Build the life and career you want by harnessing the skills you already have.
Chuck Jarvie, the former president of Dr Pepper, and I were talking several years ago, and Chuck told me he had met with Willie Nelson the previous week. He said Willie had told him he shoots par golf. I thought, Willie Nelson? Par golf? I waited a minute for him to finish his joke. He said, “No, I really did meet Willie, and he did say he shoots par golf.” Okay… Then he said, “Willie told me he owns his own ranch, and on his own ranch he has his own golf course. Therefore, he sets his own par.”
Just recently I learned that Willie Nelson continually rethinks the par standards for his play.
And really, each of us has our own par. That means—in essence—we all have our own next level. And, like Willie Nelson, we should all be continually rethinking what the par for our next level should be.
For my book RESULTS Faster, we created a visual model—a bullseye—that represents the 21 most powerful lessons from the best of my life’s work. That included the more than 45 books I had published up to that point, along with the hundreds of courses I had developed over the years to help people get the results they want—and get them faster. The very first lesson in the RESULTS bullseye is thinking.
Because thinking matters.
In the list of the 100 books that have influenced my life the most, some form of the word “think” appears in many of the titles (e.g., As a Man Thinketh, Think and Grow Rich, The Power of Positive Thinking and The Magic of Thinking Big).
Others are powerful works about thinking (e.g., The Strangest Secret, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, The Psychology of Winning, The Millionaire Mind, etc.).
The first thing I see each morning when I walk into my office is the word “THINK” on the wall beside my desk. And the first thing I see when I walk into the hanger that houses my gym are the words “NEXT LEVEL.” I’ve installed these signs so I will constantly be reminded to think about my next level. They are powerful visual reminders of who and how I want to be.
Next level is a mindset. It’s a commitment. And it starts with thinking.
The most impactful people don’t see things as they are; they see things as they want them to be. The bottom line is that most people simply don’t do enough thinking. And, as a result they often live on the proverbial hamster wheel. However those that spend enough time in thought and contemplation are the ones that consistently meet their goals and run the world.
If you want to have the best of everything:
- the best year, month, hour and minutes
- the best family, team, customers and relationships
- the best health, look, vibe and being
all of it starts with intentionality.
It’s great to get new perspectives; we all need them. Yet you will really start getting into the game of next level when you consistently and intentionally start gathering life-changing “a-ha”s and epiphanies that will supercharge your mindset, effectiveness and trajectory.
You can best find these through mentors, coaches, your heroes and champions (the people who are ahead of you on the trail of life), books, videos and even your own life experiences.
If you’re like most top leaders, what you really want is compression from your vision to reality. Whether it’s for a product launch, a new recruiting campaign, new country launch, or a new set of offerings, your vision is greatly enhanced the clearer and more defined your goals are. Next level realization is simply obtaining mastery in the areas of clarity, focus and execution.
Are you thinking about what the next level is for your business, for your life and how you can achieve it? If so, you may want to read on, because I’m going to give you five actions you can take in the areas of clarity, focus and execution.
Clarity
1/ Self-reflection (Past, Present and Future)
Understanding your past, present and future as a strategy allows you to reflect, understand current conditions and see the future you want to make into reality.
2/ Vision
The next-level mindset is one that constantly thinks “next level,” no matter where you are in reaching your goals. You may have been consistently moving closer to the bullseye (your current vision), yet you may need to think about expanding your vision. Also consider weaving in standards. Many leaders of organizations want their people to think like they do, and sometimes it takes months or years to achieve that unless you have written, documented standards that they can refer to.
3/ Values
Better and faster decision-making, including risk mitigation, comes much easier if you are clear on what you value and if you are consistently living in alignment with those values.
Focus
4/ Benchmarking
Look for things that work; that are proven; and that are better than what you are doing or thinking. And consider bringing those things into your organization. Benchmarking can come from advisors and consultants who share information you may not know; from research and industry events like DSU; and from studying podcasts, books, videos and even your competition.
Execution
5/ Team
Your team consists of your direct reports, their reports, and your Life Team. Having a person for everything allows for exceptional execution. In fact, the person who has the best Life Team often wins the most prizes in life. (Hint: Have a person between you and the task, project or deal.) And remember that you get more of what you appreciate; so constantly be thanking, complimenting and appreciating the people who do research for you; help you stay healthy; help you design your communication, etc.
6/ Humility
Attaining next-level results comes from ego-free daily decisions that turn into habits, and thus cultures. I believe ego is good, because it drives a leader to be exceptional. Yet some people often get stuck in thinking that they know it all and believe that they don’t have blind spots. And, in those cases, their ego is not helping them the way it could. Ego can also be limiting when people are not open to change, improving and deploying benchmark ideas to help get them to the next level. Remember my 2020 book titled The Game Is Always Changing.
Tony Jeary—The RESULTS Guy™—is a renowned strategist, executive coach and keynote speaker who changes people’s thinking. He and his team uniquely facilitate planning sessions in his one-of-a-kind RESULTS Center to help direct selling executives learn, grow, evolve and thrive.
From the May 2023 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
