Success 1 2 3

You’re faced with a challenge – a problem to be solved or a course of action to be taken.   You feel overwhelmed and don’t know where or how to start.  Have you ever been there? 

If you have big goals, there probably isn’t a week that goes by where you don’t face some sort of overwhelm.  The result?  You stay stuck, or run around in circles, or spend valuable time and resources on the little, easy to accomplish things that don’t produce the results you want.  Been there, done that – more than once. 

Through the school of hard knocks I’ve learned to apply some of the laws of physics and economics to help.  Here is my Success 1 2 3 formula for creating results whether at work or in your personal life.

Step 1:  use the law of Leverage.  Leverage is defined as the action of applying the force of a rigid bar around a pivot at one point while applying force.  You don’t actually use a crowbar  - OK you might want to use one on a coworker, but don’t go there.  The point is to find the common element, root cause or recurring theme that keeps getting in your way.  Then move everything else to the back burner and put all of your force and focus on that point.

Step 2:  use the law of Momentum.  Momentum is defined as the force of movement.  Newton’s first law of motion says a body at rest will stay at rest; a body in motion will stay in motion.  I love the old adage:  when you want something to get done, ask a busy person to do it.  That’s because busy people have momentum.  The work isn’t done after the Leverage step.  Once the ball starts rolling, you need to make smart decisions to create additional momentum.

Step 3:  use the law of Compounding.  Compounding is defined as growth through accumulation.  Think of your savings account.  You earn interest on your savings, and then you earn interest on the interest you’ve already earned.  Ka-ching!

Of course the laws of momentum and compounding work in both positive ways and negative ways.  Harness the positive.

Here’s a simple example of Success 123 that’s easy to relate to: 

Many of my clients feel frustrated, burned out, don’t know where to turn or how to start because they often don’t know where they want to go.  When we talk about what’s going on, the recurring theme is the lack of energy or negative energy – physical energy, emotional energy, mental energy, spiritual energy.  Their tanks are empty. 

The answer:  get more energy.  Where to start?   One option is to find the path that quickly makes other things happen (creating momentum), and that’s usually physical energy.  Start some form of exercise and get those feel-good hormones flowing.  After only a few days of consistent effort (using that crowbar), they feel and sleep better and don’t need to get energy from sugary food.  This ignites mental energy.  Do you feel the momentum starting?  Once their minds are able to focus better, they feel more positive, and they begin making better decisions and seeing what needs to be done.  All the while, the more progress they make towards their goal, the better they feel, and the better they feel the more they take care of themselves, which continues to feed their energy tanks.  Compounding!

It’s a simple and common sense example, yes, but don’t let pride get in your way.  Sometimes the best answers are the simplest answers.  I heard a great quote recently:  common sense isn’t always common practice.

I’ve applied Success 1 2 3 in business situations as well, and I’ll share a great example next week. 

A personal note from Pam:  A big thank you and hug to my clients and friends who supported me through the past 6 months as I dealt with the loss of my beautiful mother.  My energy tanks are full again, and I’m thrilled to re-launch this blog.