We all plan on being successful. At least most of us do. How success is defined in ‘your’ life will be unique to you and only you.  Your focus, how you are being intentional will impact the path of your success.

Let’s begin with our plan of being successful.  Clarity must be present and every successful person typically knows the following:

• What are my strengths?
• What are my areas for growth and/or blind spots?
• Who you want to serve?
• What you want to do?
• Where you want to go?

Please take a moment and answer these questions above.  It sounds simple yet it is so easy to be distracted with your day to day tasks that you forget who you truly are serving, what you really want to do and if you are headed where you intended to go.  Meanwhile, do we really know and leverage our strengths?

Have you ever sat down and thought how did I get here?  I mean really retrace your steps and revisit the ‘Ys’ and ‘Ts’ in the roads you traveled and the decisions you made and those that were sometimes made for you.  When you do I will bet there will be some level of amazement and appreciation involved.  I will also guarantee you there will be a smile or two mixed with gratitude for the people in your life in those times that they were there to guide you.

So, let’s acknowledge that success begins with choices and in most cases  “a plan”.  And as we put together our plan we typically look at how we got to where we are now (by chance or by intention) and we always are reminded to focus on our strengths. In many cases, what someone saw in us and we knew about ourselves is key to moving forward.  Once we have the basis of path and strengths we get to identify what we want, with who and how.  But why? Why do we gravitate towards this plan? Frankly some will say because I went to school to be a nurse, dentist, lawyer, psychiatrist, accountant etc.  I get it for these specialized “higher ed” positions.  However, for most of us the path and the plan isn’t always so crystal clear.

How many reading this have actually reinvented yourself at least once?  Or today you are doing something you absolutely love but wasn’t even on your radar in your 20s or 30s?

If you are in love with what you do then skip to the end.

If you are in your process of identifying exactly who you serve, what you want to do and where you want to go remember to connect it to your why and to not overwhelm yourself. Place your focus on the most important things that are closest to your heart so that you will not be easily distracted.  Test your belief system.

Next step….leverage your strengths.

Leverage begins with identifying the strengths of yourself, those around you and those you serve.

I speak often of being true to self, be courageous in your interactions with others and to keep your eye on your vision.  I would like to take a moment and direct our attention to our strengths.  The unique strengths that exist in your day to day life. If you are not sure of your strengths, I encourage you to reach out to those closest to you and just ask, “How do I occur?”  If you need help in this area I would be glad to assist.  You will have a greater chance of success if you know, own and utilize your core strengths and what comes natural for you.

Once you have identified and are confident in knowing and accepting your true strengths you will gain positive leverage needed to harness your abilities to reach the next level of success in your life.  Being in alignment with you, the real you will provide you with the confidence to identify others’ skill sets and know how your team can complement each other to follow through with “the plan”.  Everyone will be more effective with their time because they will be doing what also comes naturally.

I have covered a few areas of success and strengths with leverage to spark a few thoughts for you to think about with your current role in your life.  Now, the next steps will depend on you and your honest intentions. The process to get where you want to go may seem daunting, but I will assure you it will be worth it.  If you want to share your thoughts, hopes and dreams please know I am here to serve you.

In service,

Greg