I was tagged by Cardin Lilly Routh at Optimist Lab to participate in an experiment called Simply Successful Secrets (get the details here). This project was started by Aaron Potts at Today is That Day.

Aaron's rule was for each participant to write a new post "listing the top 5 to 10 things that you do almost every day that help you to be successful. They can be anything at all, but they have to be things that you do at least 4 or 5 times every week".

We will also link this special post to the person who tagged us, and link back to Aaron's original post. By doing so, we can share our success secrets with our own readers, as well as the readers of all the other bloggers who participated. We are also supposed to "tag" as many bloggers as we like to participate in this experiment.

So, here are my Simply Successful Secrets (in no particular order):

I learn something new every day

I am a firm believer of lifetime learning. I believe we came to this world to learn, and transform ourselves and the world in the process. It's never too late to learn something new and "reinvent" yourself, no matter how old you are. I learn something new every day, through my work as a life coach, my personal roles (as a mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, etc), new activities I try, people I meet, new books I read, and self reflections, etc. I read every single day, and listen to motivational audio books and Teleclass all the time. I love intellectually stimulating activities, and I love the thrill of learning & getting good at something new. For example, I taught myself how to build my own website. I learn something new every day, about the world around me, and about myself.


I challenge myself

I like to challenge myself by learning new skills, new knowledge, trying out new activities, setting new goals & reaching them. I try to push myself out of my comfort zone as much as I can. For example, I started martial arts training at age 35 and went on to get my Black Belt and several gold medals in state & regional championships. I once tried ocean kayaking (on a full-moon day when the tides were tough), even though I was scared to death (I'm not a good swimmer at all). I was extremely shy, and now I go out and give lectures & workshops, because I'm on a mission to empower other women. I like the motto "Feel the fear and do it anyway".


I follow my bliss

As a "scanner" (as defined in Barbara Sher's Refuse to Choose!, a great book I am currently reading), I am naturally drawn to many interests, I LOVE learning, and learn everything quickly. Scanners want to do everything they love, all at once. I never read just one book at a time-- I always read several books at the same time, and sometimes only read the parts that I'm interested in. I work in spurs, and I'm most effective when I am working on something I am passionate about. On the other hand, I also tend to move from project to project-- once I get what I want (or want to learn), I move on to the next thing. Knowing my own style of learning and working is important. Since I'm always working on several projects at the same time, I allow myself to move from project to project every day, unless I'm trying to meet a deadline. By following my bliss, and working with my natural tendency (instead of against it), I am always working on the project that I am most passionate about at the moment. This makes me happy and more productive.


I leverage my strengths

When choosing a new project/career, I leverage my strengths such as creativity, writing, the ability to connect with people and see things from a different perspective. I love projects that are fun and creative. If they are not, I either try to use my creativity to make them fun and creative in some way, or I delegate such tasks to someone else. By choosing to do tasks/projects that let my strengths shine, I can perform at my best, and let other people shine too (since someone else might be great at the tasks that I'm not good at or interested in).


I visualize my success

I've been using visualization and affirmations for years, and found it extremely effective. When I was preparing for my Black Belt test and martial arts competitions, I'd visualize myself doing the forms, breaking the boards, or sparring, every single day. I ran all the moves in my mind over and over, imagined that I was doing everything with calm and ease, and felt the thrill of doing my best and reaching my goals. Most of the times, everything happened like I visualized. Now I'm using the same techniques in building my business.

I have a vision board in my office. The other day, my husband gave me a great birthday gift (see picture). I was moved to tears. He understands my vision to empower others through coaching and writing. And I want the money so that I will have more power to help others and to give back. I proudly display this trophy on my dresser, and put a picture of it on my vision board.


I nurture myself

I practice Intensive Self-Care and do something good for my body, mind and soul every day. I do things that nurture me, on a regular basis, such as reading a great book, writing, doing yoga, having a great cup of Oolong tea, meditating, listening to music, singing, spending time in nature, spending time with my family and friends, taking a relaxing bath, lighting a scented candle, practicing martial arts, taking pictures, playing with my cats, gardening, doing something creative, getting a massage, reading/watching something funny & having a good belly laugh, etc. When I nurture myself, I can perform better and have more to give to others.


I spend time in solitude

Being an introvert by nature, I find that I really need to be alone and with my own thoughts on a daily basis. I can party hard when I'm with good friends, but afterwards I need to spend some time in solitude to reflect and recharge, otherwise I'd feel over-stimulated. Being a mom of two and a business owner, it's kind of challenging sometimes to find that space & time to be alone. But I make it a priority to have my alone time every day, even if it's just for a few minutes. I use this time to meditate, reflect on things in my life, strategic planning, or daydream. It keeps me centered and calm, which is essential in both my personal and professional life.

That's it for now. Who do I tag? I imagine a lot of people I know have probably been tagged by now. If I tag you, and you've already been tagged by someone else, please forgive the duplicate invite.

I tag:

Craig Harper at Craig Harper Motivational Speaker
Krishna De at BizGrowth News
Jörg Weisner at Team Success
Kathy Atkinson at Keys to Success
Jason Womack at Fit and Effective
Ellen Britt at Marketing Qi Blog
Evan Carmichael at Mastermind Group Resources
Carey at Carey for Fitness
Erek Ostrowski at Verve Coaching
Albert Foong at Urban Monk
Michelle at American Inventor Spot
Anja Merret at Anja Merret
Alvaro Fernandez at Brain Fitness
Nneka at Balanced Life Center
Cindy Hebbard at Wisdom of Healing


[Action Challenge]
If you would like to join the fun, write your Simply Successful Secrets in the comment, or blog about it on your own blog. Don't forget to link back here, and also link back to Aaron's post so he can include you on his list. Ready, Set, Go all out, and have fun!

Labels: empowerment, focus, fun, Intensive Self-Care, mental fitness, personal development, productivity, success, vision