Here are 8 secrets to your success…

Believe it or not, I got to thinking about these after reading about how to start little miniature flower gardens and what to use to help with drainage other than heavy rocks (which makes the containers much heavier than I like). The person said the best thing to use is packing peanuts, with this advice:

“Don’t use the bio-degradeable kind ..how do you know?, lick two of them and if they stick together they are the biodegradable ones and won’t work.”

Seriously, lol – I guess ya sometimes HAVE to do the ‘lick test’ or the ‘lick the flagpole’ test.

Isn’t that how it is in life sometimes something you’ve been told DON’T do for years you finally just HAVE to do it! Well, one thing about it, you know it’s going to turn out 1 of 2 ways. Either harmful, or no harm.

That’s kind of reassuring in a way….When you take out the ifs, buts, and what ifs –
When you get to the bottom line, something that we do either benefits us or it doesn’t. It’s black and white. No gray area…..

For years people were told that tomatoes were poisonous. I don’t quite remember the story of how they determined that they weren’t – but bottom line is that SOMEONE ate a bite. I’m sure glad they did because I LOVE tomato sandwiches!

Is there something that you’ve been ‘not doing’ that you know you in your spirit, you really SHOULD do it – but a message of “don’t do it” is replaying in your mind. I know of a Facebook friend that faced her fears of and did something she had ALWAYS wanted to do – jumped out of a plane with a parachute. I know of another friend that made the big commit and decided to open up a bed & breakfast. I have another friend who just sold her house and she and her husband and 3 year old daughter are going to live out of an RV and explore the West and Mid-west.

Sometimes, you just have to lick the flagpole…..

Here’s 8 success secrets:

Sometimes success just might not seem worth the stress, struggle, and disappointment. But success is quite simple, though not necessarily easy. Avoiding the mistakes that limit success is the best first step toward achieving success and “making it!” Recognizing and avoiding these mistakes can provide a stepping-stone to new levels of achievement.

Avoid committing any of these success-limiting mistakes:

1. Not having effective habits in place. Regardless of your definition of success, there are habits that will help to ensure its achievement and other habits that create barriers. Ask yourself if you’re currently living in a way that brings you closer to success each day. What habits do you need to demonstrate each day to guarantee success?

* Great successes take time. It’s the little things, done over a long period of time, that make the difference.

2. A lack of clear and concise goals. If you don’t have a goal, how will you know if you’re successful? What is your target? Successful people have goals and review them regularly. Unsuccessful people aren’t sure what they want.

3. A lack of a plan. Those that struggle often live by default. They don’t really have a plan and a direction. The result is living life re-actively rather than living pro-actively. They’re either being passive or putting out fires. Put a plan in place that moves your life in a positive direction.

4. Mistaking busyness for productiveness. Mistaking 8 hours of activity for 8 hours of productivity is the result of flawed thinking. The Pareto Principle dictates that 20% of your possible options contribute to 80% of your success. Most people gravitate toward the easier, more comfortable activities that provide a limited return on your time.

* Being busy isn’t the same as making real progress. Choose the activities that have the greatest effect.

5. A lack of consistency. Champions are consistent to the extreme. You might not be interested in planning out your day to the minute and living that same day over and over again, but success does require more consistency that the average person is willing to demonstrate. Spend time each day on reaching your goals.

6. Not dealing with discomfort effectively. Progress requires new behaviors and new behaviors are inherently uncomfortable on some level. Comfort is only found in repetition, and repeating past behaviors keeps your life at a standstill. Successful people are able to deal with discomfort and move forward.

* Breathing exercises, prayer, meditation, and yoga are a few tools for moving past discomfort. Being uncomfortable doesn’t have to be a reason to not do something.

7. Not learning from mistakes and failures. The most successful people are those that failed the most. It’s common to avoid failure, but this is a mistake. While failure is never the objective, it’s an expected part of attaining success. Your first attempt at anything is merely a starting point. Failure is the tool necessary to make improvement.

* Failure is an undesired result that allows you to make a better attempt next time. Constant improvement ultimately ends in success.

8. Preoccupation with things that can’t be changed. There are a multitude of things in life that can’t be altered, particularly the past. Learn to let go and focus on the things you can alter.

Success can be elusive. It can seem like searching for the source of that strange bird tweet in the woods. Where IS THAT bird?? But it’s much easier to find when you can avoid the most common mistakes. Avoiding mistakes is a pivotal part of success. Create a few goals and then create habits that support those goals. Deal with discomfort and learn from your mistakes. Success can be that simple.

And success can be simply taking that final step of faith, taking that final dare and DOING it…like licking the flagpole…

Are you ready to take YOU and your success to the next level (or even the first level!) Coming soon, the
Design Your Awesome You Personal Success System.

Hugs and feathers from the nest~~()~~

Kim Steadman is the Content Curator and COOP (Chief Online Operating Person) for The Re-Feathered Nest, a place of encouragement for women who are ready to RePurpose and ReDesign themselves according to God’s purpose for their lives now that the kids have flown the coop. She is the author of the soon to be released book “My Fill in the Blank Prayer Guide -When Your Head and Heart Can’t Get on the Same Page’ Kim can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheRefeatheredNest and on Google+ at +Kim