{"id":281,"date":"2015-01-18T21:45:31","date_gmt":"2015-01-19T03:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/?p=281"},"modified":"2015-01-18T21:45:31","modified_gmt":"2015-01-19T03:45:31","slug":"the-11-vital-steps-to-achieving-extraordinary-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/2015\/01\/18\/the-11-vital-steps-to-achieving-extraordinary-results\/","title":{"rendered":"THE 11 VITAL STEPS TO ACHIEVING EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we start 2015, everyone is talking about New Year’s Resolutions and setting goals.\u00a0 The fact of the matter is that most people don’t have a good system for setting goals that materialize into results.\u00a0 When people ask me what my formula for success is, I explain to them that throughout my life I have followed these 11 vital steps that are wildly successful in accomplishing and realizing the life that you want.<\/p>\n

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  1. Set Goals:<\/span><\/strong> Most people have no idea what they want or where they are going in life.\u00a0 I am sure you have heard the saying \u201cif you don’t know where you’re going, you usually end up someone else.\u201d\u00a0<\/em> It seems like such a simple and obvious step, but apparently not to everyone.\u00a0 Some people wander through life without much direction or desire, and then wonder why life just happens<\/em> to them.\u00a0 This is the first step toward taking control of your destiny.\u00a0 Be clear in what you want<\/li>\n
  2. Be Specific:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 The more specific and detailed you can describe what you want, the better your chances will be for achieving it.\u00a0 Here are a few examples.\u00a0 The first one is if you want to buy a new house, be clear on every detail.\u00a0 Do not just say, \u201cI want to buy a house.\u201d\u00a0 Decide and visualize the following:\u00a0 What square footage do you want?\u00a0 How many bedrooms do you want?\u00a0 How many bathrooms do you want?\u00a0 Do you want the outside to be brick, siding, or something else?\u00a0 What color do you want the outside of the house to be?\u00a0 What City and State do you want your house to be located in? Consider another example.\u00a0 If you want to buy a car, what make and model do you want?\u00a0 Brand new?\u00a0 Used?\u00a0 Classic car?\u00a0 What color is the exterior?\u00a0 What color is the interior?\u00a0 What options do you want the car to come with:\u00a0 sunroof, convertible, leather, etc?\u00a0 The most common example is the goal of losing weight. \u00a0\u00a0Be specific on how much<\/em> weight you want to lose rather than making the blanket statement \u201cI want to lose weight.\u201d<\/li>\n
  3. Determine Timeframe:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 That takes us to the next step of making sure you put a timeframe to each goal you want to achieve so you can track your progress and push yourself to stay on task.\u00a0 Hold yourself accountable to meeting your goal with a sense of urgency.<\/li>\n
  4. Measure Progress:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 By being specific and setting a timeframe, you can then measure your progress.\u00a0 You must know the benchmark of where you are today and the goal of where you want to be tomorrow, to know if you are succeeding.\u00a0 Take the example we last spoke about:\u00a0 losing weight.\u00a0 If you are specific and say, \u201cI want to lose 15 lbs. within the next 6 months,\u201d then you can measure and track your progress toward your desired outcome much easier and usually within a faster timeframe.<\/li>\n
  5. Make it Achievable<\/strong>:<\/span>\u00a0 It is vital that you are realistic with the goals you set.\u00a0 It is human nature that when we see positive results, no matter how small they are, we get motivated to do more.\u00a0 An example would be as simple as making a \u201cTo-Do List\u201d or what some people call their \u201cDaily Task List.\u201d\u00a0 As we mark off each item we accomplish we feel good, motivated to do more, and successful.\u00a0 That trickle effect builds momentum and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.\u00a0 However, it is very important that you do not set your goals so out of reach that you are setting yourself up for failure.\u00a0 I like to tell people, \u201cShoot for the stars and you will fall somewhere in between.\u201d\u00a0 Set your goals high enough that it stretches you, but not so high that it is impossible to reach.\u00a0 To achieve great things in life, we must strive to overachieve and not just meet the minimums.<\/li>\n
  6. Know the WHY:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 Define and know WHY you want to achieve a goal.\u00a0 This is one area that I find most people do not define, which leads to a failure to meet their goals.\u00a0 The BIGGER your reasons and convictions are for accomplishing a goal, the better chance you have to achieve it.\u00a0 Studies show that it is human nature to gravitate towards what brings us pleasure and resist anything that gives us pain.\u00a0 Just take a look at the show \u201cThe Biggest Loser.\u201d\u00a0 The winners on that show are at their last straw.\u00a0 They win, or some people say succeed, because the pleasure of the outcome outweighs the pain of the process.\u00a0 Many people however, set a New Year\u2019s Resolution to lose weight.\u00a0 They join a gym in January and start working out, but that soon fizzles because they associate more with the pain of the process than the pleasure of the outcome.\u00a0 If you track the goals you\u2019ve achieved, you will find that your priorities tend to fall where you feel the most conviction, and your WHY (reason) for accomplishing the goal is bigger.<\/li>\n
  7. Put Goals in Writing:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 I come across many people in life who tell me that they have goals that are clearly laid out in their head, but they do not believe in writing them down.\u00a0 However, I will tell you based on my personal experience and the experiences of many others, successful results of people who write their goals down far outweigh those who do not.\u00a0 When we write goals down and look at them frequently, our subconscious starts working with us in many ways.\u00a0 You will be amazed how people will come into your life, and\/or unexpected situations happen that help you achieve your desired results.<\/li>\n
  8. Have a Plan:<\/span><\/strong> Unfortunately life happens so fast today that most of us try to \u201cwing it,\u201d because who has the time to plan?\u00a0 Well, make some time.\u00a0 Even if you can only find 15 minutes here and there, take the time.\u00a0 People who plan can anticipate obstacles that might get in their way, and are more proactive than reactive in finding ways to still accomplish their goal(s).<\/li>\n
  9. Positive Attitude matters:<\/span><\/strong> Take a look at some of the most successful people around you.\u00a0 I guarantee you that those people most likely have a charismatic, positive attitude.\u00a0 Every day we wake up, we get to choose what attitude we are going to attack life with.\u00a0 People are attracted to those who have a positive attitude, and people want to work with people who are likeable and positive.\u00a0 Do not underestimate the power of \u201cAttitude.\u201d<\/li>\n
  10. Take Action!:<\/span><\/strong> A good idea without action is just a \u201cwish.\u201d\u00a0 Don’t let fear prevent you from taking action.\u00a0 I’m not saying that things will always go your way.\u00a0 However, remember it’s the times when we feel the pain of situations that we grow the most in life.\u00a0 Along those same lines, ideas with a well-thought-out plan usually leads to success.\u00a0 I find that getting started is half the battle, and the people that will not implement step one usually will not implement step two. Anything is possible, you just have to take some action and put it in motion.<\/li>\n
  11. Visualize the Outcome:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 It is psychologically vital to visually see yourself already achieving your goal. Some of the most amazing athletes (especially Olympic athletes) in the world have said they achieved record-breaking results by visualizing their success before it happened.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So as you begin this new year, what are you going to accomplish?\u00a0 Do you have clarity and a system in place that will ensure results?\u00a0 Take action now, and realize extraordinary results in 2015.\u00a0 This is your year!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    As we start 2015, everyone is talking about New Year’s Resolutions and setting goals.\u00a0 The fact of the matter is that most people don’t have a good system for setting goals that materialize into results.\u00a0 When people ask me what … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[77,101,102,39],"class_list":["post-281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mwi-news","tag-accomplishment","tag-goal-setting","tag-sales-excellence","tag-success"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":286,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281\/revisions\/286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.melissawhitakerintl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}