Pub. 6 2016 Issue 3

11 The actions you take every single day and your commitment to executing them in a disciplined manner will ensure you will reach your goals no matter how long it takes. Unfortunately, some people lose commitment to their success. influence results. To find your way out of the woods you need to stop, assess the situation and become aware of which direction to travel, only then can you move forward. Oftentimes solutions and steps are in plain view but you are unable to identify them because you are unaware that these solutions or steps are possible. To become aware of the right direction, learn to ask the right ques- tions. To help you focus ask yourself, “Does what I’m doing right now get me closer to my goal?” To identify solutions ask your- self, “What is possible?” When you slow down to think about it you become much more aware of solutions your mind brings forward. When you become aware of these options it is time to make a choice. Choice. This is America! The great thing about your life both personal and business - you have choices. When you realize this it takes a lot of pressure off your shoulders. With that being said, you still have to choose wisely. Just because you can do something does not mean it is a good move to make. This seems pretty obvi- ous, but let’s face it, we all have made some stupid moves in the past, or as Larry Winget said “your success is your own fault.” Think about your favorite team missing a winning field goal and ending up with a big “L”. You wish they could do it again and make it right, but the game is over. In business, like in sports, there are no “do-overs”. Make a mistake and it could cost you a deal. In most cases you cannot recover. The speed of the game kills perfection. When it comes to choosing the right activities for the day, you want to make sure you choose the ones that will bring you the most results and get you closer to the goals you set. Once you make those activity choices it is time to become disciplined in your approach. Discipline. Ever heard of New Year’s resolutions? Ever made one? How long did it last? The problem was not with a decision or choice you made, the problem was with the lack of discipline on your part. Great intentions fail without discipline. Whether it’s a physical exercise, dieting or business activities, they are all short lived without discipline. The meaning of the word dis- cipline is “control gained by enforcing obedience”. We all hate “micro-management”, yet without self-enforced micro-manage- ment you are bound to fail. Discipline is sticking to the activities you chose and being obedient to your own rules. As rudimentary as it is, this is one of the most difficult things to master. The problem with most sales people who fail in business is the lack of discipline to stay committed to their process. Commitment. When you become aware of your choices and choose activities that get you closer to your goals, you then focus on developing a disciplined approach that will ensure long term success. Discipline goes hand in hand with your commit- ment to your own success. The actions you take every single day and your commitment to executing them in a disciplined manner will ensure you will reach your goals no matter how long it takes. Unfortunately, some people lose commitment to their success. This self- sabotaging behavior will slow down your growth in business. Part of the reason why people become non-committal to their activities is lack of immediate results. It’s true with physical activities and it’s true in business. It is like the commercial that shows a man in a gym running a quick lap and then getting on a scale to see if he lost weight. Of course you can easily get frustrated with activities that don’t bring instant results. Remember this though, discipline and commit- ment imply long-term. In this “instant gratification” world it is hard to be patient for results. Some sales happen fast and some take weeks, months and even years to close. Whatever the time frame you are working with, you cannot afford to compromise on your disciplined activities. In order to take control of your activities and generate bet- ter results for you and your team, think AC/DC – Awareness Choice/Discipline Commitment. For more information, please contact Francis Fagan with Automotive Development Group at 312-608-4979 or ffagan@adgtoday.com. Francis is the Regional Training Director for Illinois and Indiana. At Automotive Development Group we put the emphasis on training. Visit our website for our training calendar and to meet our nationally renowned trainers. www. AutomotiveDevelopmentGroup.com 