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There’s this legendary study by Yale University that showed that only 3% of their students set specific and measurable goals for what they want to achieve in life. Twenty years later, the study showed that this 3% amassed a combined income that was three times bigger than the 97% that didn’t set goals.

Specific and measurable goals are extremely powerful in achieving whatever it is you want to achieve. Having a goal is better than having none. Most people don’t have goals because it seems ‘proud’ to set goals. Most end up spending their lives heading in many directions for the short-term but really going nowhere in the long-term. That’s why most people lead lives of mediocrity!

What’s your ‘action trigger’? My action trigger is when I think of going back to a day job, having my schedule decided my someone else, being unable to take an off day as and when I like, and having my income tied to an invisible leash. That’s my action trigger; the fear of going back to a day job.

Find out what your action trigger is. This thought should fire you up to take huge, massive action almost everyday to propel you towards your goals. Find out what lights a fire inside of you. What gets you passionate and ready to face any task in your business? Find out what you dislike the most. Ask yourself what you would love having the most. Maybe it’s that new car you had been eyeing the showroom, or that new house you want to buy for yourself.

My father was a successful man even when he didn’t have any money. So when the material positions or the “proof” of success came about he was still the same person. He was still successful as he had always been and still took control of his future to continue being successful. Some people would say that if you are struggling to pay bills or just never able to meet your goals, that is not success. Maybe some might call that failure. Not so much, a successful person is someone that wakes up every morning and hits the ground running. A successful person is that man or woman who is constantly focused on ways to better themselves. These people know that there is no such thing as a “finished product”, there is always a way that you as a person can improve and each day that should be your goal. If you believe that you are successful and build on that success then anything is possible.

Each one of us is capable of ‘imagining’ - weaving creative moments in which we craft art, writing, a fabulous home, lovely garden, successful work proposal, a joyous family life, an exceptional college term paper, a song. The creative process, and its products, is endless, unique to its creators. We all have opportunities to create things big and small if we courageously open ourselves to the process and are willing to explore dreams and abilities. If we’re willing to follow our passions, if we’re willing to ‘try’, to give it a shot, to let our hair down just a bit - each one of us is capable of doing great things.

Many times when I am working with parents and children, I am asked how effective is NLP with children. My answer, NLP is very effective when working with children, if the adult is prepared to calibrate, test, re-calibrate, test, laugh, laugh, and learn.

Each child is unique, think about fingerprints, no two sets are alike, and yet many people think that what works with one child will surely work with all children.

NLP is not a thing, it is based on observation, curiosity, guessing and then testing, sometimes through trial and error. Children are masters at flexibility. If they want something, they will continuously and creatively modify their behavior until they either get what they want, or discover something else to focus their attention on. The younger the child the easier they can be distracted.

The truth is that success is not difficult to achieve. Well, here are the 3 simple keys to success:

1. Set achievable and specific goals

How do we know if the goals we set are achievable? Well, here’s my definition of ‘achievable goals’. I personally believe that a goal is not achievable unless you believe that you have the resources to achieve outcome that you desire.

Also, The goal should be as specific as possible so that you can formulate precise ways on how to reach it. Unless you are specific in what you want, it’s very unlikely that you’ll achieve your goals. Think about it. Your mind will not know what to focus on until you direct it to move in a certain direction. By having a specific goal, you’ll not only direct your mind to what you want, you’ll also find yourself attracting the resources you need into your life. Remember the law of attraction?

The 80/20 principle simple states that 20% of the inputs result in 80% of the outputs. This has been shown to be true in nature, the world of business, and just about every process in life. In every day terms, this means that 20% of the work you do accomplishes 80% of what you are trying to accomplish.

Do you let yourself off the hook? Are you really good at coming up with excuses and reasons for not taking action in your life? Do you notice how your mind will give a bunch of reasons why you should not do something? Its say things to you like “it is not a good time right now”, “I don’t have everything I need to”, “I don’t feel ready yet”. Are any of these excuses true or would they make a difference anyway? Some of them may even be true but you won’t know the answer unless you actually take actions and find out. See your mind convinces you these are valid reasons but are they really?

The music business is not all that different from other businesses. Some succeed while some fail. Some make money and others lose it. Your drive is what will set you apart from others. There are so many people doing exactly what you are doing! Scary isn’t it. Think about things you are doing right now that others are not doing. Your number one objective is to succeed at your craft. But what is your definition of success? It may be different from the person sitting next to you.

Define your success.

1- Personal
Perhaps the most important key is that the goal must be personal. That means you are taking ownership of not only setting the goal but also of achieving it. And in accepting the responsibility, good and not so good, that will come with the manifestation of the goal. If you have ever been told to set goals at work as part of your career development planning, and struggled with balancing the company’s interests and your personal interests, you may understand what I mean. Bottom line, make your goal personal for maximum impact.

Turning around an existing business is most probably the most challenging and complex task one can undertake. It is not enough being experienced in successfully running a business; a turn-around requires a totally different mindset, skill set, insights into human behavior, and leadership. Often, as business case studies have evidence for, brilliant and successful business owners are unable to lead a turn-around and, as well, brilliant turn-around specialists are not necessarily the right leaders once the business is running successfully again.

Many reasons lead a once successful business into a dead end situation, where only a complete turn-around can save the business from disaster. While external factors in some cases may contribute significantly to mounting problems for a business, it is however, often the Leadership Team, which is running the business into the ground.

Five friends went on a fishing trip down the Zambesi. Their terrifying story was dramatised recently on a UK Channel 4 program.

Arthur Taylor and Alistair Gellatly, two experienced Safari guides, planned the trip. They did not anticipate trouble.

Fay Taylor, Arthur’s English wife, and her parents Clive and Brenda Kelly went with them. Brenda was not keen to go but finally agreed as it was the last day of their visit to Zambia.

It nearly became the last day of their lives.

The Zambesi is an awe inspiring river. It has amazing bird life and a great diversity of animal life including hippos and huge crocodiles.