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Introduction

“If money is your hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability.” (Henry Ford)

You have the capacity within you, right now, to achieve more than you ever have before. Success is 80 percent psychological and only 20 percent everything

else. You enjoy success, happiness and high achievement to the degree to which youorganize your life for maximum performance.

High-achieving men and women in every area of life practice certain basic principles that enable them to enjoy far more than the average person.

In this lesson, you learn the five vital steps to creating and maintaining a highly successful, highly productive life.

In this lesson you will learn:

■ How to achieve a high internal “Sense of Control”

■ The importance of focus and clarity

■ The five keys to high performance

■ How to become absolutely clear about your goals

■ Ways to increase your levels of productivity and performance

■ How to organize and balance your life for maximum performance

Making It a GREAT Life

PersonalGrowth Strategies

2© Brian Tracy. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form for any purpose without the written permission of Brian Tracy.

What Do You Already Know?

Test your knowledge by attempting to answer the questions below.

1. What is the most important factor determining your success and happiness in your career today?

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2. What is the key to high performance?

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3. How do you achieve higher levels of focus and clarity in your life?

__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

4. What exactly are you trying to accomplish in your work and in your personal life?

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3© Brian Tracy. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form for any purpose without the written permission of Brian Tracy.

5. What are the most important results for which you are responsible?

__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

6. What are you excellent at doing in your job?

__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

7. How do you plan your work and your day?

__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

4© Brian Tracy. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form for any purpose without the written permission of Brian Tracy.

Making It a GREAT Life

1. We live in the most turbulent and rapidly changing world ever experienced in history.

a) Change is taking place faster than ever before;

b) Products and services are becoming obsolete more rapidly than ever before;

c) Knowledge and skills are becoming outdated faster than ever before;

d) Jobs and careers are being changed and eliminated faster than ever before;

e) The result of rapid change is anxiety, stress, fear and worry.

21The key to high performance is an internal “sense of control.”

a) You need an “internal locus of control” — a feeling you are in charge of your own life;

b) A high sense of control means low stress and high performance;

c) The key to getting control is getting back to the basics.

3. Focus and clarity are essential for a sense of control.

a) What are your goals? What do you really want?

b) What are you trying to do?

c) How are you trying to do it?

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4. The word GREAT holds five keys to high performance.

a) GoAL-oRIEnTATIon – clarity regarding your desired outcomes;

b) REsuLT-oRIEnTATIon – clear priorities in everything you do; c) ExcELLEncE-oRIEnTATIon – being the best in your field;

d) AcTIon-oRIEnTATIon – continuous forward movement toward your goals;

e) TIME-oRIEnTATIon – careful planning and organizing of your days.

5. Goal-orientation requires that you be absolutely clear about what you want in each area of your life.

a) First, decide exactly what you want, in each area;

b) Write your goals down clearly, in detail;

c) Set a deadline for each goal, plus sub-deadlines;

d) Make a plan, an organized list of activities;

e) Get busy! Start immediately doing something to move toward your goals.

6. Result-orientation determines your level of productivity, performance and your rewards in life.

a) What are your key result areas? What are your most important outcomes desired?

b) What standards of performance will put you in the “excellent” category?

6© Brian Tracy. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form for any purpose without the written permission of Brian Tracy.

c) What are your highest value tasks, every minute of every day?

d) Apply the “80/20 Rule” to everything you do.

7. Excellence-orientation requires that you make a commitment to be among the very best in your field.

a) What are the critical success factors of your job?

b) What are the core competencies or skills that you need to do your job in an excellent fashion?

c) What must you accomplish to be in the top 10 percent in your field?

d) What one skill, if done excellently, would have the greatest positive impact on your career?

8. Action-orientation is the primary quality of all high-performing men and women.

a) Move fast on opportunities, ideas, problems and goals;

b) Develop a sense of urgency. Do it now! Do it now! Do it now!

c) Fast-tempo is essential for success. Pick up the pace!

d) Be willing to launch toward your goals with no guarantees of success;

e) Decide what you want, and then “act is if it were impossible to fail.”

7© Brian Tracy. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form for any purpose without the written permission of Brian Tracy.

9. Time-orientation is essential to organizing and balancing your life for maximum performance.

a) Plan your work and work your plan;

b) Make a list of everything you have to do before you begin;

c) Set priorities on your list, determining what is more important and what is less important;

d) Once you begin, concentrate single-mindedly on the one thing, the most important thing on your list;

e) Stay with your number one task until it is complete.

10. You can make your life a GREAT life by practicing these five principles every single day:

a) Set clear goals for who you want to be and what you want to accomplish in every part of your life;

b) Focus your time and attention on the most important results that you can get, every hour of every day;

c) Resolve to become excellent in your field. Join the top 10 percent;

d) Take action continuously to move forward toward your major goals;

e) Plan your time carefully to get the most living out of life.

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You can make it a GREAT life by simply deciding to do so. Practice makes perfect. Begin immediately to write down clear goals and to work on the most valuable things that you can do to achieve your most important goals.

The very act of writing down goals and going to work on them makes you more positive, more enthusiastic and increases your level of energy.

A central focus to your life unlocks your physical and mental potential and enables you to achieve maximum performance faster than anyone else.

Action Exercises

1. What products and services have you sold in the past that have become obsolete in the last five years?

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________________________

2. Which of your skills and abilities have become obsolete in the last five years?

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________________________

9© Brian Tracy. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form for any purpose without the written permission of Brian Tracy.

3. Where do you think the “locus of control” resides in your life?

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

4. What are your most important goals for your personal and work life?

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

5. What are the key result areas of your work today?

1. ________________________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________________________

6. What are your highest value tasks needed to accomplish the most important results expected of you?

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

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7. What are the critical success factors for your current job?

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

8. What one skill, if you did it excellently, would have the greatest positive impact on your career?

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

9. What is the most valuable use of your time, right now?

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

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What one thing are you going to do differently as the result of what you have learned in this lesson?

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