A Steady Pace

When you prepare to run a marathon you practice to run slower than you'd normally do, in order to last the distance. It is the same with everything you decide to run for in life. A steady pace wins in the long run, whether we talk about achieving success, creating wealth, raising a family or lowering the waist line. They all depend on the small things we do repeatedly on a daily basis. We are talking about lifestyle here. When you review your goals are there any steady pace activities, that come to mind, you want to add to your daily schedule?

Give Something Back

Margret Thatcher had a very unsentimental comment on the good Samaritan. She said: "We do not remember the good Samaritan because he had good intentions. We remember him because he had money." And Abraham Lincoln said: "The best way to help the poor is to not be one of them." Giving something back to society from our success and help the less fortunate, one way or the other, is almost a moral obligation. How can you best contribute?

Understand Power Dress Code

Be aware of the signal value of a consistent dress code. You are treated exactly according to the way you are dressed. I have personally been stopped at customs when travelling wearing blue jeans many times but never once wearing a suit. As you can imagine I always travel in business attire. Particularly if there is a problem, you get the help you deserve when you are properly dressed. When you need to make maximum use of power attire (with a difficult customer or your bank manager) wear a black or dark blue suit, white shirt and a red tie.

5,000 Hours Of Practice

There are studies suggesting that if you are going to become excellent at a complex skill, like playing a musical instrument, reading with comprehension, learning another language, or flying an airplane you need to spend 5,000 hours practicing that skill. That is a lot of time! It means years of dedication! If you spend two hours, seven days per week, it will take you seven years to reach that level of proficiency. How determined are you to reach that expert level in your chosen field of endeavor?

Create A Filing System

I file all my stuff in a simple file folder system in my office. It is a simple system where content is stored based on name of customers, objects, companies or projects. This way it is easy to quickly retrieve any information. I just need to look in a few places to find it. I have a master list on my computer to keep track of them. Key to a working system is short archiving and retrieval time. Take the time to get yourself organized but keep it simple.

Are You Chasing Too Many Rabbits?

There is an old Russian Proverb saying; "If you chase two rabbits, you will catch neither one." Focus is of uttermost importance when it comes to doing anything worth while. Very few professional golfers are known to be good hockey players even though both sports involve hitting balls with a stick. To become really good you have to specialize. To catch one of the rabbits, you have to let go of the other. Are you trying to accomplish too much? Maybe it is time to figure out which rabbit you will chase after.

De-Clutter Your Life

We gather lots of stuff during the years. It is a good habit to clean out your storage spaces at home, on the computer and in the office from time to time. Decide to create a de-clutter plan. Prioritize the different areas; allocate time in your calendar and go to work on it. The most important place to de-clutter is your own mind. Take a piece of paper and write down everything that comes to mind so you can deal with it and take appropriate actions. Then make it a habit to always have pen and paper handy and write things down as you come to think of them.