Building A Better YOU & Marketing YOU! (Sixth in a series of articles on personal growth and performance improvement) Doing It Right Now!  By Stan Hustad

There is a simple story that I often tell in my Coaching Experience Workshops. Three ducks are sitting on a log. Two decide to jump in the lake. How many are left on the log? Don't be, as most are, perplexed by the simplicity and the seeming stupidity of the question. It is a trick question. The answer is three – you see they only decided to jump. Cultivating the habit of taking thoughtful action without fear and anxiety is the next step in building a better you and improving your performance. It's powerful and proper to dream, to vision, to write down goals with all the attendant details as to Specific, Measurable, Accountable, Reachable, and Time-dated. The well-known SMART formula. However there is the next and vital step.

When one of my clients does their work, and their goals are imagined, written down, aspirations stated, hopes expressed, and problems and obstacles noted . . . I often say, "What are you going to do about it?" Success comes to the one who, when inspired by an idea, an opportunity, or a problem; does something. They reflect, they conceive of a plan, and they act. They follow up on actions promised and actions taken. They take full responsibility for that action. Procrastination, on the other hand, leads to frustration, failure and fear. Nike is famous for, "Just Do It." Brian Tracy continues his ongoing theme in all his work, "Do it Now." Peter Drucker says that the successful business leader has the right combination of "thought and action" in how they work and how they live their life.

There are many ways to help yourself to take action.

Learn the art of scheduling.
Break a project down into simple discrete steps and actions.
Make sure you know how the project or goal will benefit you … if you don't know, you won't do it.
Make a commitment out loud, and say it to another person.
Hire someone to nag you. (Better idea, get a coach)

The idea is to begin to seek the courageous mindset to start. I often say to a client and to myself, "write the check." I mean by that, make a commitment that costs you something now! Now this is vital. Doing it now does not always mean doing it right. Successful people are not always the people who wait till everything is in place to make sure that, they do it right the first time. Most of those kinds of people never do it. Today you start, and you learn, and you make changes, and corrections, you think and reflect, and you keep getting it closer to what you want. Now that is not how you build a bridge, but for many things, that is how you start to make a difference and become a person of action rather than procrastination. The cycle of reflection to action becomes a life habit that continues to help you as you seek growth, goal achievement, and personal improvement – a better you.

This view of life has another advantage. People who act, even when fearful, become less fearful, and they improve. That is vital, because fear kills everything. So there you have it. Don't necessarily worry about doing it perfectly, or completely right, but start to do it right now.

So build a better you because you make the difference!

Stan Hustad is a performance coach to leaders and entrepreneurs in our industry. He is the author of YOU Make the Difference: The Financial Advisors Performance Guide to Marketing You! He provides one-on-one coaching and group presentations to help insurance and financial advisors perform at their best and market themselves with confidence, creativity, and high impact. You can reach him at 612 729-0420 stan@ptmgroup.com, www.ptmgroup.com.

Right now ask him about The Coaching Experience program entitled Marketing YOU, Making More Money, Attracting Clients & Having Fun.