Mark Victor Hanson was interviewed in Success Magazine back in 2009 and shared some great advice he field tested after writing Chicken Soup For The Soul.
Mark and co author Jack Canfield had published the book (no easy task since it had been rejected by 144 publishers) but they had a much bigger dream for the book and that was the best seller list. Once again, they knew this would be no easy task and that it would require a daily focus to move them toward their goal; inch by inch!
They came up with a plan to take 5 actions every day toward their goal. Some days it was a struggle for them to come up with something new, creative and exciting. Other days they were able to brainstorm ideas that quite frankly were pure genius!
During the OJ Simpson Trial (the first one) they had heard that the Jury had been sequestered. They thought perhaps if anyone could use a little Chicken Soup For The Soul it was them! They sent copies to the jury and when they reached a verdict and all those news cameras were around, guess what book they were holding? Think about the free advertising they received as news coverage went out to who knows how many millions of viewers. Nice ROI on a simple question each day of “What 5 actions shall I take?” huh?
Today, there are over 30 different “Chicken Soup” books that have sold over 56 million copies. Not bad considering the rocky start!
I’m wondering if we can benefit from the concept of a daily focus of 5 actions toward a particular goal.
Perhaps there’s an account we want to grow
How about you winning top sales rep in our organization
Find that dream job
Some pounds to shed
Conquer the world
Write that book
Take that dream vacation
Buy that home
Become a thought leader in our industry
I’ve been embracing this Daily “5” concept now for well over a year and as simple as it is, it can be challenging to not only come up with 5 actions, but follow through with all the other things on my plate. I had thought about lowering the bar to a Daily “3” but then its too easy to do maybe 1 action item. 5 is where I’ve kept it.
Note: Doing this every day not only helps with your focus, it helps condition your brain to continually find the answers you need to be successful.
Just in case this sounds way too simplistic, I would like to invite you to think about: The power of a daily focus of 5 actions over even a 90 day period. Over a 6 month period, A year? How much ground could you cover with a relentless daily focus of 5? Actually, think about the momentum! Now there’s a Red Bull Adrenaline shot for keeps!
It’s actually quite deadly when you do the math!
Action: Revisit your goals and dreams and that BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) and dedicate yourself to 5 daily actions towards their attainment. Challenge yourself to try different things, make note as to what is working, what isn’t. Make it a study!
So, having said that, I need to ask you . . .
What’s in your “5” dude?
