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Issue # 36 | To Your Success | Jan, 2007 |
Ancient Chinese definition of insanity - "To do the same things you've always done while expecting to get different results." TENSION AND ACTION It seems hard to believe that we're already 7 years beyond Y2K. Can you remember how big a concern that was to so many people? Think back to then. What stands out in your mind about those months leading up to that much anticipated midnight hour? For me, it's that they were filled with both Tension and Action. As I recall, there was considerable anxiety associated with the impending event and tension filled the air. At the same time, many businesses, organizations and governments were frantically taking action, scrambling to ensure that their computer systems were compatible with the turning over of that calendar page. Over the years it's been my observation that tension and action are frequently connected, and never more so than now when so many of us have set out New Year's resolutions and are attempting to fulfill that obligation to self. New Year's resolutions are actually nothing more than goals we set for ourselves at the start of a year. Goals to achieve a certain thing, change a lifestyle, develop a new habit or get rid of an old one. In order to achieve these goals however, action is required … and this is where the tension / action relationship comes into play. Not surprisingly, lack of the right kind of consistent action is one of the biggest obstacles to the successful achievement of goals. But what does this have to do with tension? Let me explain. To help do so I'm going to ask you to imagine for a moment that you are a sales rep (but feel free to substitute your own resolutions and particular situation if you wish) and for the last several years your sales volume has been fairly consistent. This year however, you've made a New Year's resolution to achieve a new level of success and so have set a significantly higher sales target. You believe this new goal is possible to accomplish but you also know that in order to do so you're going to have to make some changes. These changes might include strengthening your sales skills, eliminating non-productive activities, and / or doing more networking, prospecting and follow up. So, you set out a game plan that includes action steps to accomplish this. Now let's say that one of your chosen action steps involves calling at least 8 prospects or non-active customers each day, people you haven't communicated with for some time. You rightly believe there's a good possibility that some of these can be revived, leading to at least part of the sales volume increase you're looking for. Unfortunately, you've never really felt comfortable making these kinds of calls, which of course is why you haven't consistently done so before. So here you are, a few weeks into the New Year sincerely wanting to show an increase in sales volume as compared to that of last January. You start the workday with good intentions knowing that in order to accomplish this you will need to do things differently. You sit at your desk, look over today's 'to do' list, and there, staring you in the face, is the task 'Call these 8 prospects'. "Yes", you say, "I will do this, but it's probably a little early in the morning for these folks so I think I'll look after some of these other things on my list first". And you do … you complete a few tasks and check them off your list where once again, 'Call these 8 prospects' jumps out at you. Now here's where it gets interesting. You really do WANT to have an increase in sales this month. You also KNOW how important it is to be doing things that will directly contribute to making this happen. As a result, you begin experiencing a slight discomfort or tension. Tension that is telling you something needs to be done. But instead of picking up the phone you again say to yourself, "Yes", I will definitely call these people today but it's getting pretty close to lunch time and they probably wouldn't appreciate being bothered now so I think I'll look after some of these other things on my list and then make these calls in the afternoon". So once more you take 'action' by doing these secondary tasks, which relieves some of that tension. But when completed, your 'Call these 8 prospects' task is still there, taunting you. Yet again you find something else that temporarily relieves the tension … and so the day goes until it's over, and those 8 calls still haven't been made. And how do you feel inside? Not good. But tomorrow, you say … tomorrow I'll do it. And so the week goes. What's the point of this hypothetical little tale? The point is that any time you set an objective, with or without a specific plan of action to accomplish it, you create inner tension. And ACTION relieves that tension; even though the action you're taking may not be the most appropriate for the situation. After each 'avoidance' however the tension returns, becoming more and more uncomfortable, until inevitably one of two things happens. Now if you can't relate to this, if this kind of thing just isn't an issue for you at all, you can stop reading now. If however you DO experience it on occasion, you may want to check out the following suggestions for overcoming it. 1. Make sure you set a 'smart' goal to begin with. In other words, make sure it's realistic, that you want it for your own reasons, and it's consistent with your values, vision and who you aspire to be as a person. (For more information on 'Smart' Goals re-read Issue # 26 of 'To Your Success', available on the Newsletters page of my website) 2. Prioritize your action steps in your 'to do' list (do this at the end of each day for the following day). Let's say that you have a dozen items on your list for the day and making those 8 calls is one of them. You then assign this task (and each of the others) a number that indicates in which order you will do it. So, if you feel you need to 'warm up' with 2 or 3 easy tasks before taking on this more uncomfortable one you would put the number 4 beside it, and the numbers 1, 2, and 3 beside the less onerous tasks. Then at the start of the new day you would complete task number 1 and check it off, then task number 2 and so on. When the first 3 tasks are checked off, it's time for task number 4, and this is when you must do it. You CANNOT go on to task number 5 until number 4 is checked off. Make sense? Another way to do this is to predetermine the best time of day to make these calls and put it into your day planner beside that time. 3. Have someone hold you accountable. Confide in a business colleague or friend. Let them know that you are struggling in this area and pre-arrange for them to call you at the end of each day to confirm that you've done the deed. Having to 'report' to someone else often provides added motivation for doing uncomfortable tasks. Another suggestion that is very effective is to hire a personal or business coach for a period of time to work with you. A coach will support you, help you clarify what you want and why, and hold you accountable to yourself. A good coach is not an expense, but rather a wise investment, and most coaches will give you a free trial session so you can find out if they're a good fit with you. If you'd like to pursue this there are a number of excellent coaches available, one of whom is Cathy Clark of Coaching With Cathy. Cathy is a graduate of my ThoughtShop program and a very experienced, highly regarded personal coach. To learn more about her you can check out the Resources page of my website. The bottom line is that your goals are important to you, or you wouldn't have set them to begin with. Action however is required in order for you to achieve them. And just as in the months preceding Y2K, tension and action are linked. The question is; will you choose to take action that is tension relieving … or goal achieving? "The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can." ----- Richard Cushing To your success, PS - IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Are you ready now to move ahead in your life or career in big way? Then take a giant step forward by enrolling in The ThoughtShop, our powerful life success and achievement workshop that will give you the tools you need to accomplish anything and everything that's important to you. It's coming up real soon, don't miss it! Click here for more information or to register. 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