Tag Archives: goals

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The 5 Requirements to Achieve Growth

Break through your plateau and achieve

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This blog is about achieving on purpose. I assume that if you are reading this, you want to achieve more than you have to this point. Reaching new heights – taking your business to a place it has yet to go – requires one thing. Change.

The 5 Requirements For

 

I was in Phoenix and called home to talk to the family. When my wife answered the phone, she said, “Your son wants to talk to you.” My automatic thought was, “Uh oh.”

My 13-year-old got on the phone and told me he doesn’t want to play baseball anymore. He wants to focus on basketball. I was initially disappointed because the kid can play some baseball. His love is for basketball, however. And he is already pretty good.

When I got home, we met in my home office. If he was going to focus on basketball, let’s make a plan so he can achieve his goals.

The problem was he didn’t have any goals. So these are the three goals he came up with:will playing defense

  1. Start varsity as a freshman
  2. Be the best ball-handler in the state as a senior
  3. Earn a Division I scholarship

If he is going to accomplish those goals, he has to change. He has to change his habits. He has to change how he spends his time. He has to change how he works and practices.

So for the last couple of months, he is going with me to the gym in the morning before school 2-3 times a week. We get up at 5:20 and spend one hour working on ball handling and shooting drills.

Just like my son, if you want to achieve growth in your business or life, you are going to have to change to make that happen.

You can achieve that growth if you understand these 5 requirements of change.

  1. Change requires pain – Growth is not for sissies. It hurts. You have to do things differently. Learning to change your thinking takes work and mental energy. Building muscles means tearing them down and building them back up. I love the Marine quote – “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” That is true of your business as well.
  2. Change requires new habits – You want new and better results? You have to change your habits. You might want to construct a morning routine that sets up your day for success. You might need to improve your time management system to get more done in less time. You might need to get healthy to have the energy to give your best all day long. All of this requires pain and new habits.
  3. Change requires a plan – My son committed to one hour of practice a day to achieve his goals. He doesn’t just have goals. He has a tactical, daily plan that will get him there. You need the same. Can you break your goals down to a daily plan that will lead to success?
  4. Change requires accountability – My son has me. I wake him up to hit the gym before school. I ask him if he’s done his hour of drills that day. Who have you shared your goals and plans with? Who is asking you the hard questions and keeping you accountable? Who is your coach?
  5. Change requires connecting with your why – Why are you doing all of this? Why do you want to achieve more or grow your business? Your why is never the money, by the way. Your why is the deeper purpose of what you can do or be if you achieve. You will hit a plateau or just feel tired of the work involved to change. When you do, connecting with your why is what will allow you to push through and keep growing.

If you want to grow your company then you need to become more valuable. This requires change. I challenge you to define your goals, create your plan, and commit to the change necessary to achieve – on purpose.

Your Next Step:  We’ve created a free report at the Massimo Group for the 7 Success Secrets of Market Leaders. One key of achieving success is becoming a student of what is working for others. If you want to see what the most successful brokers in CRE are doing, then click the button below. You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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The Difference Between the Amateur and the Pro

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I was listening to a podcast this week as I was traveling to spend a few days at the global headquarters of the Massimo Group. I love listening to podcasts.

Amateurs practice until they get it right.Pros practice until they can't get it wrong.

And most of the major thought leaders in just about any industry have them now. I’d like to have create one myself at some point.

But consider this, you can learn anything through podcasts. The major thought leaders are offering to personally and virtually mentor you. And most of us don’t take advantage of the wealth of knowledge that is out there waiting for…just waiting.

I listen to podcasts when I work out. I listen to them when I’m traveling in my car. I listen to them when I’m on a plane. I sometimes fall asleep listening to them in a hotel room. They stimulate my thinking. They challenge the status quo in my mind. They give me new ideas.

This particular podcast is called Steal the Show by a best-selling author and actor, Michael Port. He was interviewing a theatre teacher, Melissa Friedman, who said this about practice:

Amateurs practice until they get it right. Pros practice until they can’t get it wrong.

How true is that?! I love that quote. And even more true is the fact that by this definition, most of us are amateurs.

All of us can benefit by more practice – not just to get it right, but to make sure we can’t get it wrong.

5 Areas Most of Us Need More Practice

  1. Prospecting calls – I think it is a huge mistake to not practice (role play) prospecting calls with peers and mentors in our office on a weekly basis. We don’t do it because it is uncomfortable. But pros role play and practice until they know exactly what to do regardless of the direction a call takes.
  2. Opening statements – Wether a phone call or a face to face meeting, the opening statement is the most important. It sets the tone for the meeting. It demonstrates confidence or incompetence. And, we know we are going to get to say it. You have to nail it. To do that, you must practice it…until you can’t screw it up.
  3. Voice mails – Any of us who make prospecting calls are going to reach people’s’ voice mail boxes. This is an argument for another post, but you should leave a message. Since you know you are going to be leaving messages, why do you allow yourself to leave a bumbling one. Be confident and compelling. Be efficient. Give a real reason to call you back. Practice it. Nail it!
  4. Closing – You might need to regularly try to close for a meeting. Maybe you need to close a deal. All of us in business are trying to generate business. Yet we don’t practice our closing techniques. Most of us don’t even ask for the business! If you lack a skill like closing, buy a book. Ask to shadow a top producers. And then practice until you can close with confidence every time.
  5. Goal setting – Setting goals is the single most important activity for achieving the success you long for. And most of us do it wrong. Take a course. Read a book. Figure out how the successful in your industry do it. Then do it yourself. Practice.

Now today is an exciting day because my business partner in Massimo University is releasing 7 Days to Your Best CRE Year Yet – a goal setting course from Rod Santomassimo. The third and final video of his free video series on Setting Yourself Up for 2016 goes live today and you can watch it here.

If there is just one thing to help you move from amateur to pro in 2016, nailing your goals and taking action to achieve them is it. This 7 day course will show you exactly what to do.

Watch the video now!

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Why Intentionality Could Be the Most Important Factor in What Matters

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I’ve missed you all.  Last year, when I left commercial real estate for the excitement of food safety, I knew my blog would change.  I wasn’t sure what I had to write about.  My posts have always flowed from my life.

Photo Credit - iStock.com

Photo Credit – iStock.com

Additionally, I wasn’t sure how my new role at a new company would play out.  I can tell you that it has been awesome.  We are disrupting a $3 billion dollar food safety industry and having a blast doing it.

But I have missed blogging.  I’ve missed having a place to clarify my thoughts.  I’ve missed engaging with you.  So this year is going to be different.

I heard Michael Hyatt say something this week that has stuck in my mind.  I can’t shake it.  It is the perfect thought to channel through your mind as we start a new year.  He said:

You never drift anywhere that is worthwhile.

Think about that.  The idea of being at sea with no force of direction.  You are just at the behest of the current.  The opposite of drifting is being intentional.

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Why Your New Years Resolutions Fail – These 3 Reasons

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For years, I’ve set New Year’s resolutions.  For years, I’ve been frustrated by them.  Regardless of when in the year you are reading this post, I challenge you to change the way you think about these resolutions.

photo courtesy of iStock.com

photo courtesy of iStock.com

My parents taught me to set goals when I was a kid.  I’ve written out my goals in various categories most years since.  I set goals in these categories:  spiritual, personal development, relational/family, health, career, and social.  Every year at about this time, those resolutions have gone by the wayside.

Last week, I launched my first ever reader survey. The purpose is to understand my readers better so I can provide better content for you. If you haven’t already, please take 5 minutes to fill out the survey. It is super easy.

I read a book last month that I highly recommend.  It is called The One Thing by Gary Keller.  Awesome.  He blew up some of the wrong thinking I had about setting goals.  I want to distill that information for you.

Myths of Setting Resolutions

Multi-tasking – My wife claims to be great at this.  I agree by the way.  Most women that I know, in fact, are much better at multi-tasking than I am.  However, multi-tasking doesn’t actually exist.  Scientific studies now prove that you can’t multi-task.  You just interrupt yourself – bouncing back and forth between tasks.

Some of us bounce back and forth quicker – some more efficiently.  Studies now prove that should you focus your entire energy on one task at a time, you will do them all better and faster.  I realize that my wife is now thinking that is a luxury she doesn’t have.

If you can, focus on one task or goal at a time.  I have been failing at my New Year’s resolutions due to multi-tasking.  I try to change too much about my lifestyle at the same time.

Habit Forming – I’ve heard for years that it takes 21 times to form a habit.  You’ve probably heard the same thing.  That is a lie.  Studies now show that it takes about 66 days.  This means most of us only focus on forming a new habit – or building a new goal into our lives – for 1/3 of the time it takes.

No wonder this has been a frustration for me.

Priorities?? – What are your priorities?  Do you know what the definition of priority means?  It means the main thing – the first thing.  Do you realize you can’t have more than one first thing?  You can’t have two first place finishers.  It is impossible.

It is only in the last couple decades that the word “priority” has had the pluraliztion “priorities.”  We have watered down the meaning of the word from the first thing to an important thing.  But no longer for me.  A priority is just one thing.

So here is my method for this year and beyond:

  • I have chosen the 6 habits (resolutions) that I want to build into my life this year.
  • One at a time, for two months (66 days), I am focusing all my energy on just one thing.
  • After the first habit is built into my life, I move on to the next most important one.

Imagine the impact this could have over the span of years.  Think of the productivity and greatness you could achieve.

So how do you know which one to start with?  Ask this question.  Which of these habits will make it easier or unnecessary to accomplish the others?

Question: If you get 6 habits to build into your life in a year, I’d like to know what you would choose. You can leave a comment by clicking here.

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Not Your Standard Goal-Setting Post

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I learned to set goals from my dad.  He’s set annual goals every year that I can remember.  As a result, I’ve been a goal setter most of my life, and I believe that it has benefited me.

2013

However, I was on a coaching call with one of my clients last month that caused me to rethink goals.  This guy has absolutely crushed his goals for the year – killed it.  Do you know how he feels about it?  He feels like he has stolen from next year’s income.  His goals actually have prevented him from enjoying his success.

What he should feel is something short of elation.  His growth this year has been incredible, and I had a front row seat to it.  This guy started his own firm and became a first-time dad.  He had realistic goals.  They were measurable.  They were stretching yet attainable.  In some way, hitting his goals left him wanting.

This is the time of year when top producers and high achievers set goals for the upcoming year.  It is the perfect time to pause (nearly impossible in December) and reflect on the year.  And while my thinking is changing on the best way to set goals, I will set them nonetheless.

None of the following is rocket science or original thought.  It is simply how I’ve learned to do this.  As you work through your goals for next year, remember the word ‘balance.‘  You really gain nothing if you work 80 hours a week and lose your family.  What benefit is ten million dollars if you  don’t have your health.

I do have a thought and a challenge at the end of this post so be sure to read until the end.

Steps For Setting Life-Changing Goals

  1. Set goals for your entire life.  You may have just said, “Duh!”, but many people don’t.  My areas are spiritual, family, work/career, personal health, personal development, and social.
  2. Write them down – Again, “Duh!”  But this is so important.  I think Dave Ramsey said something like “goals that aren’t written down are just dreams.”  Something happens when you write something down.  More specifically, I encourage you to hand write them.  I gain so much clarity when I write by hand versus typing.
  3. Use the 3 P’s – I’ve read numbers of blogs that espouse this method, but I think that Brian Tracy is the guy who codified it.  If Tracy didn’t come up with this, he wrote about it in one of his books.
      1. Present – don’t write down that you want to lose 20 lbs.  Write that you are the weight that you want to be.  For example:  “I weigh 170 lbs by the end of 2013.”  It is in the present tense.
      2. Positive – you are much more apt to accomplish the goal if you think of it in the positive.  The best example is the quitting smoking goal.  Instead of saying that you are going to quit smoking this year, write “I am a non-smoker.”  See the difference?
      3. Personal – this simply means that you start each goal with “I” and an action verb.  “I sell 10 Single Tenant Net Lease properties by September 2013.”  “I am a student of my wife and seek to understand and know her.”  “I take my daughter on a date once a month so that she doesn’t have to date biker-guy to get my attention.”  You get the point.
  4. Write your goals daily – I’m not good at this one.  This is the idea that writing your goals and placing that sheet of paper in a drawer for a year is not optimal.  I’ve heard of studies that say that even this annual fire and forget method is way better than not setting goals.  However, there is some real power in re-writing them daily.  I did this for a couple-week stretch earlier this year.  Those were some of the most productive and focused days of my life.

I keep thinking of my goal-shattering client, though.  This process failed him in some way.  What he needed was a growth plan.  Goals can be a part of it.  I’m reading John Maxwell’s new book the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth.  He said that happiness has more to do with growth than anything.  And growth is a life-long process.

I want to grow as a writer which will involve writing a book.  I want to grow as a speaker.  I want to grow as a husband and father.  I want to grow as a leader.  My goal is not to arrive, though.  My goal is to try to approach my potential.

How would you quantify that kind of thinking in a goal that is measurable, challenging, and attainable?  I need goals that I never actually hit.  Goals that are always beyond my grasp – causing me to stretch and grow.

Help me out here.  How do you think you can set goals that are just barely unattainable and then be satisfied with the growth?

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