Resolutions for 2007: Within Your Grasp, a Wonderful Year

Neil Voorsanger

I offer these insights gained working with outstanding executives, professionals (and even children), over 50 years.

Resolved: I will master the causes of my success and failure
There is a world of difference between the causes of success and the causes of failure. Understanding these differences will make your 2007 a superior year.

When a person experiences a success, he/she believes they “earned it.” Such an explanation implies cause and effect, preparation, hard skills, diligence, effort and a will to win. When a person fails, he/she almost always believes that the failure supports a greater truth about oneself (pride/shame; winner/loser; hero/fraud).

Just the reverse is true. Every time a person succeeds the success reveals a greater truth about that person. When one experiences failure, he/she earned it.

The greater truth about oneself is accepting the success as a truth about who I am, a foundation for future success. If you become humble and modify your success out of existence (Aw shucks, did I do that?), you are being irresponsble to yourself. You will have denied yourself the rightful power to counter-balance the many setbacks and failures you will experience.

Since failing or setbacks usually outnumber successes by about 3::1 or even 5::1, examine, "What could I have done more of/less of/differently to win?" This is the lesson of the setback or failure. Store this lesson not as a karmic force of failure but just another lesson on your rocky road to success.

Resolved: Each month I will work 5% smarter
I encourage you to add this minor modification to Resolution 1: Every month I will work 5% smarter than the month before. If you can list what you learned each month to work smarter, you will outpace your toughest competitors and will figure how to succeed by yourself.

When I have been asked to coach executives who have been in their jobs for 6-8 months, I always ask, "What have you learned about your markets? Your competition? Working with senior management? Motivating your people? Succeeding? What are you doing that is new?" For 9 out 10 executives I get the same response, "Gee, that's the first time anyone ever asked me that." Dumb.

Getting smarter is a ferociously active and tenacious task. Getting smarter, or LEARNING, is putting into your own words the difference between what you think will happen and what happens. Only when you forecast your efforts (what you think will happen), can you create the foundation (the variance) for working smarter.

Resolved: I Will Be the Hero of My Own Story
There is a famous guide to all actors, no matter how good or bad the character you play (Jack-the-Ripper or George Washington), no matter what the character does, play the character as the hero of his own tale. Then, you will be true to the character.

This same wonderful lesson applies to you.

If I am the hero in my own life, what does this say about my wonderful talents? What I contribute? How I affect others? How I relate to others? How I help others to win? What I accomplish? Internalize these marvelous values, they are you. These values will drive you effortlessly towards everything you want. You will become the Hero of Your Own Story.

Break a leg.


© 2007. Neil Voorsanger.