Your D-I-Y Kit for Life at the Leading Edge

Management gurus and their disciples, thinkers, strategists and business process re-engineers have been busy propelling the modern world into not only coping with, but also keeping in step with the rapid changes of an ever shrinking, increasingly competitive and exhaustingly demanding global market. From the beginning of time, as the world and life itself evolved, Mankind has constantly striven to push the pace of progress, leaving the weak to die, and the strong to live and thrive. We called it the process of Natural Selection. And so it is today too, with even greater ferocity and ruthlessness.
Anybody within reach of reality, must always recognize the compelling need –of discomfort, of constant change, of threat to survival, of creating and fostering change, of continually learning, of challenging the established norm. Only when you can catalyze change continuously, can you truly consider yourself to be leading on the edge.
The arithmetic is very simple. The size of the pie being constant, to eat more of it, somebody else has to go hungry. That is, unless somebody has the wisdom and the ability to make another pie and another. Business and Life strategies are increasingly pointed in this direction. How to make another pie!
Here is a Do It Yourself Kit that each individual would find useful in the marathon race for survival and growth especially in these times of uncertainty.

1) Believe in Yourself – You Count !
1.1 List your Strengths
1.2 List successful Moments of Truth in your life
1.3 List Positive Feedback you have received
1.4 Write an Appreciative Letter to yourself
1.5 Write One Thing you do well that others don’t or cannot do

2) Put Your Entire Energy into What You Do- It’s Your Signature !
2.1 Make every moment special
2.2 Check what you have done for excellence
2.3 Set standards for yourself
2.4 Sell your work to yourself
2.5 Make a Masterpiece of any work you do.

3) Value and Respect Others, No Matter Who They Are or What They Do – You Can Learn From Anyone !
3.1 List Your Everyday Advisors and their Key Advice
3.2 Write a positive note on How to Use each Key Advice
3.3 Make it important to Try each Key Advice and Record the Result
3.4 Write down Who You Discount or Discredit as Capable of Sound Advice and Why
3.5 Write down at least 2 Good Points about those you have put in the “Discredit List”

4) Experiment and Experience Life – Move Out of Your Shell !
4.1 Describe a Typical Day in your Life
4.2 Write what New Things you have done each day for the past Ten days
4.3 Write down Things that you Want to do in Life but Do Not Dare to
4.4 Write down Positive Outcomes and Negative outcomes for each
4.5 Write down How you will Handle each Negative Outcome successfully

5) Learn to Forgive Yourself and Others – But Do Not Encourage Incompetence !
5.1 Make a list of all the mistakes you can recall you have made in the past one year
5.2 Put down reasons for each mistake and classify them into 3 categories – PERSONAL ( identify whether Lack of Knowledge or Lack of Personal Competence / Skill / Ability ), CIRCUMSTANTIAL ( Due to Situations out of Your Control ), or PROVOKED ( because of Other People’s interference/ incorrect advice / involvement)
5.3 Write down consequences of each mistake
5.4 Decide how you will handle each consequence to produce a Positive Outcome
5.5 Examine each PERSONAL error and write down what you have to do to strengthen yourself in the areas of Knowledge, Skills and Capabilities to improve your overall Competence

6) Keep an Open Mind, Learn to Coexist with Differences- In People and their Opinions and Views
6.1 Make a list of people you do not like – people known to you personally or professionally
6.2 Write what you find wrong with each one of them
6.3 Put down honestly, at least one clear bias or prejudice you hold against each one
6.4 Examine the link between your bias or prejudice and your judgment about these people
6.5 Write down honestly any small agreement you may have with each view or opinion you have rejected or discarded

7) Take Charge of Your Life – Be Alert at the Wheel, Learn to Accelerate, Chart Your Course, Follow the Signs, Decide Your Breaks, Fill Your Tank and Turn On the Music too !
7.1 Write down One Dozen things you are trying to accomplish at the moment
7.2 Write down your progress against each one – use a scale of 0 to 10 where 10 is the maximum accomplishment score
7.3 Put down what is blocking you against each of these one dozen items
7.4 As a consultant , recommend to yourself, what you should do to overcome these obstacles
7.5 Write down how you will celebrate each success in overturning each obstacle, and make sure you do it

8) Make Sure You Have Passengers in Your Car too- Carry Others along with you, Create Wealth for Others too !
8.1 Make a list of the closest people you live with and those you work with.
8.2 Write down for each one what you think are their needs and concerns
8.3 Write down what you do well and what capabilities you possess to do those things well.
8.4 Put down against each thing you do well, how you can help each one of the people you have listed earlier
8.5 Make a silent promise to each one you have listed that you will help them in someway, no matter how small.

9) Be Humble Not Arrogant, but Market Yourself Vigourously and Honestly !
9.1 Write down a complete list of all your possible strengths and capabilities
9.2 Create affinity clusters of these and write down the results they can help produce or deliver, regardless whether you currently have the opportunity or not.
9.3 Write down who needs to know about each of these strengths and capabilities.
9.4 Make an appointment with at least 3 key people from your list.
9.5 Discuss your strengths and capabilities with these 3 key people and ask them how and when they can use your talents.

10) Keep revisiting Your Goals ( roadmap ) and Keep a Clear Eye on the Road too- Stay Focused on the Present while Working out the Future !
10.1 Write a list of everything you could possibly want in life
10.2 Qualify each one as Short Term, Medium Term and Long Term, using your own definition of the time frame for each
10.3 Put deadlines for all Short term goals and list at least 10 immediate activities or tasks you need to perform to achieve them.
10.4 Draw flexible time-lines for each Medium Term and Long Term goal and list at least 10 short term activities / tasks you must perform to achieve each one
10.5 Raise red flag check points on all time framed activities and tasks