Are You Blocking A Successful Outcome?

Do you ever feel like you’re making the effort but not getting the results you expected?

Time for a little input-output temperature check!

I don’t know about you, but at the end of each quarter I perform a review of where I stand with my business.

What is my outcome for the last quarter? What efforts did I make (or not make!) that yielded those results? What correlations can I draw between my input and output that will help me improve over the next three months?

As motivational speaker and best-selling author Denis Waitley says,

“The results you achieve will be in direct proportion to the effort you apply.”

With best intentions and highest aspirations, sometimes frustration sets in and we’re not producing the results we saw in our mind’s eye. Yet we keep on keeping on, figuring the situation will improve.

Whether you’re measuring your business, your fitness level, or a skill you’re developing, let’s break out the magnifying glass.

Without realising it, you could be blocking a successful outcome or two.

We love a good dose of honesty, don’t we? It’s good for us. So…

1) Ask yourself for any area of work or life you’re striving to improve: “Where do I stand today?”

2) Then, “Am I disappointed with my outcome?”

3) Then, on review of real action taken, “Am I really surprised at my outcome?”

If you’re disappointed, but not surprised, consider these potential obstacles:

Un-targeted actions – We get more of what we focus on. For example: if you’re not getting the clients you’re looking for, take a close look at your sales activity. Are you marketing to ‘anyone and everyone’, or is it time to narrow your focus?

Inconsistency – Too many stop-starts can be frustrating, and time-consuming. Whether it’s getting a newsletter launched regularly, keeping your home or office organised, or reaching a sales target, it will take longer and require more effort to achieve without the power of momentum on your side. Commit to consistent action.

Too many commitments – We want to believe we can do it all. And true, perhaps we can ‘do’ a lot. But remember, we’re focusing on the quality of our outcome, not the quantity we can cram into twenty-four hours. If you’re over-committed, you’ll dilute the potential success of any one particular commitment. If you have several projects on the go, drop or postpone the least important so your most important can thrive.

Blatant sabotage – Are you sabotaging your efforts by counteracting them? For example, perhaps you got the ball rolling on an important initiative, only to scupper your efforts by not seeing it through. You’re meeting prospects at networking events, but fail to follow-up with them. You incorporate exercise into your life to reach your fitness goal, yet thwart your progress with poor sleep and nutrition. Examine where you counteract your very efforts so you can stop blocking a successful outcome.

Not upping the ante – If you’re getting the same old results, and not the ones you really want, it’s because you’re doing – or not doing – the same things. To improve, we must push ourselves. Step outside your comfort zone at least once per day. After all, the only way to run faster, is to run faster. How can you up the ante? Take a training course or seek professional advice to up your skills, practice some speed work to up your running pace, commit more time to sales activity to …you got it, up your sales!

Show up like a boss!

That’s why I love the quarterly review: it’s an excellent, honest exercise to gauge progress against action.

If you haven’t already, hold a quarterly review for yourself. Get on it straight away so you can identify those blocks and make the next quarter count!

Where can you adjust your efforts and the quality of your input to achieve your desired, successful outcome?

Please share, I’d love to hear from you!