Tag Archives: knowledge

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Ideas To Action Challenge – 10 Keys To Help You Become An Ideas To Action Person.

In 1963, Mary Kay Ash, resigned from her job out of frustration from being passed over for promotion. She came up with the idea of writing a book to help women in business. What emerged from the book idea was a business plan that was later implemented and turned into a multimillion dollar business. In 2001 at the time of Mary Kay Ash’s death, Mary Kay cosmetics had over 800,000 representatives in 37 countries with total annual sales of over $200 million.

Idea Concept

According to Mary Kay Ash,

Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who implement them are priceless.

Everything starts with an idea and you have the capacity to generate lots of ideas. You can also find plenty of ideas online on just about anything you can think of. Yet many people fail to act on their ideas and the world ends up missing out on the potential that was never realised.

Why do people not act on their ideas?

Here are some of the reasons people have come up with on why they do not take action on their ideas.

  1. Lack of confidence
  2. Life gets in the way
  3. Too busy with work
  4. No motivation or drive to act
  5. Lack of support
  6. Discouragement from friends and family members
  7. Fear of failure
  8. Lack of know how
  9. No money
  10. No plan for action
  11. Don’t know how to do it
  12. Too young
  13. Too old

I am sure you can add one or two more reasons to this list.

It doesn’t matter why you have not been taking action on your ideas. What matters is your answer to this question. Do you think you would be a better person and the world you live in would be a better place if you make a decision today to act on some of your ideas? If your answer is yes, then you need to stop making excuses and start implementing some of your ideas. Here are some things to help you get started.

10 Keys To Help You Become An Ideas To Action Person.

Keys to Action

  1. Put first things first – There is always something you can do now with the limited time, skills and finances available to you. Find out what that is and then get started doing it.
  2. Believe in Yourself – Your belief in your self will be aided by your having a strong sense of purpose. What do you want in life and from life? With a sense of purpose, you will find it easier to commit to ideas that align with your purpose. You purpose serves as a screen that filters ideas.
  3. Get connected with the right people – People are your greatest ally and your greatest adversary. You will need to keep searching until you find people who will encourage, inspire and motivate you to get going with your ideas.
  4. Equip and train yourself – If you haven’t got the right skills and experience, then go and get it. Read books, attend courses or take up employment in companies that will provide you opportunity to get the skills your need.
  5. Set goals and realistic targets – Everything in life takes twice as long and costs twice as much. Set SMART goals and then proceed to create realistic plans that will lead you to achieve your goals.
  6. Set realistic time frames – Every new project is an adventure into the unknown. This will almost always result in costs and time delays you could not have envisaged at the start. Build some margin into your time estimates.
  7. Research to refine your ideas – Your idea in its current form will undoubtably undergo numerous refinements before you start. However, do not try and overdo the research. You know enough to get started and you will discover the rest along the way.
  8. Be committed to your success – Have you got a success mindset. Do you believe that you are going to make a success out of your life. If you do, then commit to your belief by taking actions that will bring you closer to your stated objectives.
  9. Find a coach or mentor – A coach is a trained professional who by asking the right questions is able to draw out the potential within you. A mentor is someone with experience in what you want to do. Mentors will share their experiences and give you tips that can help you avoid mistakes along the way.
  10. Be willing to adapt and change – Be flexible. Be a person who is open to new ideas and is willing to try new things. As you review and measure your progress against set markers, be willing to change course if necessary. You will need the wisdom to know when to persevere and when to pivot.

Decide on your next step and then act. Or leave a comment and tell me what else is holding you back.

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The Entrepreneurial Way – 7 Keys To Unlock Your Potential

  1. Believe In Yourself

To believe in yourself is to have confidence in your skills and ability. There is no room for self doubt. Do not compare yourself to all the other experts you know in your field. With time, diligence and hard work, your own expertise will grow.

7 Keys to Unlock Your potential

For many years I would always pass up the opportunity to speak in-front of a large audience. I did not think I was good enough. But as I began to sum up the courage to speak, I realised that I was improving with time. Know I tell myself that I am an expert in the making.

So when next you are called upon to do what you have never done before, why not say yes to this. See it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Remember that if you have never done something before, you are not going to get it right the first time unless of course you are lucky. Cut yourself some slack and allow yourself to do it badly at first. Believe that you can get better at whatever you decide to commit to.

  1. Have A Positive Attitude

Your attitude is a result of a settled way of thinking and it is almost always reflected in your behaviour. It takes time to form and can become a habit.

There is a little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative ~ W Clement Stone

One way of maintaining a positive attitude is to steer clear of negativity. Resist negative influences. Be a can do person and hang around other people who have a positive and a winning attitude. A positive mental attitude will take you to unimaginable places.

  1. Be A Life Long Learner

To be a life long learner is to be committed to continuous self improvement. You learn from your mistakes and you learn from the mistakes of others.

More important, you also learn from your successes. Ask yourself the question, what is working well from me right now and how can I do it better. You commitment to learning will result in a commitment to change.

In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.~ Eric Hoffer

  1. Think Solutions

There is no point in talking about the problem but rather think up possible solutions. Suddenly there will be a light at the end of the tunnel as you begin to see your way out of whatever situation you are in.

Be creative in your thinking. If you have to employ a thinking tool such as mind map do so. Think outside the box and come up with innovative ways of solving old problems.

Edward de Bono in his book Six Thinking Hats describes what he calls a practical and uniquely positive approach to making decisions and exploring new ideas.

  1. Know Your Craft

To know your craft is not to know everything about your industry. Your effort must be directed towards the acquisition and application of the information and knowledge that can give you an edge over others.

There is generalised knowledge, there is specialised knowledge and there is the know how to organise and use knowledge after you have acquired it. You will have to decide which is important to you.

Henry Ford knew how to organise and use the knowledge he acquired. He perfected the Assembly Line, a descendant of the division of labour initially discussed by Adam Smith in his book the Wealth of Nations.

  1. Find A Coach Or Mentor

Many of you will have heard of Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter widely regarded as the fastest person ever. With an impressive record of 6 olympic gold medals and 6 world championship gold medals.

How about Michael Phelps, the retired American swimmer and the most decorated olympian of all time. Twenty two medals in total including eighteen gold.

These two men would not have achieved these great feats without the very important contribution of their coaches. Glen Mills coached Usain Bolt and Bob Bowman’s influence produced Michael Phelps.

From the field of business to politics, top salesmen and statesmen like top athletes employ the services of highly trained professional coaches to reach the top of their game. Entrepreneurs, entertainers and sportsmen achieve incredible feats with coaches alongside them. Your coach will come alongside you to inspire, encourage and motivate you to achieve success beyond your wildest dreams

  1. Be A Leader

Anyone can steer a ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course ~John Maxwell

As a leader, you must be farsighted enough to see what others cannot see. Because the journey into the future is a journey into the unknown, you must be flexible enough to know when to make adjustments to your course, but retain the drive and tenacity to push through obstacles.

Be humble enough to know that you cannot do I on your own. You need the input of others. You must develop other leaders and not be a one man show.

As a leader, you must develop your ability to consistently communicate vision in a manner that transmits your passion, energy and enthusiasm to others.

  1. Why not add another key below by leaving a comment.
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Applied Knowledge is Key to Success

 Knowledge isn’t power until it is applied ~ Dale Carnegie

Applied Knowledge is Key to Success

To wish you success,

At this stage,

Would be an understatement,

By now,

You have earned your progress in life,

By your creative and resilient efforts.

 

Among the many members of the class,

Some will be surprised at the eventual result,

Some will love what they’ve got,

And others already know their result.

 

Whatever, group you fall into,

It’s the application,

You put the certificate into

That’s of utmost importance.

 

It takes some effort,

To master an art,

Some skill to communicate,

The result of the effort.

 

But a work of genius,

Is divine,

The expression of natural talent,

And the results can be reproduced,

By a determined mind applying such specialist knowledge.

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Leaders are Readers

“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self -chosen ignorance.” – Confucius

The words of Confucius the Chinese teacher, editor and philosopher are true today as they were over over 2000 years ago. You cannot afford to remain ignorant in the rapidly changing world of today and that is why you must devote time in your busy schedule to reading.

James Allen in his book ” As a Man Thinketh” likened the mind of a man or woman to a garden that must be intelligently and intentionally cultivated or risk being overgrown with weed. Reading is one way to cultivate the mind and your ability to choose what you read helps you to stay in control of what goes into your mind.

I did not do much reading immediately after university. I am not sure I did much reading while in university other than what was required to pass my exams. Many years passed and all I did was go to work during the day and watch television at night. Television engages the eyes but does little to stimulate the mind. Yet many spend hours glued to their TV screens and computer monitors. Media statistics on television viewing show that the average person in the UK watches four hours of television a day, this includes time spent watching movies and other video clips on the computer. If you think you cannot find the time to read, how about reducing your television time by one hour a day.

The knowledge accumulated over several years by many successful people and captured in books was within my reach but I was not a reader and so for many years I continued to work hard at my job, making little progress and only able to learn from my own mistakes and those of the people around me. Then I came across this quote ”You are the same today as you’ll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read”. Where do you want to be in five years time? I hope you are reading and acquiring the knowledge and skills that will enable you take advantage of opportunities tomorrow as they arise.

Today you have available to you an enormous amount of information, knowledge and wisdom all contained in books. That which took several men and women the whole of their lives labouring and sweating to investigate, learn and understand is now available to you in books. so make the time to learn and grow, become a reader and a leader.

And if you are a reader, then keep at it. The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more people you will influence and the more places you will go.