Life By Design

We had friends over for Christmas Eve and one friend mentioned how glad he was that 2011 was coming to an end because it was such a tough year. I'm sure they are a lot of people that feel the same way. I, thankfully, feel very differently. I think 2011 was a fantastic year full of accomplishments, new challenges and great memories. I am a firm believer that living life by design rather than default can make all the difference.

What does life by design mean? It means being international about what you want and what you want to achieve. It involves setting goals, writing those goals down, knowing how to achieve those goals and tracking/reviewing your progress frequently. I'll admit I didn't accomplish all of my goals for 2011. I gave up on running a total of 1,200 miles this year when an injury knocked me out of the running (literally and figuratively). I did, however, cross off running Disney Marathon and setting a new PR, running a second marathon (something I had never done before), hitting mt intern recruiting target at work, reading 12 books and running a 5k with my husband (well I'm hopeful this one gets crossed off because the race is tonight). My goals are typed and hanging in my office. I also talked about them frequently with WIN BIG and other supportive people.

I'm making some changes to my 2012 life by design approach. I've already written my design statement and have started to build the habit of reading it every morning. (I had one in 2011 but failed to read it daily). I've also set my goals and limited them to 5. Easy to remember, track and they all have clear achievement deadlines.

Over the next week before we have the chance to start fresh and new, I challenge you to think about what would make 2012 a great year. Write it down, review it and maybe come out to a WIN BIG meeting to discuss. You'll be amazed at what you can do when you know where you are going and how to get there!

Things Successful People Do

"Successful people habitually do the things unsuccessful people are unwilling to do!" 

In my opinion, there are several things successful people do. When I think about the successful people I have relationships with, interacted with or read about they have some things in common.

Successful people...

Have a vision, focus or clear set of goals - Successful people seem to be working towards something. They have a vision for where they want to go and they get others excited about that vision. Successful people set goals, write design statements and then review those goals and statements to track their progress.

Value growth - Successful people read a ton. Next time you are with a leader of an organization, ask him or her what he or she is currently reading. Successful people also pursue higher education, certifications in their designated fields and attend seminars to learn. We've all heard it before that knowledge is power.

Surround themselves with other successful people - Funny that this keeps coming up in my posts. The people you surround yourself with say a lot about who you are and where you are going. Surround yourself with like-minded people, people that are achieving things and on the track to success. Being around other successful people can be a source of inspiration for you to reach your own goals.  You can also learn from other successful people. Pay attention to the things they say, their mannerisms and how they act professionally. Find out how they got to where they are and where they are going.

I am sure there are other things that can be added to this list. What have you noticed successful people having in common?