Kathy Smith’s Blog and Your Gateway to Success

The key to success in a home based business will surprise you. Many gurus out there will start with the research you must do to find the right business, and I agree that the selection process is very important. In fact, I have a list of criteria that you should consider as well as an explanation of why but I’ll expand on that in a later post. Other gurus will tell you it’s finding the “why”. Why do you want to be in a home based business; why are you seeking extra income; why are you unhappy with where you are now. By understanding your reasons, you’re building the foundation to accomplishing your goals. Goals are just as important because unless you have a map of how you want to get there, you could end up taking those side roads that will take you much longer to achieve success.

But there’s an even more important key to success.

You can know your why; the perfect business and the blueprint to get there, but if you don’t have this one key element, you will not be successful. The funny part is it’s a very simple concept but not taken seriously.

THE MOST IMPORTANT ACT YOU CAN TAKE IS VERY SIMPLE . . .

MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

It doesn’t matter what brand of success we’re chasing after. The fact still remains: We will not succeed in attaining any dream until we first make a commitment. To be successful you can’t have just one foot in – you need to jump in.

Persistence and commitment is equal to success but it first comes with the decision to make that commitment. Some of you may choose not to commit because you want a guarantee that everything will work out. But the only guarantee is that if you do not commit you will not succeed.

You must eliminate options and excuses that get in the way of making real commitments. You will not get it done with “maybe someday” If you want to truly succeed, don’t allow giving up to be an option.

Those that are hesitant to commit will be ineffective in receiving success. On the other hand, when you are committed powerful things occur that would not have occurred without the strength of your commitment.

I am sure you have heard the definition of insanity – continuing to do the same thing over and over, expecting different results. Your past has affected your life up to where you are right now. You must make the decision be fully committed to being successful and then take action.

Right now, make the commitment to change your life. Make the decision, take the action, and don’t wait any longer! Nobody can make you do this but YOU. Make 2009 YOUR YEAR!

The first step to success in business is having goals. Many people don’t take goals seriously.

In the book “What They Don’t Teach You in the Harvard Business School”, Mark McCormack tells a study conducted on students in the 1979 Harvard MBA program. In that year, the students were asked, “Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?”

Only three percent of the graduates had written goals and plans; 13 percent had goals, but they were not in writing; and a whopping 84 percent had no specific goals at all.

Ten years later, the members of the class were interviewed again, and the findings, while somewhat predictable, were nonetheless astonishing. The 13 percent of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent who had no goals at all. And what about the three percent who had clear, written goals? They were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97 percent put together.

In spite of such proof of success, most people don’t have clear, measurable, time-bounded goals that they work toward.

Brian Tracy says there are four reasons why people don’t set goals:

* They don’t realize about the importance of goals. If the people with whom you spend the most time — family, friends, colleagues, and so forth — are not clear and committed to goals, there is a chance that you will not be, either.
* They don’t know how to set goals. Some set goals that are too general. These are, in reality, fantasies common to everyone. Goals, on the other hand, are clear, written, specific, and measurable.
* They fear failure. Failure hurts, but it is often necessary to experience failure in order to achieve the greatest success. Do not unconsciously sabotage yourself by not setting any goals in which you might fail.
* They fear rejection. People are often afraid that if they are unsuccessful at achieving a goal, others will be critical of them. This is remedied by keeping your goals to yourself at the outset; let others see your results and achievements once you’ve accomplished your goals.

Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. One of the keys is to write down goals and how you will accomplish those goals. By doing this, you are taking your first step to reaching and surpassing your dreams.