Right now… someone has their head in their hands saying to themselves: “What did I achieve today? I did not get through even half of my to-do list! What happened?”

Sound familiar?

Question: How do I achieve what I want in any given day?
Answer: Focus ONLY on what’s MOST important each day…

Are You Ready To Design Your Day?

To achieve your dreams… to maintain balance in the heat of the battle… to know that you have done the best you could given the circumstances you faced… requires you to focus on the important, and not be consumed by the urgent. This is a major driver of success, both personally and professionally. It is not hard to focus, if you know what’s important to you, and what’s not.

For any task to be a priority, it must have more importance than something else. Importance comes from your values, goals and commitments.

Design your day around achieving your primary goals.

Here are 3 questions to get you focused and in the zone of designing your day right now…

1. What has been the focal point of your day so far?
2. Check your schedule today. Which tasks are designed to get you closer to your goals?
3. Tomorrow, when you schedule and prioritise your tasks, which task will you put in your most productive time slot?

Without question, the Results you actually GET in the TIME you have… will determine your ultimate success or failure.

Peace of mind comes from knowing you have done your very best. If you have, day-by-day, achieved the best that is in you, what more is there?

That’s right, nothing.

However, you owe it to your life to actually give your best—consistently.

You owe it to yourself, and everyone around you, to make absolutely certain that you are operating at peak performance… putting your God-given Champion gifts and talents to their highest and best use.

If you want to produce better results this week, you can.

Focus On The Important… Not The Urgent…

To achieve your dreams…

to maintain balance in the heat of the battle…

to know that you have done the best you could given the circumstances you faced…

requires you to focus on the important, and not be consumed by the urgent.

This is a major driver of success, both personally and professionally. It is not hard to focus, if you know what’s important to you, and what’s not.

Doing Your Champion Best Means… Focusing on First Things First.

Champion Action Time:
1. Set aside 30 minutes in your diary and title the task: DOING MY BEST FIRST!

2. Write out what you hope to accomplish next year. What will make you feel GREAT next year at this time, when you look back on the year that was?

3. Now set aside 30 minutes in your diary for tomorrow or a day that you can complete the following task: WHY DOING MY BEST IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME! I want you to explain to yourself WHY this is so IMPORTANT to you.

(i) My Hopes For 2012…FAMILY is Important because……………..
(ii) My Hopes for 2012 …FRIENDS is Important because…………..
(iii) My Hopes for 2012 …MYSELF is Important because……….

Look closely at what you have written down.

How are you going to move these hopes off this page and into your life?

The simple answer: By constantly remaining focused on the important, and not permit life’s urgencies to wear you down and wear you out.
Right now your list is only a list. It is a reflection of what you HOPE you will achieve.

The simple fact is, when you prioritise your life, you determine where your time will produce the most rewarding and satisfying results; based on your priorities on your personal list of values, goals and commitments.

Urgency is a quality given to something requiring immediate attention

…regardless of its relative value. You can spend years chasing down one urgency after another.

Or, you can focus on top priorities and ensure that what’s most important to you actually shows up in your life.

By choosing priorities over urgencies, you stop reacting to circumstances and start creating a life of power, passion and purpose.

Cheers to designing your day and year 2012
Head Coach Shelley

PS: Can’t get your head around focusing on you? Neglecting yourself Can’t put your best self first? You just need someone to get you focused on the things that matter.

Email Head Coach Shelley at champion@championmindset.com.au (or Tough Love Coach as her clients call her) and let her help you develop a clear plan to get your business, your career, your life… on track and keep it that way. And you’ll be kept accountable to ensure you stick to the plan and realise your business or objectives. (Sounds like a smart investment to me.)

When was the last time you did something truly vulnerable and shared it with your clients and prospects; even your family and friends?

I hope it was within the last week. You may think I’m crazy for saying this (or you may think it’s a no-brainer), but –

By being YOU is the perfect place to show a bit of your humanity… to let them in on some of your mistakes, as well as how you overcame them.

Yes it is a a risk. But it’s also good practice. Practice being vulnerable, that is. There is a connection between vulnerability, approachability and profitability. When you open yourself to the world, the world will opens its wallet to you. But only if you’re willing to strip away the superficialities and occupy your vulnerability.

There are two BIG reasons why you want to be vulnerable:
1. Showing that you’re vulnerable builds trust and understanding. People will like you better and want to connect if they get a sense of who you are under all that “expertise” or skill.
2. Being real is more fun and… well, more real!

Shelley with fellow FINA TOWSC member, Steven Munatones (USA) Director www.OpenWaterSource.com

And last week I did just that! I “stuffed-up” in my role as Technical Official at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Shanghai, China. I was told it is unacceptable to take photos whilst officiating on the feeding pontoon. Forget the fact that the photos were taken at a time when the race was happening 200m away and other officials were also violating this protocol, I had to “cop it on the chin” in front of forty-five international officials.

When I started writing the Champion Mindset Motivation ezine back in 2001, I had this idea that I needed to know more, seem perfect and be the “wise one” having achieved amazing feats as a 7-time World Champion with a proven track record of success.

Now in the Champion Mindset workshops and Mental Toughness coaching programs, I admit I have “stuffed-up” many times, even failed and then bounced back to go on and achieve higher heights due to my inner resilience; which has shown more of myself and relates to my clients.

So when I hear team managers, coaches and even small business owners say they don’t know enough to serve their niche market, it reminds me of me back then. But that’s just a lie we tell ourselves.

Of course, showing your vulnerability at 1on1 meetings educates your clients, colleagues and team mates. Some managers/team leaders/coaches will correct mistakes or take them step-by-step through how to do something. But your tips will land more deeply if you also share how you got there — which is almost always about fumbling into competency, right?

When I launched my Think Like A Champion blog in 2008, I started following some pro bloggers like Peter Godfrey, and I witnessed in his blog posts a kind of take-me-as-I-am transparency that really appealed to me. I noticed his posts attracted lots of comments.

So I shifted my approach by determining my target audience and developing strategies whilst redefining my own Champion Brand (the Business of Me) and as a result my motivational presentations and personal branding workshops are receiving rave reviews. I delivered the Champion Brand Promise and unleashed my inner winner sharing; “I’m comfortable in my own skin… and all its wobbly bits!” And it’s paying off.

Who knew? (You might be saying “Well duh, Shelley” but really, I’m not the only one this is a new paradigm for.)

This is the age of social networking. This is a time when having more fun and being more real is good business. The goal is to show more of who you are — just a regular Joe Blow or Jane Doe — while you also show your unique style, your extraordinary qualities and know how.

Believe me; you have a great story to tell. Everyone does. And stories rock! These stories are your Champion Brand Signature Style and knowing how to identify and present yourself by getting them into your marketing, your networking, your team meetings… everywhere where you connect with your people is the key to turning your know-how into profit or promotion.

Tell me what you think about this whole vulnerability thing and your brand signature style in the COMMENTS below. When you stuff-up what do you do and focus on to bounce back? If you’re hip to it, thanks for leading the way. If it’s new to you, I double dare you to share your vulnerability with your team/colleagues/family once a week!

And thanks for your loyalty with me through all the ways I keep learning to help you to get comfortable in your own skin, define, design and deliver your Champion Brand to dominate your marketplace / niche industry and achieve your goals better.

Cheers to you becoming the Champion of your own world!
Shelley Taylor-Smith

PS: following being reprimanded for my stuff-up in Shanghai, many officials offered their support saying they too have made errors and to not sweat the small stuff! Also I was reminded that I created history becoming the first female Chief Referee in a Men’s Open Water Swimming FINA World Championship event. (NB: achieved first for female Chief Referee in FINA World OWS Championships Roberval 2010) [read more...]

The BOMShell is happening around Australia! The Business of Me with Shelley Taylor-Smith: How to Use the Power of Personal Branding to Create Your Own Champion Brand workshops in Perth on Thursday, 11th August 2011. Sydney & Melbourne TBA September 2011.

The One Thing You MUST Do Before Planning Next Year

And that thing is… To review this year!

Sounds obvious, but have you done it yet?

We get so caught up with going from one thing to the next we forget to savour what we have already achieved.

So it’s time for some reflection, and some pat-on-the-back action.

Here are some good journal questions to guide you:

* What was the theme of the year? What was the overall flavour of the year?

* Identify your Kodak moments - those times that were fabulous, brilliant and you’d like to capture forever.

* Record your successes in your journal. These could be anything from hitting record sales, to meeting your fitness goals, to feeling fantastic, to spending quality time with your kids. whatever it is, make sure you write it down.

* Highlights/lowlights. What was your highest high and your lowest low? Also what I refer to as your bounce back factor and resilience meter. Everything is energy, and everything fluctuates - including the energy of your life, creating peaks and troughs. The good news is that once you make note of these, you’ll learn how to move through the lows much more easily, knowing that another peak is to be expected.

* What did you learn this year? Life is about growth - what did you learn about yourself, others, technical skills, professional skills, your family?

* Who did you meet? This is a fun one! You probably met more people than you realise! Make note of these.

* Did you meet your goals – why or why not?

* What are you most proud of?

With these notes in hand you can put 2010 to bed, wish it goodnight, and prepare to welcome the dawn of the New Year 2011.

Cheers to you achieving your gold in 2011.
Shelley Taylor-Smith

Founder & Director Champion Mindset
Based in Perth, Western Australia
www.championmindset.com.au

About Shelley Taylor-Smith

Shelley Taylor-Smith is Australia’s No.1 Mental Toughness Coach: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Shelley helps people transform their Champion potential into performance. An energetic and inspirational speaker, international bestselling author and corporate educator, Shelley demonstrates how harnessing the power of your mind and boosting your self belief can help you achieve your goals. With her passionate commitment to being relatable, Shelley delivers a powerful lesson in mental toughness. Find out more and subscribe to Shelley’s fortnightly Champion Motivations newsletters

The Bleedingly Obvious New Years Resolution!

I don’t know about you but I feel like New Year Resolutions have been done to death the past week and I wanted to put a different twist on 2011 (paradigm shift) and ask you for your one word or phrase that describes your “intention” for 2011!

So here is a “Champion Tip”, which comes to you from Dan Robey of Positive Habits.

By reading today’s blog you’ll discover how to decide your best INTENTION for 2011or New Year’s Resolution Ever! Dan Robey highlights the bleedingly obvious but like most things in our hectic, chaotic, everyday life where we are living it jam-packed to the max….I am not surprised that you may have overlooked the bleedingly obvious.

So enjoy this read!!!

“Here is the best New Years Resolution ever!! Count Your Blessings

That’s right…I said count your blessings.

Make it a habit this new year to take inventory of the good things you have been blessed with on a regular basis.

What do I mean by that? Here is an example. Quite often I get emails from people who are depressed. For health reasons, or relationship reasons, financial reasons, or something else, they feel miserable and very unhappy.

But, when they take stock of what they actually have they quickly realize that they are fortunate and blessed in many ways.

There is a great quote from Eddie Rickenbacker, a fighter pilot in WWII who had to ditch his plane in the ocean. Eddie and his crew floated on a raft for 3 weeks in the ocean without food, or fresh water. When they were finally rescued, Eddie said, “for the rest of my life, if I have a roof over my head and food, I will never complain about anything.”

Your Champion Action Today (…tomorrow and for the future):
Here is an exercise you should do on a regular basis, make it a new Champion habit. This is a kind of personal inventory of your blessings…keep it private and close for reference.

Make a list on a notepad, call it your “blessings list.” Place a “Yes” next to each question about your life that is good and a “No” next to an area of your life you feel is bad right now.

>> Do you have a spouse? Is your spouse supportive?
>> Do you have a family? Is your family supportive?
>> Do you have children? Are your children supportive?
>> Do you have a home? Do you have a job? Do you like your job?
>> Can you read and write?
>> Do you have access to a computer?
>> Do you go to a church? Is your church supportive? Do you have faith in God?
>> Do you live in a country where it is possible to increase your education and get a good job?
>> Do you have a positive attitude?
>> Do you have access to books that can teach you how to improve your attitude?
>> Are you motivated?
>> Do you have access to books that can teach you how to be more motivated?
>> Is your health good?
>> Do you have access to books that can help you maintain your health?

Do you see now how this is going? Even for the areas where you indicated “No” there is probably a “Yes” next to the question asking you if there is a knowledge source or support group that can help you change that “No” to a “Yes.”

It is amazing how often we take for granted the blessings that we have. This exercise can help anyone who is down and depressed about life. Pass it on to others who you think may need it.”

And today remember how to think of yourself as you go about your day, your week, your month, your year: Hello, my name is GRATITUDE!

Go for your gold in 2011!
Cheers Shelley Taylor-Smith

PS: Still stuck on what your intention is for 2011… then this product will teach you to go for YOUR GOLD NOW! the Power of Success 7 week e-course where Shelley coaches you each week via email. Beauty is you receive the weekly unit coure and complete it at your leisure in the luxury of your home, office or on the bus, train or plane. You choose. It is so simple and easy to complete. Get ready now to count your blessings! More info…

For many of you it is your first real day back in the office….

The past 10 days since the New Year rang in… I have been planning and preparing the Champion Mindset goals for 2011.

But before I created the Champion Mindset goals I created my personal goals first.

So let me share with you, what has now become a top priority in the first week of January that I learned from Keith Abraham

Take a moment and review this simple 10 question checklist to get you started and place you in the right directio in 2011n:

>> Have you got 3 personal goals you want to achieve in 2011?
>> Have you got 3 business or career goals you want to achieve in 2011?
>> Have you shared your goals with your life partner, a great friend or a mentor?
>> Have you got a clear idea of how you are going to pursue your passion this year?
>> Do you know what you need to ignite in your life, in order to become the person capable of achieving your personal and professional goals?
>> Do you know what you need to cease in your life, in order to become the person capable of achieving your personal and professional goals?
>> Do you know what you need to do more of in your life, in order to become the person capable of achieving your personal and professional goals?
>> Do you know what you need to do less of in your life, in order to become the person capable of achieving your personal and professional goals?
>> Have you got a clearly defined focused for the next 30 days?
>> Do you know what you need to do to recharge your batteries, in order to be energised to face challenges and take advantage of opportunities?

If 2011 was going to be the best year of your life, so far, what do you need to do?

Still stuck and uncertain what you need to do… then join me next week in the Teleconference “Forget New Year Resolutions - How to have the Resolve, Resolution and Determination to Make 2011 Your Year”…on Wednesday 19th January 2011 at 8pm Eastern Standard Time (Sydney, Melbourne) // 5pm Perth Time. Register here now… Complimentary to you for taking action!

Go for your gold in 2011!
Cheers Shelley Taylor-Smith