Mistake No. 1: Not taking action



Often it's not that you don't know what to do; it's matter of indecisiveness. It's like the fable of the donkey who starved to death because he couldn't decide whether to eat the apple or the pear.

When you don't make a decision you remain stuck. It's only by making a decision and taking action that you are able to make any form of progress. People often fear making the wrong decision but who's to say what is right or wrong. Obviously, I'm not talking about moral issues here. If you make a wrong decision you simply make a new decision.

The quality of your life is shaped not just by the quality of the decisions that you make but also by the number of decisions you make. The more decisions you make the more action steps you take and the more progress you make.

People also remain bound or inactive because they think that the action steps that they are able to make are too small to make a difference. However, small things consistently done well will eventually lead to great results. For as Jim Rohn said:

"Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well."

In the universally acclaimed movie, "The Shawshank Redemption", Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) managed to break through the wall of his cell by chipping away at the plaster bit by bit. It took him years but the reward was great - FREEDOM!

However, Andy would not have succeeded if he didn't have the right tool. The tool he used may have been small but it was the right tool for the job.

Mistake No.2: Not having the right information

We live in an age where we are overwhelmed with information. We experience information overload. The problem is that much of the information we receive can be misleading or just plain inaccurate.

Therefore, it is essential to know where to find information that you can trust.

Another problem is, as bizarre as it may sound, but we often do not seek out expert advice. True, even advice from some "experts" may prove to be wrong but we often do not help ourselves by seeking advice on a particular subject from individuals who know little or nothing about the subject matter.

In some cases, those individuals will be quick to point out that they are not an expert in that particular field. However, others will, nonetheless, persist in giving their "expert" opinion.

Of course, what this does is that it actually puts you on a very slippery downward slope and you don't make the progress you should make in a particular area.

So, to make the fastest progress in the shortest possible time, discover the best sources of information for whatever you are aiming to learn and stick to those sources.

Mistake No. 3: Not having an accountability partner

An accountability partner is someone who holds you accountable for your actions. So, for instance, when you attend live training it helps to take your partner and or spouse with you. These are the individuals with whom you are going to have to interact with once the training is over and the harder, and hopefully more rewarding, work begins.

If they accompany you, they will have a better idea as to what is actually involved in the goals you have set yourself and they will, more than likely, set goals for themselves too. You can then encourage and help each other overcome any obstacles that you might encounter.

When you and you alone know of a goal you have set, it is all too easy to slack off at times. When you have an accountability partner you will be more motivated to stick to your goals because you don't want to be seen as a "failure" in someone else's eyes.

One of the most effective accountability partnerships occurs when both you and your partner are working towards the same goal. In this scenario you will both want to pull your weight.

When Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were promoting "Chicken Soup for the Soul", they had a gruelling schedule of back-to-back interviews. Mark Victor Hansen admits he was close to quitting at one stage but that Jack helped to spur him on.

When choosing an accountability partner you want some one who believes in you and who is not afraid to tell you the truth - even when it hurts.