01 Apr Chart a New Course For Your Life

ten easy steps to change the direction of your life

In a past life I was an executive at a Fortune 100 company. While the pay was excellent and the stock options and benefits were outstanding, there was still something missing. I was completely thankful for the opportunity and to this day I am still amazed that they gave a thirty-something kid a chance at the brass ring. Nevertheless, everyday I would go into work I knew I was not living through complete truth. I was not fulfilling my destiny and the shackles of an 8-5 were preventing me from reaching my highest calling.

I knew I needed to make a change. It was very terrifying because I was being brought out of my comfort zone and I was letting go of an enormous amount of security. The time had come for me to change directions and chart a new path for my future. I charted a new path and now 20 years later I have found myself embracing the freedom, joy and satisfaction that only being an entrepreneur can bring you. If I did it, I am certain you can as well.

Here are a few tips that might help you reach your highest calling.

1.) Plan your attack and attack your plan. I have always subscribed to the “think it then ink it” theory. A goal not written down is simply a good intention. Sit down with a pen and paper and start creating your plan. Be specific and visualize each step in your mind.

2.) Embrace your failures. Your previous failures have simply been lessons for you to guide you to success in the future. It took Thomas Edison over 500 failures before he was able to successfully invent a working light bulb. Abraham Lincoln was on the brink of financial disaster just before he was elected president of the United States. There will be failures in your life. It is inevitable for people who try. Persons who don’t try rarely fail.

3.) Create a support group. You don’t need to go it alone. Ask for moral support from friends and family. Be careful because some of them may not be a supportive as you need and they can be counter productive. You can also find networking groups on LinkedIn, FaceBook and MeetUp.com.

4.) Fake it til’ you make it. If the truth must be told, nobody really knows what they are doing in the beginning and frankly there are times in my life when I am not sure I really know what I am doing. Act “as if”… as if you are already successful, as if you are all ready doing what you want to do, as if you are on top of the world and eventually you will find yourself there.

5.) Pass it Forward. Quality success is a give and take proposition. You must give back what you are given. Find yourself a good mentor; somebody who has done it before with style and grace. Read their books and articles, ask them for there mentorship but, when you get to where you want to be don’t forget to mentor somebody else.

6.) Be patient. All good things take time especially success. Be patient, drill in and commit to the long hall. Success is a journey not a destination, so enjoy the trip and smell the flowers along the way.

7.) Celebrate Benchmarks. When you follow your plan and you start knocking out pieces of it give yourself credit for getting these pieces done; calibrate and then celebrate. You are on your way and these little successes are your mile markers.

8.) Soar with other eagles. Eagles soar alone and buzzards flock together. When you are successful you will be in the top 5% of people in the world. It is lonely on top but, you are an eagle and eagles are held in the highest esteem of all birds.

9.) Live in the moment. Don’t allow yourself to get dragged down by the past and don’t let yourself get paralyzed by fear about the future. Be in the present, work you’re plan and live completely in the moment.

10.) Don’t look back. There will be days that you will question everything you have done. You will question if what you are doing is the right think. Once you have made the leap there is no turning back. Looking back during challenging days will only stifle you. You are exactly where you need to be in this very moment and with patience and courage you will see these days through. See tip nine and three for help.

Now that you are armed with the same arsenal that I had when I started, shake your tail tiger and reach for your brass ring. You will work hard but it is even more important to work smart.

Who knows, perhaps entrepreneurship is in your future as well. I hope to see your face on the cover of Fortune Magazine.