the computer monitor we have attached yellow, blue and green sticky notes as reminders, of things to do, or people to call. Our in and out boxes have become hold boxes, filled with unopened mail, faxes, express delivery letters and who knows what else and we spend most of our days, putting out one fire after another. When we leave the office, we take our laptop computer, – so we can check our e-mail and search the Internet, our phone and our beeper. We are afraid to be out of touch, for even a few moments. In order to try to stay on top of things, we come in early, stay late, work weekends and never seem to catch up.

Where are we going with out lives ???

Something is getting lost, in all of this chaos and mayhems. We are so busy and working so hard, that we have lost track of, what we really want to be doing with our lives, what we really want to do for ourselves? What we really want to do for our families? Yes, we have a job. Yes, we are making a living and paying the bills, but we have forgotten the goals, dreams and desires of our youth. We are putting in a lot of hard work and effort, but it is not giving us the inner feelings of satisfaction and fulfilment, we need the Success we once dreamed of achieving. We are too busy, we do not have time to think about, let alone answer the age-old question, “ what do I want to do when I grow up?”

This treatise will show you, how to make your dreams come true. It will give you the tools you need, so you can discover, what you were born to do. It will help you develop, a Master Plan of Action and then implement that plan. Most importantly, it will get you to start thinking about who you are, what means are must to you and what you want to do with your life.

What is Success?

For years, I have been fascinated with the subject of Success. How do you define it?. What does it mean? Is it temporary? Is it permanent? As I have pondered these questions in my mind and watched the performance of others, I have come to the realisation that Success is not an end result. It is an ongoing process. It is a Journey.

However, there is an ebb and flow to Success. It is not linear. It comes and goes. There are ups and downs. One day you have it great, the next day is so-so and the third is absolutely rotten. But on the fourth day, something good happens and you are back, on top of the world again. Or, you may have again a great morning and a rotten afternoon, or vice versa. Or, may be you have a bad year or season, but the next one is much better. That is life!!!

Successful people never quit, when they suffer a setback, they just pick themselves up and keep going.

To be Successful in the business of life, you build upon your Successes. You set goals – achievable goals – for yourself and accomplish them. Then you set, slightly more difficult goals and go out and accomplish them. Follow this process, over and over, throughout your life and you will accomplish, more than you ever dreamed. The ultimate goal in life, is not just to succeed, it is to continue to succeed. To continue to improve. To continue to be the best, that you can be. The best in your business, profession, or chosen career. The best husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter and friend. You have only one life and you have the opportunity, to make it a great one. The future is yours and it is unlimited. You can make it into anything you want.

Success depends upon your expectations.

Life is not lived in a vacuum and whether or not, any of us is Successful in any endeavour, is determined by your expectations before we started. We have got to know the criteria, on which we are going to judge ourselves, or be judged by others. Most of us are never 100 percent Successful, in any of the things that we do. But the goal is to try our best, learn from our experiences and take the knowledge we gain, along with us, so we can do the task, even better the next time.

Write your goals and objectives on paper, before you embark upon any task. This enables you, to compare your results, or accomplishments with your expectations.

What were your expectations?

I find the whole subject, of whether or not a person is Successful, to be very complex. It is usually not black or white. The results are very dependent, upon a person’s long and short term expectations, in addition to his or her skills, talents, training and a host of other factors, that may or may not be within the person’s control.

Here are some examples of, how difficult it can be, to try to determine a person’s degree of Success.

How did you do on the Test?
When are you going to school? I am sure you had to take lots of tests.
(I know I sure did) Did you ever spend a lot of time.
Studying and preparing for test, yet not do as well as you had hoped? How did you feel? Disappointed, I will bet.
On the other hand, how did you feel, when you did very well on a test, that you had not spent time studying for ? Lucky!
What were your feelings, when you got the grade that was representative of the work and effort, you put into your studies? For myself, deep down inside, I always knew I had got what I deserved.
And what happened, when you showed your parents your report card? Did it measure upon their expectations?

You see, Success depends upon your expectations.

I had a friend, who studied everyday and went through four years of college and may have gotten a single ‘B’. He got an ‘A’ in every other class he took. His expectations were so high, that it he had gotten anything less than an ‘A’, in his mind he would have failed. I did not have the same expectations, or work ethic. I was pleased when I got a ‘B’ and was on cloud nine, when I got my occasional – very occasional – ‘A’.

Did you solve the Problem?

Everyday, you have got the problems to solve. Things need to be done for your boss or supervisor, Customers call with problems, or questions and you have got lots of tasks, that need to be completed. You probably have not looked at it this way, but you should consider yourself Successful, when you solve the problems, answer the question, complete the task and get the work done. Now the completion of these tasks, may not be what you would consider to be a big Success, but it is one more thing you have learned, that you can take with you, on your journey through life and it is one more thing, you can cross off your list, of things-to-do. But, what if you work very hard, to accomplish a specific task and are not 100 percent Successful, in completing the endeavour? Or, what if it took longer than expected? Or, what if you found, that you were not able to solve the problem (but learned something new because of the experience)?

Are you a Success of a failure?

Did you close the sale?

If you are in Sales, you may feel that you are a Success, when you close a really big sale. But, when you were just getting started in your careers, you probably felt like you were on cloud nine, when you closed your first sale, no matter what the size and if you were a seasoned pro, you have been in a slump, that next sale may make you feel, like you are on the top of the world.

Let us take another example. A Salesperson leads her Company in sales one year, but does not do it, the next year. What if, she did in fact sell more the second year, but was still outsold by someone else? What if she closed more sales, but made less money? Or closed fewer sales but made more money?

Did she have a Successful year? Was She a Success or failure?

Have a look at this example,

One day, a young man was making a life insurance presentation. After a long period of discussing, the prospect finally said, “I’ll buy it”. As the salesman was completing the forms, the new Customer started telling the young man, how he should have conducted the sale. After a few moments, the young man looked up & said “I made the sale, didn’t I?”

Was the Company Successful?

How do you determine, whether a Company is Successful? That depends, once again on your position and you expectations – for example, the Board of Directors of a Corporation, may look at whether or not the Management is Successful and doing a good job, from the perspective of how much money the Company made, from one quarter or fiscal year to the next. However, if the Company is a public Corporation, the board, its stockholders, and the analysts that follow the stock, may look at the value of the Company’s stock, its earnings per share, or its earnings, as compared with those of its competitors, as an indicator of, whether or not it has been Successful and though each group of people, is looking at the same financial information, each will probably came up with different conclusion and opinions. If on the other hand, the Company is a small start up and is brand new, Success may be determined, by whether or not there is enough cash, to pay the bills at the end of the month. The experiences of an established Company, may be quarter-to quarter, or year-to-year, while for the new Company, Success may be measured on a day-to day, or week-to-week basis.

How did the Team do?

In sports, a team that wins a championship, is considered to be a Success. But what about the runner up? Were the members of that team really losers? Once again, it depends upon expectations. If the runner-up was expected to win the whole thing, then may be that team had a bad year. But, what if they were picked to finish dead last, made it to the finals and then lost? Were they losers or did they have a great year, because they got so close to the championship? What if the star on the championship team, played poorly and did not continue at the level, that was expected of him? Does he feel like a Success? What if, the star of the losing team had a great series, but the team still lost? What about the person, who has a most enviable performance year, but never performs at that level again?

I remember reading about a runner, who finished second in one of the sprint races, at a recent Olympics. He was disappointed that he did not win, but he had still run faster, than he had ever before. He just was not fast enough to win, but he had still run faster, than he had ever before. He just was not fast enough, to win the race that afternoon. He could not decide, if he was a winner or a loser. So how do you look at Success? You have two criteria:

You have to look at Success within certain timeframes; moment-to moment, day-to-day, month-to-month, year-to-year, or over an entire life time.

You have to consider what your expectations were, before you started.

Success Comes from Participation

You see, everything in life depends upon your frame or reference: where you are, where you came from and where you want to go. You should feel, that you are a Success, when you try, when you participate, when you go out there and put your butt on line. Success, is the act of trying to improve upon the things, you are already doing. It is growing and developing. It is accepting bigger and greater challenges. It is not being afraid of making a mistake, suffering a setback or failure. It is trying to do your best and if in the end, your very end was not quite good enough, you just have to go back to work and prepare a bit harder for the next time.

It is through the act of participating, as you try to achieve your goals, that you succeed. Nobody succeeds 100 percent, in anything they do. When you are able to recognise and accept this fact of life, you realise, that Failure and Losing are as much a part of the game of life, as are Success and Winning. So embrace your goals, dreams and desires. Pour your energy, into completing those daily tasks. Go out and play your game and play it to win, but do not think only of winning games, think of winning championships!

I have spent many years, studying Successful people and have identified the skills, talents and characteristics, that enable them to succeed. As you look at and study these skills, talents and characteristics, you will realise, that you possess many of them yourself. Some of these skills and talents, are more dominant than others and will play a grater part in you being, or becoming, a Success in the business of life. These are things you do well. The things you do easily and effortlessly. These are your strengths.

When you need a skill or talent you do not have, just go out and look for a person, or group of people with the skills, talents and training you need, skills and talents that compliment your own. These people, will become your team-mates, colleagues, co-workers, professional advisors and friends. With these combined skills and talents, organisations grow, prosper and become Successful. These are the five things, you will find every Successful person has in common:-

• They have a dream.
• They have a plan.
• They have specific knowledge or training.
• They are willing to work hard.
• They do not take ‘NO’ for an answer.

Success begins with a state of mind. You must believe you will be Successful in order to become a Success.

The following is a list of the skills, talents and characteristics you will find in Successful people;

1. Successful People Have a Dream.

They have a well defined purpose. They know what they want. They are not easily influenced, by the thought and opinions of others. They have will power. They have ideas. Their strong desire brings strong results. They go out and do things that others say cannot be done.

It only takes one sound idea to achieve Success. People who excel in life are those who produce results, not excuses. Anybody can come up with excuses and explanations, for why he has not made it. Those who want to succeed badly enough do not make excuses.

2. Successful People Have Ambition.

They want to accomplish something. They have enthusiasm, commitment and pride. They have self-discipline. They are willing to work hard and to go the extra mile. They have a burning desire to succeed. They are willing to do whatever it takes, to get the job done.

3. Successful People Are Strongly Motivated Toward Achievement.

They take great satisfaction in accomplishing a task.

4. Successful People are Focussed.

They concentrate on their main goals and objectives. They do not get side tracked. They do not procrastinate. They work on projects, that are important and do not allow those projects to sit, until the last minute. They are productive, not just fury.

5. Successful People Learn How to Get things Done.

They use their skills, talents, energies and knowledge, to the fullest extent possible. They do the things that need to be done, not just the things they like to do. They are willing to work hard and to commit themselves, to getting the jobs done.

Happiness is found in doing and accomplishing, not in owning and possessing.

Many years ago, I was asked the question: “Do you like pleasing habits or pleasing results?” As I pondered that probing question and squirmed in my chair, like a worm at the end of hook, I felt as if I had painted myself into a corner. A few moments, later I answered: “I like pleasing results”. From that moment on, my life changed. I began to do things that were difficult, because that would enable me to achieve my goals.

6. Successful People Take Responsibility for Their Actions.

They do not make excuses. They do not blame others. They do not whine and complain.

7. Successful People Look for Solutions to Problems.

They are opportunity minded. When they see opportunities, they take advantage of them.

8. Successful People Make Decisions.

They think about the issues and relevant facts, give them adequate deliberation and consideration, to make a decision. Decisions are not put off or delayed, they are made now. Spend more time thinking and planning, before you make your decision and you will make better decisions, when you do not get the expected results, from the decision you make, change your course of action. Decisions should never be carved in stone.

9. Successful People Have the Courage to Admit, They have made a Mistake.

When you make a mistake, admit it, fix it and move on. Do not waste a lot of time, energy, money, and / or other resources trying to defend a mistake or a bad decision.

When people are wrong, they may admit it to themselves. If they are handled gently and tactfully, they may admit it, to others and even take pride in their frankness and broad-mindedness, but people become very defensive and angry, when others try to cram their mistakes, down their throats.

10. Successful People Are Self - Reliant.

They have the skills, talents and training that are needed, in order to be Successful.

11. Successful People Have Specific Knowledge, Training and / or Skills and Talents.

They know the things, they need to know, to be Successful and when they need information, knowledge, or skills and talents, that they do not possess, they find someone who does possess them.

12. Successful people Work with and Co-operate with Other people.

They have positive outgoing personalities. They surround themselves with people, who offer them help support and encouragement, they are Leaders.

13. Successful People are Enthusiastic.

They are excited, by what they are doing and that excitement is contagious. They draw people to them, because these people want to work with them, do business with them and be with them.

14. Successful People Have Fun.

Whatever you do in life, you have got to have fun doing it. You have got to enjoy what you are doing. You have got to enjoy spending time with the people, with whom you are working. You have got to like the people, who are your Customers and / or Suppliers. The people, with whom you interact everyday. If for some reason, you are not having fun, you are not happy, you are not achieving the pleasure, satisfaction and / or enjoyment, you feel you should have, then it is fine to start planning your next career move.

That is what I find great about life. Everything is done, by the progress of elimination. Give yourself the opportunity to do, try and experience many things. Discover the things, you do not like to do and then try something else. When things feel good and you are getting, whatever it is you need and want, then you should stay put. When Strains, pressures and / or fusions begin to develop, these are warning signals that something is wrong. If they persist, then may be it is time, to make a change.

It is not a disaster to take a job and discover, that you do not like it. It only becomes a disaster, when you choose to stay.

When you do not enjoy your work, or the environment in which you are working, it is impossible to be Successful.

TWO POWERFUL THOUGHTS

Always keep these two powerful thoughts in mind.

Make your work play and your play work.
Find a job you love to do and you will never work, another day in your life.

Think for a few minutes about what you just read. Read these thoughts a second and a third time. There are simple but very important concepts. People rarely succeed in doing anything, unless they have fun doing it. You must receive a feeling of satisfaction from your work. It must be rewarding for you. If it is not, all you have got is a job, you must go to every day.

When you love something, it has value to you. When something is of value you, spend time doing it, you spend time enjoying it and you take care of it.

Your Challenge, is to go out and find someone, who would like to hire you and pay you, to do something, you would gladly do for free, or may be you should be in business yourself.

Principles # 1: Successful People Have a Dream.

To be Successful you have got to have a dream, a vision, a burning passion, a magnificent obsession. You have got to want something and you have got to want it bad. This dream / goal / obsession has to become your prime motivator. It takes enthusiasm, commitment, pride, a willingness to work hard, a willingness to go the extra mile, a willingness to do, whatever has to be done, in order to get the job done. To get things you want in life, you need motivation, drive and energy. The deeper your passion, the deeper your commitment, the greater the likelihood you will become the Success, you dream of becoming and when you have this deep passion and commitment, you are no longer working. You no longer have a job. You are doing something, you love and surprisingly, someone is willing to pay you to do it. You are having fun.

Fix firmly in you mind, what it is you want to do; then go out and do it! The challenge comes in finding the thing in life, that is your burning passion, your burning desire, so let me ask you:

What is your burning passion?
What is your burning desire?
What do your dream of doing?
What do you dream of accomplishing?
What were you born to do?

If you do not yet know, what your burning passion is, it is OK. Do not give it a second thought. Just keep reading, thinking and dreaming. I will be giving you more tools, you can use to discover, what you were born to do. Do not be in a hurry. It is unlikely, you will make this discovery overnight and once you do, it may take several years, or even a lifetime, for you to fulfil your dream. That is the thrill of life.

It is the search to discover, what you were born to do, that makes timing so meaningful, interesting and challenging.

Some People reach their peak, when others would consider them, way beyond their prime. Here are two examples:

Winston Churchill was 66 years old, in the spring of 1940, when he became Great Britain’s war time Prime Minister. His political career was presumed to have ended in January 1932.

Ray Kroc was 55 years old, when he purchased the Mc Donald brother’s small chain of hamburger stands. He turned the chain into the Mc Donald’s Corporation.

Become a dreamer!

Become a dreamer. Dream about the things you want to do. The things you want to accomplish. The things you want to have. The bigger your dreams, the bigger your Successes. First, you have got to dream it. Then, you have got to work your butt off, to make your dreams come true. Share your dream with your friends, your team-mates. Search for people, who can provide you with support, advice and encouragement. People who will help turn your dream into reality. People who are excited, about your dreams as you are. Get rid of nay Sayers. You cannot allow yourself, to be surrounded by people, who are not supportive and enthusiasm and force you, to spend lots of time convincing them, that you can do the things, you dream of doing.

Strive for excellence and greatness, in everything you do. In order to make your dream come true, you must first create a plan of action, – a Master Plan and then you must execute the plan.

Principle # 2: Successful People Have Desire.

To be Successful in life, you have got to have desire. You have got to want something. You have got to crave something, you have got to long for something. You have got to have a burning passion. You have got to be able to answer the question “How badly to I want it?” But desire is only of feeling. It is of no value, until you have turned your desire into action. You must make the decision, to go out and do something. A burning desire to be and to do, is the starting point, from which you take off, with your dream!

When you desire something so deeply, that you will not take ‘No’ for an answer, you are sure to succeed. The people who are the most Successful, are those who are willing to do, whatever it takes to get the job done!

When you know what you want, you will move heaven and earth to get it. When something is important enough to you, you will not stop, until you have gotten it. Go out and turn you desire, into an all consuming passion. Learn, what the power of desire feels like, when it becomes an obsession.

You cannot see the size of a person’s heart from the outside.

When you have a burning desire, a complete and total obsession, you have more strength and power, than you ever imagined. With this strength, you are able to survive disappointment, discouragement, temporary defeat, criticism and all the comments from the nay Sayers, who will tell you, that you are wasting your time.

You have got to believe! If you do not believe in yourself, who will?
To succeed, you must be willing to do, whatever it takes to achieve your goals.

You must convert you talk into action.

Things that are acquired, without effort and without cost, are not appreciated. We tend to value things that come with a price. If everything in life were easy, we would not have any challenges, we would not experience growth and we would all be the same. Boring!

Principle # 3: Successful People Have Faith.

In addition to having a dream and desire, you have got to have faith. You have got to believe that you can do it. This is what faith does for you.

# Faith gives you life.

# Faith removes limitation.
# Faith gives you power.

# Faith is the starting point to being Successful.
# Faith is listening to that still small voice, that speaks from deep within, that tells you, who you are and what you want to be.

Success is a Journey. Faith and hard work, bring Success.

1. Desire Success with a state of mind, that becomes an obsession. You must want it so badly, that nothing will stop you.

2. Create a step-by-step plan, that lap out in a minute, detailing the things you must do to become Successful.

3. Execute your plan with patience, persistence and perseverance. Achieving Success takes time. You have got to stick with your plan, you cannot allow yourself to be distracted, or change directions.

4. Do not accept failure!

PERSISTENCE

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not! Nothing is more common, than unsuccessful men with great talent.
Genius will not! Un-rewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not! The world is full of educated families.
Persistence prevails. Determination alone makes you omnipotent.

Principle # 4: Successful People Make Their Own Luck.

You may think Successful people became Successful, because they were lucky. But if you think that, you are dead wrong! Luck plays no part in being Successful. Successful people do not go through life, hoping for a favourable break. They make their breaks themselves. They wake their own luck and that, is what you should do! Work hard to put yourself in a position to capitalise, on the opportunities that come you way. Go out and seek situations, that can provide you with the opportunities, that will make you appear to be lucky, to those who are watching from the sidelines.

When I think about luck, I always visualise a baseball player, patiently waiting for his pitch. He does not waste his swing on pitches, that are outside the strike zone. He fouls off the ones, that are strikes, as he waits for that fast ball, up the middle, that looks, as if it is the size of a grape fruit and when he sees that pitch coming, he takes a big swing with all his might and smacks the hell out of it. If that opportunity does not come along today, just keep doing the thing, you do best and continue to move forward.

For myself, I have found that, when I continue to do all the right things, something unexpected always comes, out of nowhere and when I am sitting around, waiting for something to happen, it never does.

The only break you can afford, to rely upon, is the one you make yourself.
There is a difference, between wishing for something and being willing to go out and get it. You must believe, that you can do it!

Principle # 5: Successful People Are not Afraid of Failure.

Successful people know, that nothing ever goes exactly, as planned and no matter how hard you work, sooner or later your must face the reality, that your failed. You tried to do something and were not Successful. You did not get the result, you wanted. You did not get the job, you had hoped for. You did not get the raise, you deserved. You did not close the big order. Your largest account, just walked out of the door. You struck out, with the bases loaded. You missed the winning shot at the Buzzer. There was a fly in the ointment. There was a glitch somewhere. You failed. SO WHAT!

You do not close every sale. You do not win every game. You are not going to hit a home run, every time you are up to bat. You do not always get, what you want. Failure is O.K. It is part of life. It should be expected.

The bigger question is: What do you do next? What do you do, after you have failed?

“You pick yourself up and get back in the race. That is life.” You do not feel sorry for yourself. You do no mope around. You pick yourself up and do it again and again and again, until you get it right.

Failure is as much a part of life as Success. Losing is as much a part of life as Winning. The most important thing to think about is, how can you ensure that you will not fail in the same way, a second time.

Life is a series of trial and error experiences. We are taught something, by a teacher and then we try to do it ourselves. The first time we do it, we probably do not get the results we want. So we try again and again and again. With practice, we get better. Then we park ourselves, as we try to do something, that is a little bit more difficult. As we succeed, our expectations increase and so does the satisfaction, that causes from the feeling of a job well done.

So, we set our sights a bit higher, to improve our results, as compared to what we have done, before and in relation to the results of those, with whom we are competing and we try again. We continue to push ourselves, to new heights. When we succeed, we once again raise the bar and when we do not, we go back to work, to improve our skills and talents and try again.

That is why, I feel that the subjects of Success and Failure, are so intertwined: because it is through failure, that we grow and develop as individuals. We learn through our failures. Failures show us our flaws, our imperfection, the areas, in which we need improvement. In order to achieve your goals, to fulfil your desires, to make your dreams come true, you are going to have to work. It is hard work, that makes you better, at what you do and failing from time to time, is first a part of life.

If you are not experiencing failure, you are not working hard enough.
Overcome the Fear of Failure.

Failure, is trying to do something and not getting the desired results. Fear of Failure is something else. Fear of Failure causes paralysis. It is unfortunate, but many people go through this, with a Fear of Failure. They are so afraid, that they are going to make a mistake, that they will not do something right, that it will not be perfect, that they do not try to do anything at all. So what happens to them? They become paralysed and do not do anything and with this paralysis, they lose the ability to have a rewarding, meaningful and enjoyable life.

It is just physically impossible, for someone who has a Fear of Failure, to achieve everything, because that person has never tried. He never gave himself the opportunity to succeed.

It is in doing, trying and experiencing things, you never did before, that you grow and develop. Through practice, you get better and better at the things you do.

Principle # 6: Successful people Do not Quit!

So far, we have discussed dreams, desires, faith and luck. Now, I want to address the subject of quitting. Yes, we all have bad days. Yes, things do not always go your way. Yes, you may feel that the whole world is ganging on you, as every thing appears to be going down the tubes. But, it is in these times of adversity, that you draw on the strength, deep inside you and force yourself, to continue moving forward. Other people have lost major accounts, have lost their jobs, have lost a loved me, have had a spouse decide, it was time to leave and a whole lot more.
However, through it all, they find the stamina, will power, energy and courage to go on. And go on they do. For it is in facing adversity, that we grow. We are forced to do things, we never did before and we do them. During your lifetime, you are sure to have setbacks, meet with temporary defeat and perhaps experience some failure, if you have not already. The question is: Quit? No Way!

Just because you experienced a failure, does not mean, you should quit. What fun would life be, if you did? Quitting is the easy way out and besides, even if you do quit, where are you going to go? What are you going to do? More importantly, think about what has happened. If you never experienced failure, how would you ever learn from your mistakes? When you experience failures, this is what you should do:

# Analyse your mistakes
# Determine what went wrong and why.
# Identify what you can do differently, next time.
# Learn from your failure.
# Try again!

When defeat overtakes you, the easiest and seemingly most logical thing to do, is quit. Instead, you should be determined to come back, stronger next time. You should never accept defeat.

Failure or temporary defeat, creates Opportunity.

The only way you can fail, is if you quit. So you just cannot fail, the last time you try.

There is only one answer to defeat and that is victory.

Principle # 7: Successful People Do not Take ‘No’ for an Answer.

Successful people are persistent. They do not quit. When they begin working on a task or project, they stick with it, until its conclusion. They do not take ‘NO’ for an answer. The basis of their persistence is Will Power. Their attitude is: “I Will Get It Done!”

In life, everything is possible, but to succeed, you have got to have a dream, you have got to have a plan and you cannot take ‘NO’ for an answer.