TAKE CONTROL - 9 Special Stage Programme

Power your way through my exhilarating 9 Special Stage programme and find the essential tools you need to take control of your life, career and business.

Special Stage One
Purpose

Identify what your goal is, be specific. I mean REALLY specific. Without a goal, or ‘destination’ set clearly in your mind, how on earth will you ever get where you are going? Identifying your goal is vital. Your final destination, may be out of reach right now, so what are the smaller goals along the way, that will take you in the right direction? Work out your own time line, the immediacy of these goals and then work through them in their natural order – to get to your ultimate purpose, you may well have to go through these smaller ones along the way.

Once you have it clear, sorted, labeled then you need to visualize it. Understanding it is one thing, but LIVING it in your head every day is another. Bring it to life. When I wanted to be a rally driver, I imagined being there – smelling it, feeling it, seeing my success, and already knew the feelings and sensations of achieving it. So it was not a surprise when I started to win. All in the power of my imagination but it was, real. I can visualize things, really easily. Some people think they can’t, but anyone really can – it is a simple process.

That vision in your head brings your purpose your ‘destination’ to life – you make it REAL by feeling it, seeing it, touching, smelling, - use EVERY sense to make a vivid, clear, real picture in your mind. Doing this is like rehearsing a play. If you go over it in your own mind to the point where you already KNOW it, then you will deal with it and make it real.

Can you, once you have visualized this goal to the level where you can REALLY taste it – now envisage failing? Living without it? No? – GOOD!

Special Stage Two
Passion

All too often, people say “Oh, I’d love to be a such and such” but it is a surface thought, in this world, words are easy – if you really and truly want something, Actions are far louder and more telling than words – those are the things that will propel you to the goal – your ultimate purpose.

Passion is the drive, the fuel that sends you out day after day to get a little bit closer – purpose without passion is like a car without fuel – it is going to stutter and die. Ask yourself – “How much do I want this? Can you imagine YOUR life without it?”

The level of passion is vital, it will determine how hard you drive. Your own level of passion is very telling. The fire in your belly is essential – if it’s not REALLY there, that sums it up, enough said. Can you imagine the level of passion and commitment you need to really get there?

For some of us our passion is a loud, brash and out there, and for some it’s a private ‘quiet determination’ burning inside – that’s fine too!

Special Stage Three
Promise

With purpose and passion behind you, that’s great, but you need to be committed. Make yourself a promise, write it down. Now you have it in black and white, it is going to be far harder to break a promise to yourself if you can refer to it. Pin it up – or put it on your desk-top – each time you open your lap top or log onto your pc it reminds you each day – it’s IN YOUR FACE!

Never ever break a promise to yourself, we all swerve and avoid the less palatable things in life, but if this is REALLY your end result – why dodge it? Stay committed and always be true to yourself. If you DO find you have dodged something, be honest with yourself about why you did that.

On your Lap top. On the fridge. On your desk at work. Keep it always in your eye-line, you are always putting that goal statement where you can’t avoid seeing it. Confront yourself with it regularly.

Special Stage Four
Planning

Well done, you are doing well. You know where you are going and why. But now you need to plan out how you ACTUALLY get there! As with a rally, it is far easier, and actually the only way, to break down your journey into smaller, more manageable stages. Plan this endeavor stage by stage. By doing this you prioritize your goals and you will be able to focus completely on each individual stage and the unique challenges it poses you.

You have, of course, got to be a wee bit flexible, because life is never as simple or straightforward as we would like it to be, and although your overall objective will remain constant, your stage by stage plans for exactly how you are going to get there have to be open to variables beyond your control, you just need to make the right decisions to keep you on route.

Start the planning NOW to draw up your own personal route map to success.

Special Stage Five
Preparation

You have your routemap sorted, now you have to take a look at the ground over which you are going to travel. Identify all the potential obstacles, and all the things that might or could go wrong or which could change or alter, make contingency plans. If those problems DO crop up – then you can deal with them, because you have already done the thinking and made your plan.

On a rally we do a recce, going over the route in minute detail, at a slower speed, and making pace notes, use your planning time to work out not only what things you might well encounter on the route, but also to identify in yourself your strengths and weaknesses.

Be brutally honest with yourself in this and build a team around you who can compensate and back you up. You have to be disciplined and extremely thorough – listen to advice, be selective of taking it as, remember, this is YOUR rally!

The tricky bit is to move AWAY from the people whose opinions and support you have relied and leaned on most, so far in your life. These close friends, colleagues and family have supported you to where you are now. But that’s not where you want to be! These people have only one point of reference for you –your past and present – but not your future! Find new people with new perspectives, who will push you forward to where you want to be.

Identify what YOU lack, and try to find those missing qualities in others. Surround yourself with people who fill in the gaps. Self knowledge is a good thing. A GREAT thing!

Special Stage Six
Positive Spin

Thank goodness for positive spin! This is all about balance – the Yin and yang – equal and opposite – for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. (Newton’s 3rd Law – graphic!?)

For each bad thing that happens, you can turn it around and think about it from a new and different perspective, and then an entirely different scenario emerges – each negative has, by definition, to have its own equal and opposite positive.

Most people think and feel in the negative – we go through life identifying the things we do NOT want to have happen, and that is the very embodiment of listening TO and being influenced BY the back seat drivers! Thoughts become things. Talk about bad stuff and bad stuff most likely happens! Think and speak in the positive. See? You feel better already!

Discover the power and use the energy of Positive Spin!

Special Stage Seven
Persistence

Hang on in there. Use the fact that you are pushing yourself to do things you never believed you could to give you the persistence to carry on. You will make discoveries all along your route. It is good to have the positive spin, but life often does not let things go all our own way all the time – chances are you will go off course, will get distracted and pushed or pulled away from your mark – but if you keep your purpose crystal clear in your mind, it is easier to regain your focus after momentary distractions.

Concentrate upon getting back on track as soon as you can, practice, practice, practice! You will trip up, punctures happen to everyone, but it is your persistence that will make you overcome the minor detours and stay on target for the main objective. Persist, persist, persist!
Stay disciplined, and be determined to succeed. You just HAVE to go the extra mile and do those hard yards – push yourself a wee bit further – you will be amazed how good it feels when you do. Aspiration and inspiration will take you so far, but it’s perspiration and persistence that will push you through!

Special Stage Eight
Performance

You’re doing well, you have come a long way, you’ve switched over to positive spin and you are firing on all cylinders now – WELL DONE!

BUT - - hey, how are you doing? This is a long and steep learning curve, the rally is an endurance event and to succeed you have to evaluate your performance constantly. Do that after each stage on the trip – after each route-mark goal is achieved.

Ask yourself if you are still on track, and if not what has gone wrong? What could you do better, or differently? There is a very fine line between full throttle and fool-hardy, you just HAVE to find it.

Use what you have learned to set yourself back on the track and pace that you have set in your planning. Review how you are doing all of the time, be really decisive if you realize you have to make a change, don’t kid yourself, deluding yourself is neither useful nor productive.

On a rally we use something called ‘opposite lock’ to get around a corner as efficiently as possible. Let me explain… when a car breaks traction from the road surface, the car starts to slide. The driver skillfully balances the throttle (speed) and steering (direction) - constantly adjusting and refining steering and speed, in order to exit the corner at fast as possible, and in the right direction.

So now you can take the necessary corrective action - you can refine your performance and help you to deliver your ideal outcome!

Special Stage Nine
Power

Be self motivated! Easy to say, but not so easy to do, hey?

This is all about relying upon yourself and your own abilities – you have within you FAR more strength, resources, ability than you ever believed you could have. Push yourself, you have to make yourself use all of you reserves and talents to achieve what you desire, self-belief is crucial.

Your purpose has provided the vital spark, your passion is the fuel that gives you the hunger and energy, for certain. But that self belief, self reliance is the REAL energy that will drive you forward.

It is fine to be inspired and encouraged and supported by other people, but that is only useful up to a point, weather or not you achieve your goals and objectives is down to you – ambition fulfilled or promise unfulfilled? The work you put into this will determine the prize you grasp.

As human beings, we tend to take the path of least resistance – the comfortable route – but amazing results ONLY happen when you move out of the comfort zone and into uncharted territory – yet it is EXACTLY there, in those unmapped areas, that your amazing inner power lies. You will impress and surprise yourself at how capable you really are. Dig deep and allow yourself that luxury of surprise.

Harness the POWER of your own self-belief.

FLYING FINISH

This is your journey. Take it one stage at a time.

You have purpose.
You have passion.
You have made yourself a promise.
You have a plan.
You have prepared yourself.
You have tuned into positive spin.
You will be persistent.
You will constantly review your performance.
You have the power – the essential belief in yourself.
Tomorrow is the first stage of the rest of your life.

Go get it.