What's the Proven Formula for Success? Take the Next Right Step

By Dave McGhee

RISMEDIA, Friday, February 23, 2018— What's that one thing that's just out of reach in your business or your life—or, what's that one thing you've always wanted to have or achieve, but seems unattainable? To varying degrees, we've all got them. And while we have this vision or dream, very few of us actually take action. What if there was a formula that would all but guarantee you could achieve every goal you set?

In our Buffini & Company Coaching program, we help people set and reach (and, oftentimes, exceed) Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals (aka BHAGs) every single day. These are ordinary people who, through hard work and the help of a coach, are achieving extraordinary results. In more than 20 years of coaching people to success, we've found this formula to work for anyone, at any stage of their career, on the path to leading a successful business: Take a step. Build momentum. Finish strong.

Take a Step
The first step to achieving any goal is to simply take that first step. It doesn't have to be perfect, or even good. It's just the initial action. Newton's first law of motion begins with, "A body at rest will remain at rest, unless an outside force acts on it." The laws of physics prevent things—or, rather, results—from happening unprompted. To achieve your goals, you have to be that outside force.

Don't wait for motivation. Just make the first move. If you're unsure how to achieve your dream, find out how others have achieved similar dreams. That in itself is taking a step. As we'll see in the second part of the formula, motivation will come. It's a byproduct of action. So, just take that first step, and the next one will follow.

Build Momentum
People will often go all-in at the start of a resolution, only to exhaust themselves or lose focus right after. We see it at the beginning of each new year. It's easy to lose momentum when you don't know what should happen next, which is why seeing how others have achieved similar dreams is so important.

Knowing the path will make it easier to stay on the path. The actions that follow, no matter how small, will become easier to take with time. It's physics.

It is also important to recognize the potential causes for losing momentum. The second part of Newton's first law of motion states, "A body in motion at a constant velocity will remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force."

While circumstances outside our control can cause us to lose steam or even give up on a dream altogether, the most likely culprit comes down to ourselves.

Finish Strong
While your dream may excite you more than anything else, the path to achieve it can, occasionally, seem mundane, or like you're just turning the grindstone. The excitement starts to wane and the goal starts to lose its luster.

When this happens, we're susceptible to "shiny object syndrome" and start to look for something else to pursue, something else to motivate us—but that is when we must adopt the do-whatever-it-takes, never-say-die mindset Brian Buffini speaks of in his New York Times bestseller, "The Emigrant Edge." Persevere and commit to finishing strong.

How? Lean into an accountability partner or coach and focus on the next right step, and then the next one after that, until your goal is achieved.

Then What?
The achievement of one goal is the first step toward the next goal, until reaching your goals becomes a habit. That's what Buffini & Company coaches help real estate professionals do each and every day. We help people build a habit of goal achievement so they can build a prosperous business and life.

Dave McGhee is vice president of Coaching & Membership at Buffini & Company. For more information, please visit www.buffiniandcompany.com.

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