Goals Gone Wild October 27, 2006

Old School Success

Matthew Poepsel, LeftBrain/Co-Founder

This week, my adventures brought me to Cambridge, Massachusetts, home of those bastions of education - Harvard University and MIT. The census bureau has confirmed that Cambridge has more eggheads per capita than any other city in the United States. The professors are brilliant, the students are brainy, and the alumni are bright. Heck, I once knew a janitor from MIT who was quite the math whiz. (Oh wait, that may have been the movie part of my brain.)

Now I've been known to make some smart comments in my day (and yes, I'm counting smart-ass comments), but I can't hold a candle to these guys and gals. Still, I know a thing or two about the success business, and with all due respect to the eggheads, it takes more than brainpower to win at the game of life.

What's that you say? Name a few of those extra qualities, tough guy? Alright, take it easy. How about:

Determination, positive mental attitude, self-discipline, confidence, self-knowledge, persistence, and courage, just to name a few.

(So there.)

When it comes to being successful, it doesn't matter how smart you are, what your grades look like, or what you got on your SAT. A PhD in lifelong success is earned by "doing" not by "knowing". Sure, education is a part of that process, but it's only a part. You already know most of what you need to know to be successful - if you're not happy with where you are in life right now, you just need to change things up to unlock the potential that lies inside you. (Slide rule, beaker, and pocket protector optional.)

In keeping with the education theme of this issue, I'd just like to say:

POP QUIZ!

1. Do you have an up-to-date written list of your personal values?
2. Do you have an up-to-date written list of your personal and professional life goals?
3. Do you have a clear timeline for achieving these goals with defined action steps?
4. Do you have a list of the people and resources you will need to achieve your goals?
5. Do you review your goals daily and make adjustments as necessary?

Time's up! Put down your pencils and pass your papers forward. (OK, that's not going to work.)

It turns out that only you can grade yourself on this particular quiz on how you approach success in your life. So how'd you do? Give yourself one point for every "yes" answer. Be honest and be open-minded. Remember that very few people will get a perfect score. The best part about this quiz is that your current score doesn't matter - it only helps identify areas of improvement.

If you didn't get a 100%, make a commitment to yourself to take this simple quiz again in 30-days. That will give you plenty of time to change your behavior - your actions - and improve your score. Remember that it's not what you know that will make you a success, it's what you do. Doing the simple things above will increase your chances of success by 1.35 times 10 to the 16th power. (I think I need a new calculator. And a math tutor. Anybody have Matt Damon's cell number?)

Success doesn't require uncommon genius - it's as easy as 1-2-3. Change your mind, change your behavior, change your life.

That's old math that still adds up.

email: contact@icanthrive.com

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