You want to be Successful?  Are you ready to add the following list or some of the things into your schedule?





Have you wondered what successful people do each day?  What is their daily routine?  Besides having a unique company idea and being driven, most successful people follow a routine and stick with it.

• Reflect: Successful people spend time thinking about what they want to accomplish each day. They focus on what they achieved the day or week prior and review what goals they have for the day.  They have a vision for what they want to achieve.
  
• Multi-task: They don't multi-task. They know the brain is linear and that tasks are best accomplished when they are performed one after the other. That multi-tasking actually makes you less productive, more stressed and takes more time.
  

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•   Write a list: Successful people are organized and write a list of things that they want to accomplish for the day and week.  They set priorities and weed out what kills time.  By setting priorities they are more prepared, confident and less stressed. If they don't write it the night before, they do it first thing in the morning.                                                    
  
• Learn and Mentor: They are always learning. They read books and anything that will help them improve themselves at work and in their personal life.  They reach out to mentor and teach others what they have learned.
  
• Meditate: Meditation allows you to focus and concentrate. When you meditate, you free your brain from clutter and it opens up space for you to think more creatively.  With meditation even just 10 minutes a day and/or night will make you more productive, focused and energized.
  
• Exercise: Successful people make it a point to exercise daily or a few times a week. Exercise gives you the burst of energy to get through your day or to wind down.  It is good for your health, helps you to be disciplined and refreshes you. 
  
• Journal: They write their thoughts down. Journaling improves thinking, clears negative thoughts and helps you to pay attention to your emotions.
  
• Review: They pause to review how the day went.  Did they do something meaningful, what was positive about the day, what can they improve?  By reviewing the day, you become clear and motivated for the next day.
  
• Harder Task: They start their day with the heavy lifting. As Mark Twain said:  "Eat the Frog" do the hard task first. You are more likely to start it and complete it by doing it first thing.
  
• Grateful: They understand their position in life and are grateful for what they have.  Being grateful helps them put their life into perspective.
  
• Friendly to People: They say hello to people in the office each morning.  This friendly gesture spreads and builds good will throughout the organization.
  
• Make decisions: They are not afraid to make decisions.  They know that each decision is a learning experience and from each experience a new door opens.
  
• Let go of control:  They realize that they do not control everything and know when to let go. They know that delegating and collaborating are important skills for leaders.
  
• Wake up early:  This gives them the time to set aside personal time for things they like to do before their day starts. Many highly successful people start their day at 4 am, 4:30 am and 5 am.
  
• Personal Time: They work hard at having a life-work balance and understand the importance of down time to refresh and increase creativity.
  

How many of these do you do in your daily routine?  Which ones are you willing to incorporate into your day?  Leave a comment.

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Communication and leadership go hand in hand. You can’t be a great leader without having good communication skills.  Communication is the thread that connects ideas and leads to creativity.  From the initial conversation to how it is communicated is what can spark and mold a new idea.  So how do you become a better communicator? We all learned how to communicate when we were young but somewhere along the way, we forgot the basics.

 Just remember these 5 simple steps and your communication skills will improve.

Authentic: Good communication starts with authenticity.  Become engaged and personable.  Build a relationship with the person you are speaking with and always be truthful.  Remember Mark Twain’s quote, “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything”.

Empathy: Don’t forget you are talking to a person and you were once in their shoes.  Deliver your message with care and empathy.  Even bad news.  When there is a sense that you care, people respect you. Harper Lee says it best, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” 

Be fully present:  Probably one of the most important things, is to listen intently.  Become totally present in the conversation and concentrate on what is being said.  By letting the other person fully finish, without interrupting, you are able to listen more carefully.  Listening with intent will give you a better sense for what is truly being communicated and will help you to respond.  "When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen."~ Ernest Hemmingway

Be clear and specific: Get to the point.  It is important that what you deliver is clear and concise. In today’s busy time, you need to be able to cut to the chase and deliver a message that is direct and not confusing.  Often, when we deliver bad news, we beat around the bush.  People respect honest and direct conversation, even in tough times.  "Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing." ~ Rollo May

Ask empowering questions: After listening ask an empowering question.  Empowering questions can lead to new ideas.  They are the questions that allow the other person to think and not just answer with one word. Use “what”, “how” and “why” and you will be surprised with the response.  As Bill Gates stated, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others”.

According to Decker Communications some of the best communicators of today’s times include Robin Williams for his “in the moment and inspiring way”, Jimmy Fallon for his “authenticity and conversational manner and Adam Silver of the NBA for his keen sense of listening.