The Secret Of High Achievers
Make every day a good day?
It is possible. All you really need is to do one thing.
Get things done.
The Secret
High achievers find immense satisfaction when they get things done. And they have a little secret that for many of us, who are not achievers, do not know.
They have a to do list.
They always start their days with a list of things to do. Their objective is to check off each item on the list every time they accomplished it. When they are able to do that, it gives them great satisfaction. And every time that happens, they have good days.
We can learn from high achievers. And have good days every day.
One Thing
Start your day with a list. But with a twist. Don’t create a list of things to do. But create just ONE THING on your list that you would do.
Putting that ONE THING on your list will start off a chain of things for you: –
- Thinking Proactively – It moves you from reaction to response. In a typical day, you would react to many things that happens. Every time you react, you have lesser control in what you do. But by proactively thinking about that one thing you want to accomplish, it shapes your response and gives you greater control for that one thing on that day.
- Doing Intentionally – Having that one thing provides a focal point for your day. You may wander throughout the day, but with a focal point, it makes you intentionally move towards it. When you are intentional about doing what you have planned, it will always make you feel better about your day.
- Feeling Alive – When you do what you set out to do, you feel useful. So by creating only one thing on your list, it gives you a greater chance of accomplishing it. And when you get things done, you feel alive. And your day is always good when you are feeling alive.
That ONE THING could be anything. Could be about work or something totally unrelated to work. It could be about getting a specific proposal out on that day, or it could even be about something that you have never done before.
What I Did
Let me give you an example of the latter. I jog early in the morning. And when I jog, I am totally oblivious to people around me. On one Friday morning, I decided that my ONE THING for that day would be to say good morning to every stranger I pass by during that morning run.
I wasn’t expecting much. I am terribly shy. Yes, you heard me. I am shy. And I didn’t think people would respond to me.
Boy, was I wrong!
The first person I said “morning” to, I caught him by surprise. He ran passed me with a hurried mumbled “morning” back to me. For the next runner, I gave myself a little more distance between she and I before I greeted her. This time round, she looked up, and gave me an energetic “morning!” Over the next 30 minutes, I would do that to every runner I had passed. And to my surprise, almost everyone greeted me back. And for some strange reasons, I felt fantastic!
That ONE THING was some thing I had never done before. While it was not a terribly difficult thing to do, it did require effort and a little courage on my part. And I did it! The benefit for me that day wasn’t just feeling fantastic after the run. It actually shaped my mind and let me looked at everything on that day with more confidence and positivity. And it turned out to be a very good day.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
So make a good day happen. List down that ONE THING.
And get it done.
Kim Pong is the CEO and Founder of StrengthsAsia, Creator of the REFRAME MasterClass and the first 20 Gallup Certified Strengths Coaches in the world. He is based in Singapore and works with organizations in Asia in creating an engaged workplace culture for leaders, managers and executives to thrive.