Distraction-Proof® Advisor Ideas

AdviserBlast – Quick Tips to Accelerate Your Practice

In this issue: Knowing what your future looks like can make today a whole lot easier!

What does your future look like? We live in a world of instant and constant information. Because messages continuously bombard us at a million miles an hour, and so easily distract us from the best uses of our time, reaching your potential will be a real struggle, unless you have a very clear picture of what success looks like to you – and I mean a literal picture!

When you reach your goals, what are the specific benefits you will enjoy?

When I was training for the Olympics, I had a picture of a real Olympic medal in my training log book. When I had finished recording the details of how tough each day's work had been, I looked at that medal on the inside cover, and vividly remembered why I was working so hard and sacrificing so much. When I saw the picture of my end goal, I knew that paying the price was worth it.

Often when people hear about what I did to prepare to compete in the Olympics, they tell me they couldn't imagine working that hard. That makes sense:  people won't choose to endure hardships for no reason. It's difficult to relate to the price of anything unless you see, feel, and imagine the benefits of it. To me, that picture of the medal brought to mind the thrill of winning I longed for, as well as helped me to vividly imagine specific benefits winning it would mean for me. The benefits became so tangible, that the pain and discomfort of the training became mere formalities – steps along the way to reaching the success that I was confident would eventually happen.

Do you have a clear, literal picture of what achieving your goals will look like?

Recently I created my own new collage (some people call it a "dream board") of what the success I desire will permit me do. By having pictures of organizations I want to support, places I want to visit, and my family and I enjoying time together, picking up the phone to call prospects just became a whole lot easier! The short-term effort is simply part of the process toward success, and having a literal picture of what that success will like has helped the 'work' feel a whole lot easier.

Focusing on the benefits I want to enjoy has made it easier to quickly identify distractions for what they are, rather than justifying those things which suck away my time but don't move me closer to where I want to go. It's easier to switch off the internet, get on the phone, and write when I have images of what the rewards look like.

Once you start focusing on your most productive activities, objectives get achieved much more quickly and the long-term rewards suddenly begin happening even sooner than you first thought they would.

Think about what you'll be able to do once you've achieved your optimum number of clients and assets under management. Will you be able to afford an assistant to be in the office for 20 hours a week, while you have an extra day out of the office to entertain clients or be with your family? Will you be able to put more time and effort into hobbies or sports you love? Or, will you have the time you want to devote to writing that book you've always dreamed of writing? Will you visit with your children and grandchildren more often or volunteer for a cause you are passionate about?

Take time to consider these things thoroughly. Then collect pictures of what you want to enjoy and paste them together to create a literal snapshot of your future. Put your collage where you can see it daily and reflect on what you've said is most important.

To better see your future today and reach it, you must:

1. Create a clear picture of what success looks like – Let your creative side flow (everyone has some creativity!) and have real photos of real places, people and things. (I spent days thinking about what would be on the collage, but it only took me about half an hour to gather the photos and glue them together.)
    
2. Make it tangible and take time to review it each day – I scanned my collage, and it is now my screen saver.
    
3. Have someone hold you accountable – A coach can be invaluable in helping you make sure you get truly productive things done.

Picture it!
Paul

Copyright Paul Kingsman 2009
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Paul Kingsman provides financial services professionals practical tools to achieve consistent, outstanding results. As a motivational speaker and executive coach, he is a sought after expert on how to make your split seconds count. Having won an Olympic medal by only four one-hundredths of a second, Paul knows the importance of keeping focused and now teaches people how to overcome distractions and achieve their own success. His experience as an adviser for Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo has given him an insider’s understanding of the unique business challenges faced by financial services professionals and an ability to guide his clients in implementing results oriented solutions.

To find out more about how he can equip you or your team to achieve your own Split Second Success® through his presentations or executive coaching, email him at Paul@PaulKingsman.com

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