One Simple & Easy Way to Help Someone Else

One Simple & Easy Way to Help Someone Else

Not one of us can be successful on our own. It takes people fulfilling all kinds of roles to support our efforts at getting what we want. It's about relationships. It's about our connections to people with whom we've created magical relationships.

Today, as I thanked a new connection on Twitter for following me, I noticed this photo on their profile and it helped me by making me stop and think for a few minutes about how I measure success.

"The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying..." #Preaching #Quote pic.twitter.com/baw7GQ3Tsf
— ProPreacher (@ProPreacher) September 10, 2013

I'm not a preacher. However, I do invest a significant amount of energy in my efforts to help people achieve life-long success. I believe getting someone to say, "I will do something!" is really close to the true measure of success for me. Close, but not quite it. 

The true measure of success, for me, is when someone says, "I am doing <> to get what I want and be the person I want to be!" Some will say I'm splitting hairs; it's a small difference in meaning but significant just the same. There is often a world of difference between what one says they want to do and what they actually do.

The One Simple & Easy Thing You Can Do

Today I'm interested in helping you by getting you to stop and think for a minute. Then, I want you to do something. 

I want you to share a story about how someone else has helped you and the value it has created in your personal life, professional life, or organizational situation.

Don't know how to write a story? Here's all you need to say, "I am sharing news about how <> has helped me solve <> so you'll know they can help you if you have the same problem!" 

Who will you be helping?

• The people you're sharing your story with- By telling them about someone who can help them if they need a solution to the same problem.
• The person, people, or organization who helped you- By promoting their actions and helping others see the value they can create.
• Yourself- You'll be sharing, giving, helping, and connecting people who can create mutually beneficial, magical relationships!

I can't wait to read your stories! And, the stories those stories create!

I want to give you my free e-book, the "BoomLife Success Planning Guide". Download it and get 7 sessions via email that will help you identify and define your core values so you can live life the life you want, with conviction! It's my way of helping people who want to live truly inspired lives! Want to learn more about it first? You can read about it in my last article, "Setting New Goals? You Need a System!"

BOOM!

Tom Eakin

Success Engineer, BoomLife, LLC

Values-Driven-Success

BoomLife provides personal, professional, and organizational success engineering services. Our Values-Based, practical, GPS Theory processes will help you:

• Recruit & Select Inspired Employees
• Evaluate Performance- Inspired, Motivated or Coerced?
• Measure Engagement & Create Improvement Strategies
• Develop people who are inspired to be GREAT at their jobs!
• Develop the Organizational Structure to Ensure Core Values Translate Throughout Your Business Processes.

Sign-Up for BoomLife's Newsletter to stay informed of updates, events and news about GPS Theory!

Looking for the Right Self Improvement Opportunities?

Try our GPS Theory App at www.goboomlife.com

Need an Inspirational Speaker for Your Next Event? 

Tom Eakin's presentation of "What Do You Want?" is designed to challenge the way you define success and inspire you to engineer your own personal, professional or organizational path to success. 

email us at tom@goboomlife.com

GET WHAT YOU WANT! 

Getting what you want and being the person you want to be can seem complicated and confusing! Together, we'll define what you want, what it takes to get it and help you realize the kind of success you never been able to achieve before! Sign up for personal one-on-one coaching. You can sign up for a program or a single-session. It's up to you!:

• 90-Day Success Engineering Program
• Personal Success Engineering Session

GPS Theory App- The Most Powerful Tool for Finding Success- Article Link from SpeakOutSmallBusiness.com

GPS Theory App- The Most Powerful Tool for Finding Success

I apologize for bringing you all the way into my blog only to send you somewhere else. I wanted to make the article accessible to my subscribers and still keep the content I published on speakoutsmallbusines.com's site "original and unique" to their site, as I promised them I would.

You can access this article on www.speakoutsmallbusiness.com, here:
http://www.speakoutsmallbusiness.com/view-post/GPS-Theory-App-The-Most-Powerful-Tool-for-Finding-Success-2

GET WHAT YOU WANT! 

Getting what you want and being the person you want to be can seem complicated and confusing! Together, we'll define what you want, what it takes to get it and help you realize the kind of success you never been able to achieve before! Sign up for personal one-on-one coaching. You can sign up for a program or a single-session. It's up to you!:

• 90-Day Success Engineering Program
• Personal Success Engineering Session

Three Questions to Help You Identify Real Core Values

Three Questions to Help You Identify Real Core Values

There is a tendency to confuse Core Values with Emotions and States of Being. In order to live an Inspired life, you need to be able to recognize the difference between being Inspired by your Core Values and being Motivated by Rewards or Coerced into Avoiding Punishments. The key is to make Inspired decisions that lead to Inspired actions and behaviors.

Identifying and defining your Core Values so you can understand why you are Inspired to do things is the critical first step so I wanted to share some insights on how to identify and define Core Values. 

Perhaps the simplest way to identify your Core Values is to answer this simple but powerful question: 

What words do I want other people to use to describe me and the life I've lived? I like to call the answers to this question the "What words...?" list.

Here are some examples and things to look for to help you identify real Core Values versus Emotions or States of Being:

Core Value- Example: Charity- You can take definitive actions that are charitable. This is an example of a Core Value.

Emotion- Example: Happiness- You can do things that contribute to your happiness, but you cannot do "happy". You have a higher probability of feeling happy if your decisions and actions are in alignment with your Core Values.
Source: https://goboomlife.com//why.html
State of Being- Example: Extraordinary- This is a relative and subjective term. There are no definitive actions you can do to "be" extraordinary in other peoples eyes. Some may think the things you do are extraordinary, other may think you're just doing normal things. You have no control over a state of being beyond your own actions.  

Source: http://sjafi.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/crowd-sourcing/

Three Questions

As you develop your "What words...?" list, ask yourself these three questions about the words you're selecting as your Core Values to make sure they will truly Inspire you:

1. Are there definitive actions I can take which would meet the criteria for fulfilling the definition of this word? If yes, add it to your "What words...?" list.
2. Does this word reflect a feeling or emotion? If yes, do not add it, but keep in mind you have a higher probability of getting people to use it to describe you if your actions are in alignment with your real Core Values.
3. Is there a universally recognized and direct relationship between this word and an action which, after you take it, someone would say, "Wow! What you just did was _______(your word)"  If so, it's a keeper. 

Sign-up for BoomLife's GPS Theory App at goboomlife.com.

Sign-up for BoomLife's Newsletter.

GET WHAT YOU WANT! 

Getting what you want and being the person you want to be can seem complicated and confusing! Together, we'll define what you want, what it takes to get it and help you realize the kind of success you never been able to achieve before! Sign up for personal one-on-one coaching. You can sign up for a program or a single-session. It's up to you!:

• 90-Day Success Engineering Program
• Personal Success Engineering Session

Contact BoomLife's Success Engineer, Tom Eakin, to engineer your path to personal and/or organizational success: 

• email: tom@goboomlife.com
• phone: 888-743-6838.

How to Provide Feedback to a GPS Theory Subscriber Who Has Requested It

How to "Rate" A GPS Theory Subscriber Who Has Asked For Your Help

Someone you know has just asked you to "rate" them through BoomLife's GPS Theory web-application.  

You received this request through one of the following sources:

• An email addressed directly to you and sent from BoomLife (at their request).
• A Facebook request they recently posted.
• A Tweet they recently sent on Twitter.

You've been given a very valuable gift!  The gift of Trust!  You now have the opportunity to give them something even more valuable! Honest and Accurate Feedback that could change that persons life in positive ways! At this point, you can't even imagine the magnitude of the positive effect your ratings could have on their life...or yours for that matter.

Success is getting what you want.  Life-Long Success is getting what you want AND being the person you want to be.  You can't get what you want if you are not, first, the person you want to be. You can identify the person you want to be by answering this question: What words you want other people to use to describe you and the life you've lived?  The words you use to answer this question are your Core Values, they identify and define the person you want to be. 

It takes courage to share "the person you want to be" with the people in your World so they can help you understand if your behaviors reflect your Core Values. It took a lot of courage for this person to share their Core Values with you.  It took even more courage for them ask you for help!

What's in it for you?

This is an opportunity to:

• Help Someone Grow!- Doesn't it feel great when you help someone? 
• Help Yourself...

You're thinking, "What? How does giving someone feedback, especially feedback they probably won't like, going to be helpful to me? Doing that can only create trouble for me!" Well, what if their behavior has not been in alignment with one of their Core Values AND it's been having a negative impact on you in some way. You've never told them about it because you feared it would hurt their feelings or would make them mad. You've always feared saying something would only make things worse. But, hasn't maintaining the status quo by allowing their behaviors negatively affect your life already caused enough trouble for you?  

Here's the good part: Providing feedback via the GPS Theory web-application is safe and confidential.  You can provide ratings with the security of knowing they will not know who gave them what score on any given value.  You are not alone. They have asked other people to provide the feedback they need. They only see the data. There is no way they can determine from whom each dot (data point) on their GPS Check Report (chart) came from.

Here's the really great part!: What if they actually change because of the ratings you provide them!?!  How much better would that make your own life and your relationship with them? Your trust in them will grow as they show you how important your feedback is...by changing their behaviors...by closing the gap between the standard their Core Values represent and the ratings the people in their World...people like you...have given them!

What's in it for them?

When you provide honest and accurate ratings based on your observations of their behaviors in relation to each of their stated Core Values you are giving them the gift of being able to see what the people in their World see: The person they show the world versus the person they want to be! This is the most valuable information a person who really wants to live the life of their dreams can ever receive! You have the ability to give it and it will cost you next to nothing to give them what they're asking for.

Remember this: Because they're taking the risk of asking for your help, they recognize they will only gain and keep your trust if they change. So, give them what they're asking for and help them change in ways that are meaningful to both of you. 

They will grow only if they step outside of their comfort zone and have the courage to change. They may only find the courage to change if you help them. You have an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life and in your own World!

How long will it take?

The GPS Theory web-app makes it so easy!  It will only take a few minutes.

How do I "measure" or "rate" a person based on their Core Values?

A Core Value represents a standard.  For example, let's say "Truth" is one of the Core Values you're being asked to rate someone on. This person is telling you, "I want to be honest!," and that 100% honest behavior is the standard of conduct they are trying to live by.

The first question you need to answer: Has (place their name here) been (place Core Value here) 100% of the time I've had the opportunity to observe them?

• If Yes, you can confidently give them a 100% rating.
• If No, you have some thinking to do.  Anything less than 100% means they've compromised when it comes to deciding what actions they should take in certain situations.  What message do you want to send them? A higher rating that is less than 100% and indicates it's not that important they change? Or, a lower rating that let's them know their behaviors have impacted you, one of the people in their World, negatively? The answer is up to you.  

Source: http://www.languagemonitor.com/new-words/
number-of-words-in-the-english-language-1008879/

The folks at BoomLife want to remind you of this fact: This person has told you the word you're rating them on is so important to them that they've chosen it as one of only a dozen, or so, words out of over a million words in the English language. It is a word they want other people to use to describe them. You should only use this word to describe them if their behaviors allow you to. This person will only change if the data the people in their World (like you) provide them indicates they need to. Can you see now just how valuable your answer really could be to them? If you don't give them an honest and accurate rating, and their behavior needs to change in some way, they will keep making the same mistakes they've made in the past.

Remember these important things:

• Success is getting what you want.
• Life-Long Success is getting what you want AND being the person you want to be.
• You can't get what you want if you are not, first, the person you want to be.
• This person has given you a valuable gift! They're trusting you to help them be the person they want to be!
• It took a lot of courage to ask for your help!
• The gift you can give them in return could be PRICELESS to them...and to you!
• You can help them without the fear of conflict or reprisal- They will never know how you answer!
• They are asking for the truth. Give it to them!
• The help you provide this person could make your relationship with them stronger than you ever thought possible! 
• You have the same opportunity as this person does to live the life you truly want! Why not take it! 

If you want to be:

• INSPIRED by your Core Values
• The person you WANT to be.

Then try the GPS Theory App on our website at www.goboomlife.com

Subscribe to our Newsletter

GET WHAT YOU WANT! 

Getting what you want and being the person you want to be can seem complicated and confusing! Together, we'll define what you want, what it takes to get it and help you realize the kind of success you never been able to achieve before! Sign up for personal one-on-one coaching. You can sign up for a program or a single-session. It's up to you!:

• 90-Day Success Engineering Program
• Personal Success Engineering Session

The GPS Theory Model

Three Simple Words = The Path to Success

Three Simple Words = The Path to Life-Long Success

Something is not quite right...

Be. Know. Do. I am not the one who identified those three simple words to describe the character and competencies of an effective and genuine leader. It was someone else. I learned them from FM-22-100 (now, FM-6-22) the U.S. Army Leadership Manual years ago and these words were "at the heart" of my training and experiences. I've never forgotten them. They've helped countless people achieve success in many ways. 

I recalled "Be. Know. Do.," the other day during a conversation with a woman who was asking for my coaching services. I've invoked them many times to help people understand how to be successful in situations where the changes they need to make seem confusing and overwhelming. This time, an interesting thing happened, I recognized after all these years there's one critical problem with these three words.  Can you see it?

"Be" Success

Try it. "Be" success. It's a simple instruction, what are you waiting for?

You can't do it with the instruction provided, can you?

My client told me, "Happiness is the top value in my life but I am miserable most of the time...I want the rest of my life to have some good value...I have no idea as to how to do that right now..." Her problem was obvious. She has been living her life following the Be-Know-Do model as her path to Life-Long Success. She wants Life-Long Success and happiness is of major importance to her. It's achievable, but not the way she's been trying to get it.

Here's the problem: You can't "Be" success (happy) if you don't "Do" things that will lead to your success (happiness).

"Know" Success

Try this one. "Know" success. I suggest this instruction is easier to answer. You may not "Know" yet exactly what success (happiness) looks like, but I guarantee you "Know" whether, or not, you're feeling it at this very moment.

If you don't yet "Know" what success looks like, especially Life-Long Success, then your first step is cut out for you.  Figure it out. Focus. Take your time. Don't rush it.  My understanding of it has taken over twenty years to develop and I'd be a fool to claim I have it nailed yet. Just keep working at it, getting ever closer. Think!

"Do" Success

Try it. "Do" success. This instruction is just as simple as the last one, isn't it?  My first response to my client was, "You can't "Do" happiness."  Go ahead and try.  "Do" things that make you happy. Can you "Do" it?

It's possible.  It might just work for you...if you're lucky.  If you hope for it, there's a chance it will work. 

The point is, you can't "Do" things that will lead to success (happiness) if you don't "Know" what success (happiness) looks like. 

Success is getting what you want.


Life-Long Success is getting what you want AND being the person you want to be.

Why Be-Know-Do Doesn't work

As I said earlier, the three words themselves are the key components to the path to success through genuine self-leadership. The problem with Be-Know-Do as a model for anyone to follow is: the probability of success is only influenced by chance. Why? The words are not quite in the right order and it makes a world of difference.

Let me illustrate with a logical test.



Assumptions:

"Be" = The emotion(s) you feel.

"Know" =  The inputs (facts, beliefs) to the reason and logic behind the decisions you make.

"Do" = The actions you take.

"Value" = The intrinsic and/or extrinsic worth you place on any single person, place, thing, or emotion; or any combination of those conditions present in a given situation.

Now, let's test those assumptions for the Be-Know-Do Model (Warning: Thinking is required if you wish to proceed):

The emotions (Be) you seek lead to the knowledge required to logically decide what creates value (Know) for you which leads to taking actions (Do) that will create value.  

OR

Feeling (Be) successful leads to knowledge required to logically decide of what it takes to be successful (Know) which leads to doing what it takes (Do) to be successful.

OR

Feeling (Be) happy leads to knowledge required to logically decide what it takes to be happy (Know) which leads to doing what it takes to be happy (Do).

Is there an acceptable level of probability you can you get what you want and be the person you want to be with the logic provided in those three statements ? 

Photo Source: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/
bmx/significant_events/2000/02_13/tree_on_car.jpg

If you answered, "Yes," you can stop reading here if you'd like. I've recognized the folly of trying to help people who don't recognize the need for continuous improvement. But, just the same, put my phone number, 1-888- 743-6838, in your contacts list so you can call me when you recognize you've made yourself, and probably some of the people in your World, "miserable most of the time." The choice is yours. I urge you to read on though. I'd prefer to help you now before the seeds of hubris completely germinate and grow into some big tree that falls down on the people and things around you because it didn't grow deep enough roots.

If you answered, "No," we're on the same page, so far.

When you follow the Be-Know-Do model, because your focus is on "being" or maintaining a particular emotion, you have a tendency to do things mainly because you think it will feel good. 

You skip right over understanding, or knowing, what it really takes to feel good about yourself. Without self-satisfaction, there is no real satisfaction in anything else. Keep looking for satisfaction externally and your internal craving will grow and grow. You will eventually feel miserable and your craving for success becomes stronger and more powerful, driving you to do more things you think will make you feel good. But, you probably won't.

An intense feeling carries with it its own universe, magnificent or wretched as the case may be. Albert Camus http://t.co/oYAcaP0Tih
— American Revival (@GodReviveUSA) September 14, 2013

Here's what my client had to say about this, "Thanks for what you said about not being able to "do" happy. What you said makes sense and helped me see that maybe I am unclear about just what "values" are."

Do you know what "values" are?  Do you know what your Core Values are?

Know. Do. Be.

Now, let's test the Know-Do-Be model. Same words, different order. Same assumptions as before, we just change the logical path.

The Know-Do-Be Model test:

The knowledge required to logically decide what creates value (Know) leads to doing what it takes to create value (Do) which leads to the emotions you seek (Be).

OR

The knowledge required to logically decide what creates success (Know) leads to doing what it takes to be successful (Do) which leads to feeling successful (Be).

OR

The knowledge required to logically decide what makes you happy (Know) leads to doing what it takes to be happy (Do) which leads to feeling happy (Be).

Are these statements realistic? Is there an acceptable level of probability you can you get what you want and be the person you want to be with the logic provided in those three statements? 

Photo Source: http://socal.reliefposters.com/rp/2008/01/02/hope-2/

If you start with "Know" the odds get significantly better.  Once you think you "Know" what to do, if you "Do" (try) and keep evaluating and refining what you "Know" and "Do" your odds increase significantly over time.

Some people just get it. They "Know" right away, so they "Do" the right things.  Some people are just lucky. It's really hard not to get frustrated and think "I can't do it," if you don't fit into one of those two categories and compare yourself with people who do.  Stop measuring yourself against them.  Measure yourself against the person you want to be.

Know-Do-Be = GPS Theory = The Path to Life-Long Success:

• The key is to stop doing the same things and start to change (read this article) what you think you "Know" so you can "Do" the things it takes to be successful and get on a path where you can "Be" successful.
• Start to focus on the person you want to be (this article provides a simple strategy).
• Don't be afraid to be the person you want to be (read this article and get out of your comfort zone!).
• Identify & define your Core Values- Your criteria for Life-Long Success!
• Declare your criteria for success to the people in your world- State your Inspirational Hypothesis!
• Ask the people in you World for help! Improve you relationships with the people you care about the most!
• Get your results and evaluate.* Never accept the status quo! Continuously improve!The best part about that first conversation with my client is, she's recognized Be-Know-Do hasn't worked for her and she wants to change. How do I know this? She told me.

 "I want the rest of my life to have...value. I want to help other women who have struggled as I have."

She will need to do the work. I will help her. I started BoomLife with one simple but audacious mission: Helping people achieve Life-Long Success! I'm the Success Engineer.

BUY THE BOOK NOW!

What do you want? What are you willing to LIVE for?

I

Sign-Up for GPS Theory on our website: www.goboomlife.com

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GET WHAT YOU WANT! 

Getting what you want and being the person you want to be can seem complicated and confusing! Together, we'll define what you want, what it takes to get it and help you realize the kind of success you never been able to achieve before! Sign up for personal one-on-one coaching. You can sign up for a program or a single-session. It's up to you!:

• 90-Day Success Engineering Program
• Personal Success Engineering Session

  

Four Tips for Identifying YOUR Core Values

Four Tips for Identifying YOUR Core Values

I'm writing a book titled, "What Do You Want?," right now. There is a section in the book where I ask the question, "What are you willing to die for? Are you willing to live for it?"  The first time I considered these two questions together it hit me that most people do not really understand what is truly important to them.  I can say with absolute certainty that up to the point of the birth of GPS Theory, I really didn't know how to find the answers to those questions either.  Oh sure, there were areas of my life that I had a grip on, but when it came to getting past the obstacles between my current "place" in life and my Life-Long Success destination, I didn't even realize what the real obstacles were. It turned out I had left some of the answers up to the people in my world, I had abdicated some of the responsibility of determining the person I was going to be to others, their perceptions and their opinions. Their expectations of what I should do and what I'm capable of accomplishing somehow had bled into my expectations. I didn't even see it at the time. I can't blame anyone but myself for it.

How are you allowing the people in your world to influence your own path to Life-Long Success?

@oscarwilde: Most #people are other people. … Their lives a mimicry. Their #passions a #quotation. pic.twitter.com/7lHjYKlTct
— Cory Kelly (@MarineCory) August 25, 2013

My last article covered the critical insights you need if you want to achieve Life-Long Success. I wouldn't be the Success Engineer if I didn't keep breaking down the concept of success and what it takes to get it, now would I? Those insights are critical, you need to believe them if you want to chase your dreams with conviction, but they don't help you figure out who you want to be, and figuring that out has to be the first step!

These tips will help you identify and define the words you would want other people to use to describe you and the life you've lived:

TIP #1- Identify what you like to do more than anything else in the world. 

What makes you most happy while you're doing it or just after you've finished it? What word would you use to describe the source of that feeling? Here's an activity, fill in the blanks:

I feel ______________(feeling/emotion) when I  _____________ (favorite thing) because in that moment I am a/an ______________ person (the Core Value you fulfill).

Start a list. Write that last word down.

TIP #2- Repeat Tip #1 thinking about your second most favorite thing to do.

I feel ______________(feeling/emotion) when I  _____________ (favorite thing) because in that moment I am a/an ______________ person (the Core Value you fulfill).

Add that last word to your list.

TIP #3- Do it again and again until you think your list is complete! 

Feels good doesn't it? Now you're thinking! You're feeling like you're on to something BIG, you can begin to picture yourself experiencing those feelings all the time.  The good news is, it's entirely possible!

I feel ______________(feeling/emotion) when I  _____________ (favorite thing) because in that moment I am a/an ______________ person (the Core Value you fulfill).


Keeping writing the third word in that sentence down as you complete it!  When I first started writing down my answers to the question, "What words do you want other people to use to describe you and the life you've lived?," or, what I call the "What words...?" question, before I knew it I had written down 64 words. I quickly realized that was way too many "criteria for success" to keep track of. So, I just figured out how to use most of the words to define a few key words, Core Value words (see graphic, below).  This way, I didn't lose any resolution with regard to the ideal-self I envisioned and I was able to pare my "What words...?" list down to eight Core Values ...a more manageable number of success criteria.

TIP #4- Start! Begin! Change your thinking! Get going!

Don't worry or wait if your list of Core Values is not perfect.  Waiting for perfect conditions to begin will only waste more of your precious time (See Critical Insight #3)! It's OK to keep refining your Core Values.  As you focus on your Core Values, you'll find yourself making more decisions that align with them.  You'll also start to gain a different, more refined understanding of some of the words on your "What words...?" list.  Don't be afraid to change a word or two as time goes by.  It doesn't mean you were lying, or wrong, it means you were learning! Life-Long Success requires a life-long journey.  My current eight Core Values were twelve up until about a week ago. I hope to keep making the list smaller as time goes by through continuous improvement efforts at understanding and implementing. Why? I want to keep things as simple as humanly possible.

The journey to Life-Long Success isn't about just doing what feels good.  It's about feeling good because you know the things you're doing are good. It's feeling good about what you're doing.  It's about believing in what you're doing.  This is how we find the conviction to live the lives we want, my friends!                    

A person who looks at these tips at the surface level may respond sarcastically, "Yeah, Tom, great tips, a kid could have come up with those!" The point of the exercise is to THINK!  And, why shouldn't we listen to kids, or take a kid's approach, when it comes to understanding the possibility of being happy? It seems to me we've forgotten how to think like we did when we were kids- when we were happy and the world of possibilities wasn't influenced by the fears of failure we learn from our culture & society. Think for yourself! What do you want?

BUY THE BOOK NOW!

Use these Tips to prepare before you use GPS Theory 

If you're planning to interact with BoomLife's GPS Theory application on our website (www.goboomlife.com), I strongly urge you to follow the first three tips from this article first.  Don't even create an account until you've done this! You'll find the experience so much more meaningful when you get the feedback you really seek from the people in your world!  Why? Because you owe it to yourself to put forth real and deliberate effort into identifying your Core Values, the criteria for your Life-Long Success you actually care about! You can interact with GPS Theory on a superficial level if you want to, but just like with any other process: Garbage In = Garbage Out.

Our Newsletter can keep you informed on the status of the GPS Theory web-app, new articles, workshops, events, etc. SIGN UP HERE

GET WHAT YOU WANT! 

Getting what you want and being the person you want to be can seem complicated and confusing! Together, we'll define what you want, what it takes to get it and help you realize the kind of success you never been able to achieve before! Sign up for personal one-on-one coaching. You can sign up for a program or a single-session. It's up to you!:

• 90-Day Success Engineering Program
• Personal Success Engineering Session

Six Critical Insights You Need If You Want Values-Driven Success

Here are six critical insights you need to understand if you want Values-Driven Success:

1) Values-Driven Success happens when you get what you want AND you are the person you want to be.
So, it's important, critical really, to identify what you want AND the person you want to be. Living the life you want depends on identifying the destination these criteria define.

Life-Long Success happens when you get what you want AND are the person you want to be! #SuccessEngineer #GPSTheory
— Tom Eakin (@goBoomLife) August 21, 2013

2) What you want AND the person you want to be are not as easy to understand as they seem.
I recently read an interesting article titled, "How Facebook (FB) is Altering Your Mind." In it,David Rainoshek helps us understand a powerful biochemical human behavioral driver, dopamine, and its effect on our habits.  While this article is intended to explain why it's easy to become addicted to Facebook, what I took away was the application of this biochemical impact on all aspects of our lives.  I believe the concepts discussed in the article reinforce the principles behind The External Rewards Model I developed to compare and constrast with my GPS Theory Model (see my previous article, "Why Are People Afraid of Success?").

When we follow the External Results

 Model, our focus is on seeking rewards, avoiding punishments, or trying to keep our situation from changing, depending on the circumstances we're facing at any given time.  In the GPS Theory Model, the primary focus is on our Core Values.

Rainoshek cites an article by Krista Peck who provides an easy to understand description of dopamine's powerful influence in our drive to seek rewards.  Rainoshek and Peck explain why people are less productive in their lives due to the dopamine rush created when we engage with various internet social media channels in search of rewards such as entertaining releases from the stresses of our world (jokes, games, etc.), great deals on material items or recognition, attention, and affection from the people we interact with directly and indirectly online. According to Peck, studies indicate we don't get the same rush when we actually receive rewards as we do while we are actually working towards getting them.  Therefore we are driven to constantly seek rewards and when we get them the dopamine supply stops compelling us to look for more.  I propose we get the same rush when we are in a situation where we are trying to avoid a punishment. The concept of rewards and punishments does not only apply to the internet. We perceive rewards and punishments in virtually every situation where risk is involved. The important questions to ask are:

• Is the majority of my time spent seeking results that add real value?  
• Do my decisions and actions contribute to situations where there is a need to avoid punishments?

3. We each have a finite amount of time to achieve Life-Long Success and the duration is unknown.
In cases where we focus only on The External Results Model, we sometimes confuse rewards with punishments, especially when an addiction has developed.  For example, time spent on Facebook looking for little "gold nuggets" increases the dopamine rush at the cost of irreplaceable time. The truth is, every tick-tock cycle of the clock indicates another morsel of time has passed which will never come again.  So, wasting time on the internet is truly a self-inflicted punishment. Because of the effect of dopamine, we perceive a greater value in seeking something of value in a place where it only exists temporally.  When you think about it, don't all bad habits have the same wasteful effect? Thinking about getting what you want AND being the person you want to be, what do you really want?  Are you really doing what it takes to get it?

4. The only constant in life is change...so you must change!

Photo Source: http://www.inc.com/magazine/june-2013.html

Getting what you want AND being the person you want to be is excruciatingly hard.  Most of the time, you will get one without the other.  The reason for this imbalance and for  the constant nature of Change is a simple concept that applies to every living thing on Earth- there are limited resources AND we are all competing for them.  What you have today and want to keep, you might lose tomorrow.  What you don't have, and want, you might get...or, you won't. The Situation dictates.  That's life.  Get used to it. The rewards and punishments we receive in life are all externally controlled and temporal in nature. The idea that we can control our situation is an illusion.  The best we can expect to be able to do is have influence.

You can limit the negative influences of the dopamine rush on your productivity when you have the mindset for Values-Driven Success. Once you know and accept the fact that you'll always struggle to get what you want AND be the person you want to be you can look at every reward as merely a step toward a destination and not the destination itself. You can avoid the spiritual and emotional pitfalls created when the dopamine drip stops after every accomplishment if you focus on doing what it takes to make the next step happen instead of getting the result.  This mindset also provides you with the emotional and spiritual foundation you need to keep going when some of the steps you take do not reap the rewards you seek. Rather than feeling like the destination is impossible and unattainable, perceptions that tend to create feelings of depression and hopelessness, you will simply recognize the need for additional steps. Further, by devaluing the result of each step you lower the magnitude of the impact the dopamine has on your drive to take it. When you get to this mindset, it becomes much easier to make the choice between the easy good feeling that comes from wasteful addictive habits and the more challenging and difficult things you really need to do to reach your destination.

"The road to success is always under construction." -Lily Tomlin #business #leadership
— Cameron (@ManagersDiary) August 20, 2013

5. There is one thing we can control...
When you follow the GPS Theory Model, your primary focus is on your Core Values and your decisions and behaviors become driven to make decisions and take actions you expect to influence your situation in the ways you want them to. When you continuously try to follow this model you remain on the path to Values-Driven Success.

“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.” 
― Viktor E. Frankl

Instead of intense emotional highs followed by extreme lows, you find the means to gain a consistently positive outlook.  You're not where you want to be, perhaps, but you're moving in the right direction. So, you drive on! You perceive you can take on all challenges, refusing to quit just because everything isn't going your way! By mastering your mindset, the way you plan, decide and behave, you master your attitude!

The most important part of life, and the only part of life that we can truly control, is our perception. #TDL
— Mastin Kipp (@TheDailyLove) August 19, 2013

6. If you want your situation to change, you have to lead the change.
There is no getting around it. You can and must create the changes in the conditions (relationships, other people, environment, challenges, finances, etc.) you believe will have the greatest positive impact on your situation by taking definitive and decisive actions that will get you on, and keep you on, the path to getting what you want AND being the person you want to be.  It doesn't matter what you've accomplished in the past.  The mistakes you've made do not need to be repeated and do not need to limit what you're capable of. The only thing that matters is what you will do next!

The next time you're feeling the dopamine rush in anticipation of a dubious reward that you recognize will cost you valuable time and effort to seek, ask yourself:

• What is the real value of this reward? 
• Am I spending my resources right now doing something that will help me get what I want AND be the person I want to be within the context of Life-Long Success?  
• Can I afford to keep doing this?
• Should I change this habit/behavior?
• What should I do instead? (NOTE: I believe the word "should" is only effective when we apply it to ourselves. Applying it to others (as in "He should...," "You should...," or "People should..." versus "I should...") is a habit that reduces personal accountability and creates false expectations.)

Be less concerned with what you're going to GET and think more about what you're going to DO. #Smile & Move
— Sam & The Smovers (@Give_More) August 19, 2013

My own long and winding path has been rife with self-inflicted obstacles. I constantly strive to overcome them in my own pursuit of Values-Driven Success. What I've learned is that life creates enough challenges for a person to deal with without creating more through ill-formed decision-making and poorly chosen behaviors. I encourage you to start taking steps to evaluate what drives your decisions.  Are you primarily driven to seek rewards, or your Core Values?

My Core Values inspire my efforts as the founder of BoomLife.  I've been there- It's more than having credentials that indicate I'm qualified to help (although I have earned them). I've done that- It's more than an intellectual exercise for me (although I've invested a lot of brain cells in understanding how to get out of the holes I've dug and how to stop digging more). It's about practical experience in applying the principles of Values-Driven Success. I'm focused on helping people achieve Life-Long Success and I'm willing to do what it takes to help.

How can I help you start the change in your life that will make the difference between survival-mode and Values-Driven Success?

How can I help you get to a place where you will have the strength to help the people in your world?

To let you in on a little secret, we start by answering this fundamental question:

What words do you want other people to use to describe you and the life you've led?

The power to live those words is within you!

BUY THE BOOK  NOW! 

If you'd like to learn more about the process we developed to help people answer that question, download our Success Planning Guide for FREE! This guide is full of tools designed to help you through GPS Theory's process and is a companion to my new book, Finding Success: Get what you really want. 


Tom Eakin
Success Engineer
BoomLife

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Tom Eakin