The BIG Secret To Success
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Everyone is looking for the secret - the secret to wealth, the secret to long life, the secret to happiness, the secret to raising great kids, the secret to getting a great job, the secret to losing weight.

I'll tell you the secret, but I'm not sure you'll be happy with the answer, the secret is - that there is no secret.  

In any one discipline there are a lot of simple details that create success once they are all put together.  The problem is, we're unaware of what all those details are.  If we really understood the area we were working on, we wouldn't continue to fail.  Many people attempt the same approach over-and-over, achieving the same results and yet continuing to repeat the same thing.

For example:  Someone is trying to change their body from an out of shape 350 lbs to a healthy 175 lbs.  They try diet after diet and find that they only experience the yo-yo effect, losing weight and then putting on even more than they lost.  Their answer is, "I must not be using the right diet!"  Somehow they miss the fact that dieting is not what healthy people do!

Healthy people are active, they consciously choose different types of food, they don't sit in front of the TV snacking, they don't take the elevator or park as close as possible to the door.  They spend their lunch hour walking, they choose fresh healthy food, if they have a snack it's a fruit or vegetable.

It's all the little details put together.

In business consulting, I learned that there was no one single thing I could do to turn a business around from a money loser into a money winner.  There were hundreds of little details that we had to work on and develop.  Once we had enough of those little details working the way they should, the business began to be profitable.  As we developed even more of them, the business became even more profitable.

What are all the little details in your life that you think are so inconsequential that you haven't addressed?  What are the little things you have left undone?  Address them one at a time until you have made them all part of your natural day-to-day life and one day you will suddenly realize that you are the success you always wanted to be and somehow...it just happened.

 Developing The Details:  

• ORGANIZATION: Make your bed in the morning and put away your keys, shoes and coat when you come through the door.  Don't ever put anything down that isn't in the one designated place you have for it.

• RELATIONSHIPS: Listen more than you talk.  Provide answers to questions people ask, not what you figure they need to know.  Ask your partner what the most important thing you can do for them that day is.  Listen with interest to your wife, even when it's not a subject you care about.  Show her affection and never stop romancing her.  Tell your husband how proud you are of him and how much you admire what he's accomplished.  Flirt with him, let him know that he's someone you're hot for.  You can't control your children, so guide them.  Apologize quickly when you screw up and spend time every day finding out what's important to them.

• PERSONAL HABITS: Take pride in your appearance, even when you're at home alone.  Keep your hands away from your face (don't bite your nails, clean your teeth, pick, squeeze or scratch).  Always be working on improving some personal ability.

• SPIRITUALITY:  Be involved beyond the things that bring you immediate rewards.  Help out your community by mentoring someone, writing, donating your time and expertise.  Enjoy the world you live in, laugh, listen to music, take time to enjoy the beauty of nature and art.  Be thankful of what you have and the opportunities you have been given and give something back.

• KNOWLEDGE: Never stop learning.  Read, keep an open mind, discuss issues without arguing, avoid gossip, trashy novels and fluff TV.  Take a course, get a mentor,  attend a seminar, listen to a mentor on tape or do some research on the internet or at the library.

• HEALTH:  Walk every day, eat fresh healthy food, add little bits of exercise to your day, avoid the places that tempt you, create habits and routines that reward you for good choices and surround yourself with positive influences.

• FINANCES:  Enjoy what you have, always spend less than you make, if you carry a credit card balance - cut up the card.  Read books, take courses and talk to people who do extremely well managing and investing their money.  Little by little, begin implementing what you learn.  Never invest what you can't afford to lose, no matter how good the opportunity seems.  When you can afford it, invest in the areas you have developed personal expertise through your ongoing study.

Graham White    www.incrediblepotential.com 

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