Industry Magazine Canterra Lighting Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 2

Nine Critical Questions
Incredibly Successful People
Ask Themselves Every Day
BY: KEVIN DAUM, AUTHOR OF ROAR!
LET’S GET the obvious out of the way:
obtaining success is not easy for anyone.
Even those who make it look simple have
climbed big mountains to get to the top.
Others look up at these successful folks
and imagine them as having the answers
to everything. The truth is successful
people got to where they are by asking the
right questions.
Questions inevitably arise in the face
of tough choices—forks in the road,
if you will. If these decisions are not
carefully considered, choices will be made
automatically. That default path more
often than not leads away from success.
Incredibly
successful
people
understand that they control their own
destiny and that the best way to do that
is to ask themselves questions that
reveal the right path. Here are the telling
questions they ask themselves regularly:
1. Should I Be Doing This?
Many
ambitious
people,
like
entrepreneurs, are quick to jump on
opportunities. Sometimes too quickly.
They end up wasting hours and energy
on projects that will never be successful
or bring a sufficient return on their
investment. Incredibly successful people
SPRING 2017
understand the precious value of time and
resources. They know they can only do so
much with what they have, so they look
for reasons to conserve. communicators, and leaders. They are
focused on constant improvement. They
leave “good enough” for everyone else.
2. What Is Truly My Top Priority? It may not be possible to make
everything fun, but nearly everything has
the possibility of being fun for someone.
And nearly everyone, given the choice,
would like to have fun with what they do.
Incredibly successful people always look
for the fun in the day. They know how to
smile and laugh and want to get the most
from life each and every day.
A scattered mind is unproductive. Each
day, incredibly successful people figure
out the one thing they need to accomplish
that day and focus their efforts on it. They
take into consideration the surrounding
circumstances to make sure completion
is favorable. If they are productive and
finish their objective early in the day, they
can look to the next priority.
3. Will This Approach Help Me
Achieve My Long-Term Goals?
Shortsightedness can keep you chasing
dreams until the day you die. Incredibly
successful people want to achieve, not
just dream, so they spend time deciding
on a preferred future and set a plan to
attain it. They can then easily assess the
day’s opportunities against the goal and
the plan.
4. How Can I Be More Effective?
There are many blocks to productivity.
The biggest one is complacency.
Incredibly successful people always want
to be more effective learners, thinkers,
5. How Can I Make This Fun?
6. Who Else Can Handle This?
Major successes never happen in a
vacuum. There are always dedicated and
passionate people involved. They work as
a team to support the vision. Incredibly
successful people cultivate these teams
and delegate tasks so that everyone is
focused on his or her highest and best use.
7. How Will I Rest My Brain Today?
Physical work can be taxing, but hard
brain work also takes its toll in physical,
mental, and emotional ways. Incredibly
successful people give their all mentally
and need to regenerate constantly. They
use relaxation techniques, naps, and
meditation to make sure they have plenty
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