If at first you DO succeed... by Charli Lamont Williams, Personal Success Coach We all know the old saying, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Well, there is another, newer saying: "If at first you DO succeed, try not to look surprised." The first time you made a hole in one on the golf course, you probably surprised yourself. The first time you sold a million dollar life insurance policy, the first time you accomplished ANY goal easily you probably felt some surprise - and, of course, happiness, too. THEN WHAT HAPPENED? Most people - not everyone - but most people deny their success, especially if it comes ìtoo easily.î After all, we were raised with the old work ethic: Work hard, nose to the grindstone, shoulder to the wheel, etc. This attitude has been a part of our culture for a very long time. Then comes a rapid and profound change: Suddenly we find twenty-three year old millionaire.com CEO's popping up all over the country. What is that? Sitting at a computer all day isn't ìhard work." Digging ditches or making cold calls - that's hard work! Gee whiz. Maybe our definition of the work ethic can change. Maybe our attitudes about our work can change, whatever industry we are in. Now there's a thought. What if it is true? Maybe it's time for a change in thinking. BEGINNERS LUCK. That is what we call it when someone succeeds easily and early in attempting anything new. ìBeginner's Luckî implies a quirk of fate. It assumes the person involved wasn't really involved, wasn't responsible for making the thing happen. Any joy a person may feel when experiencing beginner's luck is diminished or destroyed by accepting this concept of non-responsibility. "You shot a hole in one? Id like to see you do that again. It'll never happen." And so it doesn't Why? Because you focus on the doubt, rather than focusing on the knowledge that if you did it once, of course you can do it again. What if we called that same golfer a gifted person? Now we are suggesting a positive, supportive environment for another hole in one. It is the same in selling insurance, enrolling new clients and every other endeavor. If you assume you can, you probably can. If you assume you can't, you won't. Focus of attention is where you live. What you focus on becomes your life's experience. Think about it. It cannot be otherwise. If you think the room you are sitting in is too cold for comfort, that is your experience. It doesn't matter that someone else in the room thinks the temperature is perfect. Your experience is that you are uncomfortably cool. Therefore, when we focus on the doubt, the doubt produces the assumed result of ìfailure.î What you focus on is what you get. WATCH OUT FOR A TRICK. Some of you will take this information to heart and practice with it. Then you will discover that you still don't make a hole in one every time you shoot. So you will conclude that Charli is a fraud. She doesn't know what she is talking about. You will go back to your old beliefs, confident once again in their accuracy. WAIT! There may be something else going on here. I call it the thought under the thought. While your conscious thought may be ìI hit a hole in one every time I shoot,î there may be a subconscious thought which differs. Perhaps the Underthought is, ìIf I win every time, what fun would that be?î Perhaps it is, "If I win every time, no one will play the game with me." Your Underthought will always win, and it puts up a barrier to your success. SURPRISE YOURSELF. You can change the Underthought. The Underthought became as strong as it is today because you took on a belief years ago, accepted it as your own and have practiced with it for a long time. You have accepted it as true, and you live from that truth. Here is how you can change the Underthought and surprise yourself with your own success: 1. Use the Old Path/New Path tool I gave you in the October 2000 issue of Financial Services Journal. This is an extremely powerful tool. By practicing with this tool you are developing a new habit of behavior. Behavior is thought, feeling and action. Action is what you do, and what you don't do. 2. Practice following your hunches by using the suggestions in the January 2001 issue. 3. Pay attention to magic and miracles which occur in your life. What you focus on you get more of. Making notes in your journal or on your daily calendar page will assist you in focusing on the good things that come to you in your life. It really is okay for your life to be easy and fun. KEEP PRACTICING. You cannot possibly fail, unless you quit using the tools. All of the tools I have given you in this column over the years are designed to focus your attention on your desired outcome. By continually practicing with the tools, over time you will change your habit of thinking from the old, non-supportive habit to the new, supportive habit. A habit is something done easily and often. You establish a habit by practicing it. The new habit of thinking gets you where you want to go in life; the old habit keeps you stuck where you are. Eventually, your habit of thinking will be to expect your own success. Visit my work book site or my coaching site to start creating your own success!! Charli Williams, founder of Lamont Williams in Orange County California, has been a Personal Success Coach for more than a decade. She is an author, lecturer, columnist and radio talk show personality. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Association of Health Underwriters. She develops custom tailored programs for entrepreneurs, designed to move each person along their path to success. Lamont Williams operates under the philosophy that just as Olympic athletes have private coaches to help them fine-tune their abilities, so too should business people have a coach to help them reach their goals more easily. Lamont Williams clients are varied. Current participates include engineers, financial and estate planners, physicians, top insurance producers, educators, loan consultants, real estate agents and sales representatives. The Coaching Program enables individuals to develop clear, detailed plans resulting in success on a consistent basis, and more time in their lives for relationships, fun and relaxation. Charli helps her clients formulate and achieve their Ideal Lifestyle. This Ideal Lifestyle is not only limited to business; it carries over into personal life as well. Charli, through her unique visualization techniques, has achieved her own Ideal Lifestyle. The tools and techniques used produce success more easily, eliminating the old fashion concept of the need for "hard work." The Coaching Programs are very "person specific." That is, they are tailored to fulfill the needs of each individual, rather than the individual needing to fit the program. The programs enable people to develop clear, detailed plans resulting in more income on a consistent basis. Living a balanced, successful life is the ultimate goal. The Coaching Programs from Lamont Williams include: Private Coaching, on an individual basis; Coaching for Team Synergy, for groups; and other custom designed training's. Her workbook, Creating Your Own Success,is a step-by-step guide to achievement. For more information, please call our offices at 800-500-1551 E-mail Lamontwm@pacbell.net or Fax (714) 389-3038.