19 Ways How To Hold Yourself to A Higher Standard
- Michael French, President
- Feb 13, 2020
- 5 min read
(4 minute read)
Why 19? It was only going to be 15, but we added a few bonuses for you.
Do you want to get on track and be the best version of yourself? What would that do for your confidence and self-appreciation? What could that do for you personally, professionally and financially?
This list is designed to help give you a few tools and ideas that may resonate with you to help get you on track to living the life that you deserve.
*Pro-Tip:
We suggest starting with 1 or 2 of these things, master them, make them a part of your daily life and then grow from there.
Stop Making Excuses For Yourself. Letting yourself off the hook is a cancer that will make it ok to let yourself off the hook every time that you don’t feel well, you don’t feel like it, you’re not good at it, you ran out of time, etc. Winners get it done no matter what. Don’t relegate yourself into a losing mentality.
Take Ownership of your life and ALL of your actions. You failed at something? Did you give it everything that you had? We’re you well prepared? What did you learn? How can it be better next time? Is there someone that can help you get better? Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of intelligence.
Prioritize What Is Actually Important personally, professionally and financially. Do not waiver on these or your life will lose its balance. This may require you to stop doing other things that aren’t important. Write these things down and you may learn something about yourself.
Have A Written Vision For Your Life. Start with a vision for what your life will look like 5 years from now. Complete with an end-date. Keep that on your computer desktop and read it every day. It’s ok to update it frequently as you evolve. Be as specific and detail oriented as possible to paint a vivid picture.
Have Written Goals That Are Measurable. Write down the action steps, tasks and daily disciplines that will give you a roadmap to achieve your goals. Have these on a daily checklist. Your day doesn’t end until these are done. Do not waiver on these.
Track Your Results, Daily. Did you complete your daily actions, tasks and disciplines today? If the answer isn’t YES, then all you have is an excuse.
Get Organized. Don't let your day run you, you must run your day. Have a prioritized task list of what actually matters in a given day and what can wait. If it can wait, put it on the calendar with a date and time. Have your calendar set up in blocks of time. This will help you stay laser focused and help you retain control over your day.
Things “Pop-Up” Every Day. Don’t Let It Dictate Your Schedule. When something pops up, whether it be a task, a call or an email, give yourself 3 options: (1) Handle it now (if it can be done quickly and doesn’t interfere with what you actually have planned for your day. (2) Handle it later (immediately put it on your calendar with a time and date). (3) Delegate it - make a note for the end of your to check-in with whoever this task was delegated to.
Turn Off Email Notifications on your computer and your cell phone. It’s distracting and most emails are junk anyway. Avoid checking email during working hours. Have set time on your calendar to check email if you absolutely have to check it.
Right On Time Is Actually Late. Being right on time is actually late. Show up to everything 5-15 minutes early. Give yourself time to calm down, get in the right frame of mind, get settled and be present. If it's out of office, having this extra time will make sure that you still get to your destination on time and not feel rushed.
Learn The Root Cause of Your Procrastination. When you are afraid to do something or you are procrastinating, ask yourself why you are feeling that way, acknowledge the thought, ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen if you just do the task and then finish the task!
Make Sacrifices. Achievement of desired results will often require sacrifices. What are you willing to stop doing today to get closer to your goal? What are you willing to start doing to get closer to your goal?
Make Time For Practice. Everybody has something that they could be better at from 9-5 that will help them move along faster in their career. Figure out what that is and fight to get better every single day.
Don’t Stop At The First Objection. The first objection is often just a request for more information. They don’t have enough time or interest in you because they don’t know enough about the value that you will bring them. Give yourself a chance by getting to the 3rd objection. Once that happens, be grateful for their time and bow out gracefully. Ask for permission to follow back up in 6 months. Actually follow up 6 months later and start the process over. You’d be surprised of how many people say “yes” on the second, third, etc. time around. As long as you have permission to stay in contact, keep them in your system.
Feed The Hot Hand. If you are excelling at something one day, try to make time to do as much of that task as possible that day. Most importantly, take a step out of your skin and figure out what are you doing that’s working so well? Attitude? Tonality? Charisma? Figure out whatever it is and take note. You may have hit a break through.
Skip The Music. Listen to books in the car that can help make you better not just in business but in life - it will translate to both.
Challenge Yourself Today. Make the extra phone call. Do one more rep at the gym. Push yourself to be better by taking action.
Constantly Check-In With Yourself. Ask yourself, are my actions in alignment with my goals? With my vision? Ask yourself, if you were your boss, would you proud of the day that you’ve had so far?
Give People Your Undivided Attention. When they are speaking to you, make frequent eye contact, silence & flip over your phone/turn off your tv or computer screen. Make them feel like you care and that you’re listening. Ask questions, listen more than you speak and ask for permission to give advice - some people just want to vent and want to know that you care.
Make Sure That The People In Your Life Know How You Feel About Them. These are the people that will be there for you regardless of circumstance. You owe it to yourself to let them know, regularly, that they are important to you. If they are in your household, let them know or make them feel your gratitude and love on a daily basis.
Written By: Michael French, President, Diamond Industrial Services
Michael has 12+ years in B2B & B2C sales, and has held Manager & Director positions at two different Fortune 100 Companies. He is currently the President and Director of Sales for Diamond Industrial Services based in Ann Arbor, MI.
*For daily inspiration, follow Michael's personal page on LinkedIn.
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