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Plant the Seed This Spring for Your Bigg Success

Written on March 20, 2008 by George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster in Goals, Life Planning, Preparation, Success

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It’s the first day of spring! Before long, farmers will be planting. That got us thinking – just like a farmer, we have to plant in order to harvest.

If we want an output, we need an input. To produce a result, we have to take action. We can’t control the result, but we can control our activity.

So focus on planting, not the plant!

3 steps to planting the seed
We’re going to work backwards from the final input to the initial activity.

#3 – Plant
Unless you actually plant the seed, you won’t have anything to harvest. You have to follow through on everything that led to this step. Focus on activities that will yield the best result.

#2 – Prepare to plant
To be ready to plant, gather the needed resources together. For the farmer, that means buying the seed, getting the fertilizer, and preparing the ground for planting.

For the rest of us, it depends on your situation. You may need to do some research, prepare collateral materials (e.g. resume, business plan), make a prospect list, find potential strategic partners, or design promotional material.

These are just a few of examples. Preparing takes time and effort, but you have to do it or you won’t be ready for Step 3.

#1 – Plan to plant
If a farmer waits until the first day of spring to start planning for the upcoming season, he’ll have an uphill battle. That’s the reason we counted backwards (in addition to showing you that we could)!

Think who, what, when, and where. And make sure you know the “why” for each of those! And also think about “what if”.

So thinking like a farmer: Who’s going to plant what crop? Where and when will it be planted?

For those of us who don’t farm, think back to Step 2 for an example. We said you may have to do some research. Are you going to do it yourself? Could you pay to have it done? In either case, what research do you need? Where will you find it (or the person who will do it)? When will the research need to be done?

A Bigg Success story
We crank out five shows / blogs and a newsletter every week. That’s our end result. As long as we focused only on the result, we struggled. Then we put into practice what we’re preaching here!

First, we plan our work. We now use a production schedule that maps out what needs to be accomplished every DAY, not every WEEK. That’s made a huge difference.

Second, we prepare every day. What will we talk / write about? Do we have the information or do we need to get it? Where will we get it? Then we gather the required materials. Now we’re ready for the final step.

Third, we do it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this blog!

The Bigg Goal-Getters Workbook is a great tool for implementing this process. It’s FREE when you subscribe to our FREE newsletter The Bigg Success Weekly!

Our bigg quote today is by William Arthur Ward:

“Faith sees a beautiful blossom in a bulb, a lovely garden in a seed, and a giant oak in an acorn.”

So remember, actions produce results. Belief produces actions.

Next time, we’ll discuss seven ways to tap into your creative side. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

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(Image by mrhappy, CC 2.0)

Tags: action, business plan, collateral materials, farmers, fertilizer, first day of spring, planting the seed, productivity, promotional material, research, strategic partners, tools, uphill battle, workbook

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The Marshmallow Test

Written on January 16, 2008 by admin in Goals, Personal Growth

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The Marshmallow Experiment was conducted in the 1960s by Walther Mischel at Stanford University. It was popularized by Daniel Goleman, perhaps best known for his books Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence.

The test
The researchers gathered a group of four-year olds in a room. A researcher set a marshmallow in front of each kid. The kids were told that the researcher needed to run an errand. If the kid didn’t eat the marshmallow before the researcher got back, the kid would be given a second marshmallow. However, if the kid ate the marshmallow, he or she would not get another one.

Picture yourself at four-years old.
Could you have resisted that tasty marshmallow?

Some ate their marshmallow before the researcher even got out of the room! Others seem to have no problem not resisting the temptation. Some turned their back on the marshmallow. Others sang a song or distracted themselves in other ways. One kid reportedly even licked the table around the marshmallow!

The reward for waiting was pretty good – a 100 percent increase in marshmallows! Interestingly enough, ALL the kids expected a second marshmallow – even the kids who ate theirs!

The follow-up
The researchers tracked these kids in the subsequent years. They surveyed their parents and their teachers. They found that, in general, the kids who had been able to resist the marshmallows were better adjusted and more dependable.

They were more competent socially and more self-assertive. They were able to cope with frustration and stress much better. They embraced challenges rather than seeing them as a huge obstacle. They also scored 210 points higher on their SAT exams.

So what’s your marshmallow?
We’ve all heard about rock-n-rollers who came to fame and fortune early. They make a lot of money; then blow it all. They think it will always be there.

Some time later, we hear they’re out touring again, because they’re out of money. They have to start over because they don’t have any marshmallows left. Obviously we’re stereotyping rock-n-rollers … they haven’t all fallen into this trap.

Here’s the ironic thing — by resisting that treat now, you can have more later! Here are some thoughts to help you get the most marshmallows.

#1 – Keep your eye on the final prize.
Focus on what you ultimately want, not your marshmallows. What’s your dream life? Keep that in front of you. You’ll resist the marshmallows now so you get more later.

#2 – Find techniques that work for you.
Just like with the kids, we each need to find what works best for us. For example, you may find that paying yourself first helps you resist your marshmallows. Many people have found that as long as they don’t see the money, they don’t miss it.

Other people won’t buy anything unless they have the cash to pay for it. This simple requirement helps them resist many marshmallows.

Mary-Lynn shared her technique – she focuses on her needs, rather than her wants. She’s ready for a new smart phone. She wants an iPhone, but she’ll get a phone that’s a couple of hundred dollars less. It suits her needs just fine.

How do you resist the marshmallows in your life? Leave us a comment.

#3 – Reward yourself when you reach a desired goal.
A couple of days ago, we talked about The Stairway To Success. We discussed the steps that will get you to the top of your stairway. When you reach a desired goal – reward yourself.

Don’t overdo it – you do want to enjoy a marshmallow now and then … just don’t get so full that you can’t make it up the stairs!

Get our FREE Bigg Goal-Setters Workbook.
It’s a great tool to help you set your marshmallow marks – those points where you give yourself a treat! Just sign up for the Bigg Success Weekly newsletter – It’s FREE, too!

Our Bigg Quote today is by the great Brian Tracy:

“The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification
in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the
long term is the indispensable pre-requisite for success.”

So plan your life and live your plan …. and go ahead, have a marshmallow now and then!

Next time, we’ll answer a question from one of our listeners who wants to know if he should count on his employer’s counter offer.

In the meantime, we’re off for a cup of hot chocolate … topped with marshmallows, of course! Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

The Stairway To Success