Rich Fettke

Getting Started (The 30-60-90 Strategy)

Posted on 06. Dec, 2009 by Rich Fettke.

"The smallest of actions is always better than the noblest of intentions." -Robin S. Sharma, Author of Who Will Cry When You Die

What is something that you’ve wanted to do but you keep putting it off?

You can use the 30-60-90 strategy to help you get started on what really matters. Choose that one task that would feel great to get handled. Then, set a time when you will devote either 30, 60 or 90 minutes towards its completion. You don’t have to complete the task in the time you have allotted — you simply make a commitment to give it your total focus for that amount of time and then you can stop once the time frame has ended.

When you make a commitment and then take action on that commitment, you prove to yourself that you can be counted on. The more often you hear that message the more you will strengthen your self-belief and self-esteem.

Another benefit to this strategy is that when you take action on something that really matters you will get a charge of energy and motivation. Your brain will release endorphins that make you feel great and you will have created momentum that will carry over to other areas of your life. You don’t have to wait until you feel motivated to get going. Sometimes when you get going your motivation will follow and will grow.

ACTION IDEA:

Identify that one project or action that would benefit your career or your life if it were handled. Make a commitment to yourself to take action today. Decide if you will commit to this action for 30, 60, or 90 minutes. Then choose a time to begin and get to it. If you really want to improve the results of this strategy, ask your coach or success partner to hold you accountable. Make a promise to call or email before you begin and then immediately after you complete your task.

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Getting Out of the Gray Area

Posted on 25. Nov, 2009 by Rich Fettke.

“You can either take action or you can hang back and hope for a miracle.”
-Peter Drucker
 

Professional speaker Rosita Perez has a great rhyme that goes, “One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, three to get ready, three to get ready…” Can you relate? It’s such an easy trap to get stuck thinking, “Should I do it now? Maybe. Maybe not.”

The gray area between “yes” and “no,” which clouds your mind with indecision and frustration, is easy to get stuck in. This twilight zone is known as procrastination, an approach that can stifle your progress toward your dreams and goals. When you are stuck in the procrastination pit your energy can get zapped out of you faster than electricity from a California power plant.

The best way to overcome procrastination is to make a simple choice, either yes or no. Proactive as opposed to reactive, choice implies responsibility. You’re either going to discover what is holding you back and act on it or move ahead right now. It’s as straightforward as that.

What task or next step have you been getting ready for? Where have you been procrastinating?

My request for you is to make a choice.

You have three options:

1. Choose "no" and let it go. Simply embrace the fact that you’re never going to do it.

2. Another choice is to decide when you will take action (a specific date) and determine what that action will be. I’d suggest sharing that commitment with someone to help hold you accountable.

3. Choose one step you could take today — even a small step — toward your goal. Then follow through as soon as possible.

Making a choice is powerful. It will stop the procrastination energy drain and provide you with new freedom and motivation to focus on what really matters. What is your choice?

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Systems, Structure, and Support

Posted on 21. Nov, 2009 by Rich Fettke.

"The happiest life is that which constantly exercises and educates what is best in us." ~Philip G. Hamerton

Creating Positive Momentum by Using Systems, Structures and Support

When he hired me to coach him, Greg wanted to take his business to the next level professionally and personally by giving better service and making more money. A realtor for almost four years, he had become the third highest producer in his office. But Greg wasn’t satisfied. "I’m frustrated with the lousy job I’m doing with my personal service," he told me. "I usually have several clients who are either in the process of buying or selling a home, so I want to stay in touch with them and make sure everything is going okay."

I asked, "What’s stopping you from making the calls?"

"I get so focused on following up with new prospects. Then I always seem to run out of time to make calls to my current clients, which is a bummer because if I served them better they would probably refer new prospects to me."

Here’s what Greg and I came up with:

THE SYSTEM: First, he made a commitment to invest half an hour each day to call the recent clients he had worked with.

THE STRUCTURE: Then, he decided to schedule that half an hour on his computerized calendar with a reminder box that would pop up on his screen.

THE SUPPORT: Finally, Greg promised that he would treat that appointment as if it were a meeting with a prospective new client. If he didn’t keep the appointment he would let me know during our next session, which would hold him accountable for his actions.

Greg’s Lesson:

"The simple habit of making a half hour appointment with my self, and actually putting it on my computer’s calendar, has been very effective for ensuring that I make client calls. Not only do I feel great about giving my clients the attention they deserve, I’m also getting more referrals than ever."

ACTION IDEA:

What is a goal you’ve set for this year that could benefit from a system, structure and support? Identify a daily action (your system) that will help you make progress toward the completion of your goal. Next, identify what type of reminder (your structure) you can set up to help remind you of the system you’ve set up on a regular basis. Finally, set up accountability (your support) around the daily action or system you have planned. You’ll find that this process will help you create and maintain momentum toward your most important goals.

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Affirming Your Success

Posted on 16. Nov, 2009 by Rich Fettke.

"I nourish my body with just the right amount of healthy, nutritious foods."

"I am a loving husband and father who lives a high-quality life."

"My work is helping people get the most out of life."

These are a few of the affirmations I say to myself each day. Over the past twenty years, I have read dozens of books, listened to hundreds of tapes, and attended countless seminars to help me grow both personally and professionally. One of the lessons I frequently heard in my studies, was to use the power of affirmations to be, do and have what I most want in life. I didn’t really buy it. I thought, "How can just saying some words to myself over and over make any difference in my life?" Now I know different.

Over the past few years I have experimented with affirmations. I’ve followed the timeless lessons: Write them down, phrase them in positive language, say them throughout the day, etc. Now I find myself praising the benefits of this "Success Ritual" with my coaching clients, when I speak, and when I write. (I’m actually doing it right now)

Tony Collette, a major contributor in the field of autosuggestion, defines affirmations as "positive statements about yourself or a situation spoken in the first person and present tense. They describe what you want to be, what you want to have, how you want to live."

If you want to be, do and have what you want most in life, I strongly suggest you add affirmations to your daily success habits.

ACTION IDEA:

Write out at least three affirmations based on your goals or on qualities you wish to further develop in yourself. Write them in positive language (not "I won’t…" or "I don’t…"). Read them when you wake up, before every meal, and right before you go to bed. Do this consistently for 30 days and notice how affirmations can work for you.

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