12 Steps To Personal Business Success

Here are the twelve steps to personal success in business:

1. What do we call success? Should we let our company define this - nope! Define it our self! When I was in sales, I always took whatever quota my company gave me and either doubled it or tripled it. I did this because I understood psychology enough to know that we tend to come just a little short of our goals, on average. Thus, I was usually assured of overachieving quota by making sure that even if I fell a little short of my goals I over-achieved my company's goals. This was always more than enough to send me to summit club (100% + achievement) year after year.

2. Own our career. Do we work as if our career owns us, or do we own it? There is one sure way to tell: when we go on an interview, who is interviewing who? I always felt that if I wasn't asking plenty of questions, I was letting my career own me.

3. Believe in the power of I can, I will! My friend Julia has that saying on a plaque on her wall. I don't know where she bought it from, all I know is she's the Top Gun at her company each year and a phenomenal salesperson.

4. Be financially smart. Do we spend money and use expenses as if our job were our own private business? Most managers appreciate people who are wise with expenses - yet also who know how to spend money to attract money. "Don't be too frugal, yet don't be wasteful" is the rule I live by. Then, when we do own our own business, we're already in the habit of spending wisely.

5. Plan our work. If we don't have a plan, we plan to fail.

6. Work our plan. What's the use of having a plan if we don't follow it?

7. Take a chance. What are we holding back? If we have a good idea, we ought to either suggest it, implement it, or delegate it and make it happen. The best ideas are those which get acted upon. The worst ideas are those forgotten about while the competition is making them a reality. I have a viewpoint that anytime I have an idea that at least five other people in the world have thought this same idea at the same time. The key to success is the person who acts upon their ideas.

8. Act now. The best time to aspire is... NOW!

9. What can we change? People who stay completely the same are a little boring. So is a business. Businesses are comprised of people, so we must change a bit to keep things interesting. What business process can we change? Do we need a face-life or makeover? What attitude needs a refresher? Might as well go for it and see what happens. There is one constant in life: that it will change tomorrow.

10. Have we failed at something? Instead of calling it a failure, call it a learning experience. Learn from it. Now, next time, we will succeed as we are wiser.

11. Have fun! Fun people are more creative. People who aren't having fun are boring. They are sometimes good for getting a lot of work done, but they aren't that great at coming up with new ideas. I like hanging around fun people - how about you?

12. Help someone else succeed. Have you ever noticed that when you ask for help from someone who has succeeded in your field, that they usually will offer free advice? Sometimes, they'll go the extra mile for you to help out. On occasion, I like to do something unexpected and help out a rookie with some free wisdom. If they ask, I offer. They always walk away smiling. So, let us assist those who haven't yet gained our wisdom. Then watch what they do with it and smile. Someone else has done it for us, and what goes around comes around .

Remember that no matter what rules we have been given, it is wise to break one every now and then. People who have fun, use their resources, and have an attitude of "No Doubt" are the true winners in life. Are we among them?