Commitment To The Right Activities

A friend of mine and I were talking about success this morning.  He gave me a great compliment about how he has observed my rapid success over the past few years, and wondered how he could imitate that success.

During our conversation I referenced the Integrity Selling Congruence Model.  These are 5 dimensions that I assess in myself on a consistent basis.  They are:

1. My view of selling
2. My view of my abilities to sell
3. My values
4. My commitment to activities
5. My belief in my product

At Integrity Solutions we believe that if there are any gaps between these dimensions then we will encounter:

• Low energy
• Decreased achievement drive
• Call reluctance
• Busyness vs productivity

However, if we align these dimensions, stack them on top of each other like quarters, and all of these dimensions are congruent with each other, we find that we will discover:

• Increased level of excitement and energy
• Increased achievement drive
• A desire to talk to others about what we offer
• Productivity vs busyness

As we looked how my friend rated himself in these five dimensions, the one that was incongruent for him was his commitment to activities.  It only takes one being out of alignment for success to be hampered.

Many people are like my friend: they love their products, believe that selling is a noble profession, and they know that they have the skills to sell.  However, they still find themselves lacking the ability to be committed to activities necessary to succeed.

Here are a few tips on how to get this dimension back into alignment:

1. Identify your goals.  If you get into your car and just drive, the odds are you won’t wind up where you want to go unless you put the address of your destination into your phone or GPS device.  Especially if you’ve never been to that location before.  In the same manner, you want to set a few goals. Simply write down where you want to be in 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, and five years.  Be specific.
2. Identify the right activities.  There are daily activities that will move you toward your next goal.  Identify them, and identify how they will get you to that goal.  Too many times we mistake being busy for being productive.  Successful people know what activities will move them closer to their goal, even if it’s only an inch in the right direction!
3. Commit to do the activities.  The easiest way to do this is to “Time Activate” the activity.  My father came up with this phrase back in the 1980’s and it simply means this:  Once a task is identified, calculate how long it will take to complete the task and then put it on your calendar as an appointment.  It doesn’t matter if you like the task, it only matters that it moves you toward achieving your goal.
4. Treat important tasks as meetings with important people.  There are times I turn down meetings, because the task I have scheduled has to get done in order for me to move toward my goal.  These important tasks are your “friends.”  Meeting with them today will get you what you are striving for.
5. Stop considering your emotions.  To achieve your goals you will have to work, and for the most part, work isn’t loads of fun.  The rewards of hard work are, but the work itself is a drag.  Expect it to be, and lean into the pain.  It won’t last long… I promise!
6. Take small bites.  You’ve heard the old joke: “How do you eat an elephant?”  The answer is simple: “One bite at a time.”  Don’t overwhelm yourself with tasks that burn you out.  Break up that large task into smaller tasks and take breaks with other “right activities” you actually enjoy.
7. Reward Yourself.  Don’t just reward yourself for reaching the final objective.  Reward yourself along the way.  Reaching small goals deserve small rewards; reaching larger goals deserve larger rewards.  Be sure you really bonus yourself at the very end when you reach the final objective!  You will be surprised at how that last reward will increase your achievement drive.

It has been said that “most people fail, not because of a lack of desire, but because of a lack of commitment.”  Put these seven tips to use this week and see if your energy level and achievement drive increases.  My bet is that they will!