Simple steps to achieve your objectives

If there was a shortcut to success, would you want it? A strategy to follow that would help you get what you want in the most efficient and effective way possible?

Most normal people have a limited number of hours in the day and a limited amount of energy to get what you need to get accomplished, while at the same time going after your bigger goals.

Reading the autobiographies of successful business people and politicians, it becomes clear that they have all adopted broadly similar strategies, of which these tend to be the key four:

1. Know your desired outcome. When you use your car's sat nav, do you type in all of the addresses you don't want to go to or just the one where you do want to go? Clearly, it is critical to know your desired outcome. What do you want to achieve? What are you going after? Now is not the time to be casual, vague. Imagine you've rubbed the magic lamp and you get one shot at requesting what you want. Be clear and be specific.

2. Take action. Get started. Simply do something -- anything, really. Don't fall into the trap of having to know the best action to take to get started because this will cause delay. In fact, it's the excuse far too many use so they don't have to get started.

3. Focus on feedback. Remember the games that you played as a child? What if you only played them and never moved on? You'd never know if you were getting closer or farther away from the prize. If you try to analyse every conceivable next step, you'll never know if your path is leading you closer or farther away. Taking action is how you get feedback. Take the step, because even if you are wrong, that will give you valuable feedback so you can adjust your approach in the future.

4. Be flexible. If you notice your actions are not leading you to your desired outcome (or maybe not as quickly as you wish), then you have to be flexible in your approach. It's not enough to just notice what you are doing isn't working; you have to shift your strategy. Stop, turn, and take a step in a different direction until you get closer to your outcome even if you've invested a lot of time and energy in your previous moves.

It really doesn’t matter what you’re doing, whether it’s in your business or personal life, if you keep to these four steps then they will help you achieve your goals faster and more efficiently.

Please feel free to let us know your thoughts or whether you feel that there are other traits that should supersede these four. www.chestertongray.com