5 Things to do before the end of 2015!

Achieve a Peak Performance Mindset

Everywhere I look people are saying the same thing: "I'm so exhausted from this year. I can't wait to start the holidays." Before you pack your bags, think carefully about this year and the one to come.

Martin Luther King Jnr. once said: "A life not reflected upon, is a life not worth living."

1. Reflect on the past year.

What has worked? What are you proud of? What could be done better next time? What do you not want to repeat? What do you want to repeat? What were the first quarter, second quarter, third and fourth quarters like for you? Reflection helps us to re-evaluate our lives and the choices we're making. It helps us to modify our goals and values as well as our attitudes to certain people and circumstances. Find a quiet space, drink a cuppa and stare into the sky, while thinking back to your year.

In his book: The Age of Turbulance - Alan Greenspan mentions that he spent 15 minutes at the end of everyday of his life reflecting on the happenings of that day. I highly recommend this practice and will improve in my ability to do more of it in 2016.

2. Don't do new year's resolutions!

I think by now we all know; new year's resolutions simply don't work. We have all done them, and most of us have failed at keeping ourselves on track!  Research shows that 45% of Americans usually make New Year’s Resolutions, while only 8% are successful in in achieving them. If you want to bring major (or even minor) adjustments to your goals, start working on them now. An ancient Chinese proverb says: "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is NOW!" If you could work on accomplishing certain things by, say, June next year, what would they be? What do you want for yourself, your family, your friendships, your finances, your health, your career, your education, etc? Make it specific. The best method is to try and imagine yourself in the scenario as if you're already there. Think of the most ideal scenario from month to month and challenge yourself to run the reel out repeatedly in your mind. Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between real or imagined scenarios, so it plays everything you imagine (positive and negative) out as if it's reality!

3. Write the vision down!

Researchers have proved over and over, that the writing of a goal is much more powerful and has greater 'stickability' than merely just thinking about it. People who are successful have a strong habit of writing down every goal they set, along with the date it was achieved. This gives them a record they can use to encourage themselves, while also making the goal seem more concrete. I once came across an article in Reader's Digest (remember Reader's Digest)? It stated that the MBA graduates from an American University  were followed up after 15 years to see what they had done with their MBA. It turns out that only a small percentage (15%) of them made it to the top echelons of Industry, while some stayed in middle management roles and others became small business owners. The major difference between the 15% and the rest, was written goals! 

4.  Measure your goals.

These days there are so many tools to assist one to keep track with the goals you have set for yourself. The best way to measure is periodically. This means, if you set yourself a target for daily, weekly, monthly or annually. The Peak Performance Toolkit™  is a great tool to help individuals and teams measure their current reality in relation to their vision. It measure 5 Areas of Effectiveness© and also functions as a self-reflection tool, which brings you back to point 1 of this blog.

5. Find a Coach.

Sometimes, the best way to stay on track with one's goals is to have someone to hold you accountable. The greatest leaders on earth have had a coach at some point in their lives and some continue to do so. They may refer to them as 'gurus', but we're talking here about a person who will help you think through your ideas, modify your thinking and help you set and stick to targets. Coaching is the No.1 tool in the world today, to help high level executives stay consistent at their level.  At DDA, we offer business and executive coaching, based on the coaching methodology of Myles Downey. All our coaches are trained by Myles and carry a Certificate of Coaching form the School of Coaching International. 

HAVE A GREAT 2016!

                                                          

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