Rarely do wonderful things in life or career happen by accident.

When it does arrive it’s forged by a deliberate want, unshakable belief in yourself, followed by a plan and consistent action over a period of time. 

I know, just thinking about that sentence can give you a sore head and immediately it seems too much effort to even start.

Or you do begin but don’t realise that to be successful you need to follow a similar approach, if not exactly. Inevitably you give up not understanding why you’ve hoisted the white flag again and added another goal to the “do if time” backlog. 

We know however there is no “if time” only time we prioritize to do something. Are you perpetuating a process that has you starting and stopping your goals, wants and dreams?

It's important to start off with three steps in mind if you're looking for exceptional outcomes. It's crucial too that you work with a partner in action and motivating you to keep focused, on plan until you have the habits in place to be successful on your own. Left to your own devices you will level-set on your existing plain of success.

Step #1 - Master your goal mindset

You go about your business everyday on cruise control making decisions (unconscious mind) and taking action based on ingrained habits (subconscious mind). These “Minds” set the bar on the level of stress and newness you take on and how you go about doing work. The unconscious is there to protect you by applying your values and experiences to decisions and direction. So when it comes to goals, the Minds are careful to ensure the bar is not too high compared to what you're used to. Then your subconscious goes to work with current routines and habits you’ve got success with over the years.

Can you see the problem here? You're playing it safe and if landing that new job or buying that fancy silent electric car means you need to up the stakes on your goals, well consciously you will say “yea I can do this” but the two Minds are saying yea, sure you can in a passive-aggressive manner.

If new and more successful results are the order of the day, it’s best to speak them out loud to someone. Discussing and riffing why, the benefit and how you might start without stopping is massive. This eases the stress on your Minds that bigger success is an option. The great thing about speaking your goals is they are now out there, you can’t take them back and that other person listening will also conspire to help you as will the universe. If your new success makes you feel uncomfortable or even stressed then you are on the right track as your unconscious mind is sending signals that it's not safe. Your unconscious is using an existing frame of reference that is no good for your new bigger direction, that's all that feeling is, just a feeling that will pass and change with action.

Step #2 - Create your PCPR (Personal career performance roadmap)

Simply, you plan your top level goals, what progress looks like monthly and then manage the hell out of your weekly and daily tasks. The key here is how you write the goals and knowing what a good goal actually is versus a statement or a wish. You can’t do the work continuously unless you are balanced and healthy too. So the roadmap caters to look after you as you do the work. It manages your support, ongoing rewards and techniques for staying on track. If you don’t have a roadmap then anywhere will do. You don’t want to be anywhere! You have a specific place in mind. All great products have a roadmap and not only a live week to week one but yearly and beyond. You only get one shot at life so why not give it your best shot and get your PCPR in place now.

Step #3 - Task focused consistent action

Reprogram your subconscious mind by performing new routines that will create the habits leading to your bigger results. It's important to understand where and how you will do the work. That every task session is organised so you know how you will get through it and what success will look like. Where you do the work is often overlooked so procuring all you need, at your fingertips, all in one place with limited distraction is paramount. How proficient is your AMS (Action management system) or your toolkit with all the artefacts and activities that will help manage your goal success? It’s hard to carve out time for extra work but when you do, the place, tools and how you will tackle the work needs to be solid so routine forms. Regular check-ins with your partner in action and support is a major must do as there will be natural milestone blockers that need to be addressed. Everyone needs a little help to step out of the work, step back to see what is going on and discuss how to jump the hurdles with ease.  

Successful people that have achieved greater success and continue to do so will have such a process. If you are serious about making change and taking on higher performing goals then be serious about your personal roadmap.