Marketing scares a lot of people. It is scary to pick up the phone and call someone, or approach them and ask for an order. What if they say no? Well, what if they say YES? You won’t know until you ask.

Or maybe you’re afraid to speak in public, attend a networking function, invest in advertising, write an article for your professional association newsletter, volunteer for a committee, or send a press release. Whatever scares you, promise yourself that you will try it if it is something that will benefit you and your business.

If you’re still thinking about starting a business, but scared to take that first step, take it now. Sign up for a class at your local Small Business Development Center, register the name of your business and get cards made, put up a website…whatever it takes to get started.

Then, keep scaring yourself. Take the chances that will lead to success. And let me know about it. Tell me how you took my challenge to scare yourself, and what you accomplished as a result.

Ditch goals and get the life you want

Each year millions of people fail to achieve their dreams. 97 per cent abandon their commitment towards self improvement within 30 days of their New Year’s resolutions and Harvard Business School say goals get in the way of success. All in all it leaves people discouraged, frustrated, unmotivated and feeling like failures.

Why do people continue to set themselves up for disappointment year after year? 

Because goal setting is hyped as the secret to success, yet international research indicates that accomplishment is rare, people seldom feel fulfilled or happier once they’ve achieved their goal and the process creates stress.

I believe goals definitely have their place; but on the whole, they’re not the best formula for success. Goals inhibit you by being too narrow, inflexible and taking the place of expanded thinking.

I have to say, I love validation, especially when it comes from Harvard Business School! A recent white paper supports my views as it states goal setting, “Can degrade employee performance, harm interpersonal relationships, corrode organizational culture, and motivate risky and unethical behaviors.  In many situations, the damaging effects of goal setting outweigh its benefits.”

I’m not surprised by the Harvard findings. I see very few people achieving their personal and business goals. They become discouraged; it erodes their confidence and affects their ability to persist.

So what am I suggesting to replace it? A ‘success without goal setting’ paradigm which overcomes the narrow focus of goals by opening the mind to an array of possibilities and successes. Here are four strategies I use with my clients that have made a positive difference and set them up for continued achievement.

Use your EPS not your GPS – A GPS, like goals, efficiently guides you from A to B, but you may be missing out on spectacular scenery and robbing yourself of excitement and adventure along the way. Alternatively, your EPS (emotional positioning system) offers a sense of direction and suggests you fearlessly follow your emotional guidance and explore the plethora of side streets and panorama.  Your EPS also has the added benefit of steering you towards discovering your life purpose. Don’t live a small life with goals, explore possibilities and live large.

Live for the moment not the morrow – Traditional goal setting focuses on present pain for future gain; “I’ll save money now so I can splurge on my holiday later” or “I’ll diet until Christmas so I can pig out at the parties”. In my new bestselling book Wake Up Live the Life You Love…Living in the Now, I highlight the importance of enjoying the present moment. You can even plan for the future in the present. Unhappiness occurs when you wish your life away by thinking, “I’ll be happy when…”  It’s also important to avoid getting stuck in the past by being overly nostalgic or having regrets.

Live by a ‘theme’ – The specifics in the often used SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable and time bound) goals can be limiting. Living by a life theme expands your focus to life’s possibilities and opens the mind to a range of opportunities and paths instead of a small, potentially limiting, niche. There’s greater potential in ‘spread my knowledge about quilt making’ (theme) as compared to ‘write a book about quilt making’ (goal). The former can include books, blogs, training, videos etc. and offers more opportunities to achieve.

Embrace the notion of ‘this or something better’ – Goals dictate an end result, the one you think is ‘best’. However, things don’t always go to plan when there’s something better around the corner. I remember desperately wanting a job and discovering I didn’t get it. A week later I got a better job at twice the pay! Failure is success in disguise.

So I encourage you to live courageously and achieve the life you want today.

If you want to discover more tips on Success without Goal Setting then listen to my recent interview on the Be, Do, Have approach by visiting – http://www.madisenharper.com/podcasts&videos.html#SuccessWithoutGoalSetting

Madisen Harper is an international author, inspirational speaker, life enrichment mentor and business consultant who believes life is meant to be fun and easy. Her latest bestselling book, Wake Up…Live the Life You Love – Living in the Now, was co-authored with success expert Brian Tracy, sales champion Tom Hopkins, Millionaire Mentor Gregory Scott Reid and The Secret’s business guru John Assaraf and spiritual leader Dr Michael Beckwith.  Mid-2010 sees the publication of 100% accountABLE™ a companion to her most successful keynote and workshop. Receive 100s of practical tips to create a more fulfilling  life by visiting http://www.MadisenHarper.com and subscribing to her FREE ‘Right Here, Right Now’ VIDEO newsletter.

Carrie said,

“There is no point at which you can say, ‘Well, I’m successful now. I might as well take a nap.’”

Lots of people think that if they can become successful they can simply sit around doing nothing after that. Well, it usually doesn’t work that way. Success may give you more freedom, but it often comes with more responsibility, too.

This quotation points out again how important it is to have work you love, work for which you have a passion. Are you doing what you love? If not, are you taking steps to create a business or career you can love? It is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Here are five simple ways to remember names:

1. Whenever you hear a name, repeat it once—that helps fix it in your memory. Repeating the name also can confirm that you heard it correctly and that you have the correct pronunciation.
2. Use it two or three times in speaking to the person you were introduced to. People love hearing the sound of their own name, and using their name in conversation will make them feel valued.
3. Whenever you use the name, make a mental picture of the person, which further helps etch the name in your memory. Think of it as taking a mental snapshot of the person, and associate that image with the name.
4. Write down all the new names you have come in contact with during the day. Make note of the way they were dressed and the conversation you had. Visualize again what the person looked like. If you received business cards from the people you met, write the date and where you met on the card, along with any other notes of what you learned about them.
5. Review your list of names or the business cards you collected later, and recall the faces that go with the names. The better you are at visualizing the people you met, the easier it will be to connect a name to a face the next time you meet.

Try this “art of remembering” for one month. Use it for names. Use it for remembering things you want to learn. And you’ll find all names and all things simple and easy to remember.

The same principle applies to other areas of life and business, too. Is it time to clear out your email inbox, uncover your desk, or rethink your to-do list? Here are some steps that will help you to make a fresh start.

Concentrate on one area at a time. Avoid overwhelming yourself by trying to get control of your work, your home, your online life and everything else at once. Decide that today (or this week) you are going to take control of one aspect (e.g., your to-do list) and start there. Then move on to the next area.

Clear out the old. When email gets out of hand, some people simply declare “email bankruptcy,” delete everything in their inboxes, and start with new emails coming in. That seems a bit extreme, but there may be times when that is necessary. Likewise, if you are cleaning off your desk, you might start by sweeping everything into a box so you have a clear surface to work with, then organize into the space in a way that works.

Make a plan. What is most important? Set priorities based on what has the greatest value to you. That can mean monetary value, but it can also include personal satisfaction or other values. Make sure that those high-value priorities will get your attention and not be lost in the clutter.

Get help. If you aren’t sure how to go about it, get help by reading a book, taking a class or hiring an organizer or other professional to help you. The time and money you invest will be repaid with your increased productivity and reduced stress.

Do it. Just attack the problem areas head-on. Be ruthless. Throw out stuff (physical or virtual) that you do not need. Take those no longer relevant, never gonna do ‘em projects off your to-do list.

Stay on top of it. As new things come to you, deal with them right away. Don’t let unread magazines pile up because you are going to read them “later.” Read them or toss them. The rule about only touching things once may not work for everything, but it is an ideal to work toward.

Need some inspiration to get started? Every organizer I have ever spoken to says that they invariably find checks, cash and other valuables buried in piles of paper when they organize someone. Streamlining and de-cluttering will not only help you find things you have lost, they will keep you from missing opportunities in the future.

This week, try challenging yourself to do something uncomfortable. Seek a leadership position in your professional organization. Follow up on a sales lead you uncovered.

The first few times you do something new, it may not feel right to you. It might even be terrifying! Have you ever gone skiing? Your first trip down the Bunny Hill was probably a little scary, and you felt out of control. But when you survived, you did it again. And again. After a while, it was actually fun.

The problem is that too often we don’t try a second or third time (or even a first!) with marketing activities which seem difficult. I was terrified the first time I gave a speech. But I got up and did it anyway. You can, too.

I’ll confess that I chose to give my first speech in front of a roomful of people I was never going to see again, just in case I was really awful. Well, I wasn’t very good, but I wasn’t really awful, either. I lived to speak another day, and I got better. Now, I have given so many speeches, presentations, seminars, etc., that I don’t even get butterflies before getting up to talk to a crowd. Practice makes better, if not perfect.

Take small steps, and reward yourself for the attempt, even if your first attempts aren’t successful. Making ten calls is an accomplishment, even if you haven’t gotten any appointments yet. Reward yourself with a treat, then get back on the phones tomorrow.

Be realistic. Don’t expect that you will get an appointment every time you make a cold call. Don’t expect that your first press release will get you on the cover of Time Magazine. Each marketing activity plants seeds for successes. Some sprout and bear fruit quickly, but others will take time—weeks, months or even years.

Imagine the worst thing that could happen if you do what you fear. Will you be run out of town? Will your family disown you? Will your career or business lie in ruins? Chances are the worst possible result is that you won’t do as well as you’d like, and you might feel a little embarrassed. That’s not fun, but it’s not the end of the world.

Then, think of the good things that can happen. Imagine getting that appointment and making the sale. Imagine people calling, seemingly out of the blue, because they heard about you through the marketing “seeds” you planted. Imagine having the business and success that you’ve always wanted.

Now, go out there and get a little uncomfortable to help it along!

But what if you do business with people over the web, or by phone or mail? How can you build trust?

Of course, it is important to provide excellent products and services. Whenever customers decide to do business with you, they will know their trust was well-placed.

Here are some ways you can encourage them to make that first purchase:

Let people know you are for real. Put your name on your website and in your ads. Show your picture.

Give customers ways to reach you—email, phone, fax, pager, cell phone, physical address, mailing address—as many as are appropriate. And respond when they contact you.

Offer a guarantee. Let buyers know they have recourse if they are not satisfied. You’ll fix it, replace it, or give their money back. Then, honor your guarantee. (Note: You don’t have to agree to unreasonable demands from customers, but do what you can to make it right and make them happy.)

Use testimonials, from real people, with names attached. People like to buy from businesses others have given their “seal of approval.”

Make information available. Publish information in brochures, articles, and on your website. Answer questions honestly. Make sure the most common questions you hear are answered in your written materials.

In summary: Be open and honest. Be accessible. Say what you will do, then do what you say.

Find out what your unconscious goal is by studying what you have accomplished so far.

The choices you have made led you to where you are today. Even if you say you are not happy with the way your life is today, you made those choices for a reason.

Figure out whether your conscious goal corresponds with the things you do.

For instance, if your goal is success and you are not actively taking action to be successful (or even sabotaging yourself with self-destructive behavior), whom are you kidding?

Visualize yourself successfully realizing and achieving your goal.

Picture what your life will be like once you reach your goal. Imagine that you have already achieved what you plan to do. The more real you can make your vision of success, the easier it will be to do the things necessary to make it real.

Write a summary to yourself, telling yourself exactly what specific steps are needed to achieve it.

Break your goal down to a series of steps. Although a big goal can seem overwhelming, each small step will be easier to get done.

Take one step that will help you take the next step toward your goal.

Take that first step. It doesn’t have to be a big one, any step forward will do. Taking the first step will make it easier to take the next one.

Include recreation and fun in your goals.

Plan some healthful recreational activity and some things that are just plain fun. Exercise will give you more energy. And taking time to do things that are fun will allow you to come back to your work with more excitement and vitality.

Make sure that your goals are consistent with your character and self-image.

If you have to kick someone else aside or do something that is at odds with your morals and ethics in order to achieve your goal, you won’t be happy reaching it.

Make sure that your goal represents something you want to do, not just what you think you ought to do.

Regardless of what your parents or friends think you ought to do, examine your own heart and mind. Don’t spend your life trying to achieve someone else’s goals.

The difference between knowing something and KNOWING it is the difference between having an intellectual understanding and making it part of your being so that you actually do it.

You may understand that something is important or necessary but, for whatever reason, not take the action required to put your knowledge to work.

For example, I recently wrote that, “I know that I should have scalability built into everything I do. Do I always do it as well as I could? Uh, not necessarily. I know it but I don’t KNOW it.” It is one of the areas where I need to improve in order to grow my business, and I am taking action to make that happen.

The next time you hear yourself saying, “Yeah, I know that,” ask if you really KNOW it. How are you using the knowledge you claim to have? And what action will you take to make that knowledge work for you?

Although you can and should make changes and improvements at any time, the new year is always a popular time to make changes, acquire new habits and lose bad habits.

Take advantage of the spirit of the season and make the changes you need to make to be successful.

Don’t be timid—take big steps. Start by revolutionizing your thinking.

When looking for a solution to a problem, don’t just use the first idea that comes along. Unlike when we were in school, there is often more than one correct answer. Don’t stop looking for that answer until you’ve come up with several. Then, consider the pluses and minuses of each before settling on a solution.

Take old ideas and turn them on their heads. Instead of doing something because you always have, or because everyone else does, or “that’s just the way it is,” look for ways to improve on those old ideas.

Ask “why” you are doing things the way you are. Are those ways as successful as you’d like? Might you be more successful trying something else?

Ask “why not.” Is there something that you’re not doing now? Why not try it? Is there a marketing strategy you’ve been thinking of trying? A new product or service your customers want? Why not try that strategy or introduce that new product now?

Get rid of the fear. Fear is good when it keeps us from doing things which are dangerous. But too often, fear keeps us from doing anything which is new or different. Don’t let fear make decisions for you. I always ask myself, “What is the worst thing that can happen if I try this and fail?” In business, the answer usually is that I will be out a little time and a little money, and I may feel a little embarrassed that I failed with something I thought was a good idea. All things considered, that’s not a big risk. Learn to assess the possible risks against the possible rewards.

Don’t just sit there, do something! The biggest change for many of us would be simply taking action. Don’t let “analysis paralysis” stop you from acting. Look for great new ideas, then put them in motion. You don’t have to have the perfect idea at the perfect time executed in the perfect way for it to work. A good idea at the right time can be just what you need to make a big difference. If you’re not ready to jump in with both feet, test your idea by implementing it on a small scale. Use what you learn to improve it, then try again.

Change your way of thinking, be open to new ideas, and shake off the fear. Then, go out there and make things happen!