Consistency, Perseverance, Routine

What does it take to forge success and achieve your goals? To meet targets, deadlines and project aims?

Whether to meet goals professionally or personally there is a process that although not fool proof, is fundamentally more likely to lead to success and achievement than anything else.

That process is small, as in barely significant, daily changes. This is truly the key to make significant breakthroughs and achievements. By “barely significant”, I mean so small you don’t notice and that is why it works. In not noticing, the change or activity it isn’t as hard.

The recommended fruit and veg intake is 5 a day. Most people don’t manage this; some people don’t even like fruit or veg. Let’s imagine you are one of those people – now what is hard: going from a dislike of fruit and veg to eating 5 portions a day or starting the process by eating 1 grape a day?

Go from 1 grape a day to 1 strawberry a day – do that for a month. Then perhaps 2 grapes and strawberry – do that for 2 months. The notice is negligible but do that for a year and that’s 730 grapes and 365 strawberries, over a 1000 small items of fruit in a year.

This is a far more achievable, viable and realistic approach than going from eating no fruit and veg for years to a 90 day juice detox diet which will inevitably lead to failure and binge eating.

The same principle applies to so many facets or work and personal life. So many people nowadays don’t read and claim they don’t have time to read – I was definitely one of those people, until that is I realised if I just read 4 pages of a book a day, consistently, every day I would at least 3 books a year. I know it’s not many but at least doing it daily, you don’t lose momentum or the plot!

This has been the same process for the 2 major aims I had had during the Covid-19 lockdown, namely business development and trying to get fit.

The first day, 23rd March- my press up range at maximum was 34 – sit-ups 80, curls 28, and shoulder press 50. As with the process outlined above I wanted to develop, improve and achieve fitness during the lockdown. It is only now, on week 14 that I have finally managed to hit 50 press ups with good form and not resting. I have gone day by day focusing on just 1 more press up than the week before, 1 more sit up, 1 more curl etc. – and finally what felt like an impossible task has been achieved.

This mind-set has been particularly pertinent when it comes to business development and recruitment – not just braking down but really truly making friends. How does that happen?

Literally 1 phone call at a time, 1 meeting at a time, 1 placement at a time. Start with that very first cold call, just that first call. Then you develop a knowledge, an understanding, an acquaintance, a business relationship. From that first cold call, building up calls over time you can get a knowledge and true understanding of the background, needs and business of the individual recruiting manager, department and organisation.

To truly build a successful recruitment model from a cold account, business file and patch takes the same processes outlined above – it takes small steps but consistently (daily), cold calls, persistence – when in the face of adversity (keep doing what you need to do in the face of rejection) and routine, which is fundamental to keeping these processes going.

So whatever your starting point, just keep going with these 3 parameters in mind and you will achieve your goals!