Debra Kasowski, Author at Debra Kasowski

EPISODE 153 – Reverse Engineer Your Success

March 13, 2018 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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Vision is the picture you have in your mind of what you want to achieve. I learned early on in my quest of achievement to reverse engineer my plans to get the success I wanted. The exercise of working from your vision to where you are now will help you create the roadmap you need to get to where you want to go from where you are right now. Most people will share the vision of what they want to achieve but very few will write out a description in detail through reverse engineering the plan. The steps to success are simple. We tend to complicate things, thinking what we are ding needs many more steps or extras.

Reflect and Project

Hindsight is 20/20. You are in the Present. The future is all you can see. You have been successful in other areas of your life, business, or career path. You have a system in which you do things naturally. Take time to reflect on your past successes. What did you do to achieve what you achieved? What is the most common factor in your successes? Now, look at where you want to go now. Who do you need to show up as? Who do you need to be? What do you need to have? What do you need to do to be it or achieve it? You need to gain clarity and understand where you are going before you can reverse engineer a plan.

Act and Fail Often

Learning experiences are many when you take action. You have made mistakes or failed. These are learning experiences. Do not beat yourself up. Do not dwell on it. What was the lesson? What do you need to change or continue doing? What do you need to stop? Our best learning opportunities are the ones where we have risked being rejected, feeling ashamed or embarrassed, or have failed. If you had never taken the step, you would never have known what you are capable of. Guess what? You are still here! You need to go at it again in a new way! Remember to reflect, adjust, act, and repeat!

Find a Role Model

Success leaves clues. Who has done what you want to do? Find a mentor or hire a coach to help you identify the steps you need to get to where you want to go. Learn from others to see what actions you need to be taking to get to where you want to go. Ask what they did to achieve success. You may not be as far off from success as you think. You do not have to have all the resources in the world to be successful. You need to learn what resources you have available and leverage or activate them when needed.

Map It Out

Grab your post it notes, flip chart paper, and markers and create a visual of what you want to achieve. Mind map what will be required and where you can get it. You may need to ask someone for ideas. By getting it out of your head onto paper, you can establish the emotional connection to what you want to achieve.

Uncover Your WHY

As you reverse engineer or forward-backward plan, determine why the end goal important to you? Establishing the emotional connection – your “WHY” is important in getting you to move forward when you are faced with challenges. Many people get caught up in the how versus focusing on the why and they lose their emotional connection to the vision they wanted.

Reverse engineer your success and use the drive for your WHY to help you get to your destination. Keep the roadmap simple.

We would love to have you subscribe to the Success Secrets newsletter on my website at www.debrakasowski.com where you’re going to get my just release FREE e-book about the 21 Habits High Achievers Kick to Achieve Success. I would love to hear about this podcast has impacted your life. E-mail me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Share it with Your Friends. Give us a 5-star rating!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free e-book download today! www.debrakasowski.com

EPISODE 152 – The Probability of Success

March 7, 2018 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0KwdU8m_eg[/embedyt]

“Keep trying; failures increase the probability of success.”
― Ken Poirot

Life is like a game of chance. The more chances or opportunities you take, the more you increase your chances of being successful. Those chances and opportunities are the actions you take toward what you want to accomplish. If you focus on the probability of being successful versus the possibilities around you, you may lose faith. If you focus on what is possible, the opportunities to succeed will be endless. There is more than one way to achieve success.

There are 9 key indicators that will increase your probability of success:

Possess a Positive Attitude. You can choose to be positive or be negative. The choice is yours. Your attitude is dictated by your inner dialogue. Do you encourage yourself and give yourself praise and say “Right On!”? The attitude you carry with you throughout the day is what keeps you motivated during tough times. It is how you reframe situations and look for the silver lining – the good. What attitude do you choose?

Stay Open-Minded. A person who is open-minded is able to look for possibilities and is open to new ideas without judgment or finding fault. They see suggested strategies as a hand up to success. When you are open, the strategies you are searching for will appear.

Growth Mindset – A person with a growth mindset knows how to learn from adversity and mistakes. They know that the way to grow is to do new things and adjust their course as needed. Become an insatiable reader and learner. Do you have a growth mindset?

Willingness to Ask. Asking questions is a way to gain information. A person who is driven to succeed with risk looking foolish and ask a question. It is the quest to have the information they need to make powerful decisions. Turn your questions into your quest!

Create Your Inner Circle. Successful people know that they become the average of the people they spend the most time with. They end up having the same average of income, do the same average of activities, and become like the people they surround themselves with. If the people you surround yourself with are positive and driven, you will become positive and driven to. If the people you surround yourself with are big spenders and engulfed in debt…you may become too. Pay attention to who you surround yourself with. Your influences are more powerful than you realize.

Focused on Clear Compelling Vision. Success is determined by having a clear compelling vision which you are drawn to. You know what it is you want and you go for it.

Intentional Plan. Planning and preparation get you closer to your goal. You use the vision to drive the plan. You can feel your success is right around the corner.

Take Calculated Risks. Risk is nothing more than a challenge. When you assess your risk by doing some research and your due diligence, you reduce the risk. You can be prepared for challenges that arise because you took the time to evaluate the risk and what the impact could be. Therefore, you can take actions to minimize the risk involved and make solid decisions.

Consistent Action Taker. Consistent action is important in maintaining momentum and motivation. It is all of these actions that are going to increase your odds. You know “if there is a will, there is a way.” You will find a way to achieve success.

Your probability of achieving success is zero with no action. Action increases the odds. Success is not by chance it comes from consistent efforts.

What are you doing to increase the probability of your success?

EPISODE 151 – Fears and Failures

February 27, 2018 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“Remember your dreams and fight for them. You must know what you want from life. There is just one thing that makes your dream become impossible: the fear of failure.”

Paulo Coelho

The achievement of a dream or goal can put a smile on the face of the person who longs for it. The face of satisfaction knowing that you gave your all and you saw the vision even if no one else did. There are people who hold back on taking efforts on their dreams and goals because it seems that achieving it is so far off in the distance. Some might even say they get paralyzed with fear from taking action.

My colleague Audrey and I were working on vision boards and she shared with me that she believes some people do not take action toward their dreams and goals because then the dream is over. They would rather think about than truly live it. To me, these are the “talkers”. They do not take actions; they talk about how when the stars align that they may think about it. Someday…and someday is not actioned on the calendar.

Fear is not uncommon. Many people have fears to different degrees. There are fears of embarrassment, success, failure, rejection, criticism, uncertainty, and death. Most fears evoke worry. Worry is nothing more than wasted energy. It blocks you from being open to ideas and strategies to take action. Emotions run high and imagination runs wild. Rationale thought is not possible. Take a deep breathe. Most of what you allow you imagination to conjure up will not happen. I believe that the reason become fearful is that they feel they have a loss of control.

It is important to ask: “What am I afraid of?

Am I afraid of being rejected? Someone will disapprove of me or my behavior?

Am I afraid to fail? How will I face others?

Am I afraid of being criticized? What will people say about me?

It takes courage to do the uncomfortable. It takes courage to express your feelings. It takes courage to stand tall when people are laughing at you. It takes courage to say, “Who cares! I believe in me!”

You can handle all these things and you are IN control of how you respond or react in any situation.

People will criticize and tell you it can’t be possible. What other people think of you is NONE of your business…so what? Another person’s opinion is dependent on their lens of the world, knowledge, and experience. Most people who criticize have not done what you have done or plan to do. They hide behind their own fears.

A question you can reflect on is: “Why do you need the approval or validation?”

Rejection is one stop on the path to success. You need to keep going until the right timing and the right person align. Until then, practice…you are developing your expertise and letting people know about what you do.

Failure is nothing more than a learning opportunity. If something did not go as well as you hoped, the next question should be, “Now what?”

“What worked?”

“What didn’t work that needs to be stopped?”

“What can I do differently the next time?”

Failure is the best teacher. Leverage it!

You never swam laps the first time you jumped in the water to swim. You may have even swallowed a few mouthfuls of water. You never rode a bike to the playground the first time you got on it. You never rode off into the sunset in your family beater car the first time you pressed the gas.

We all learn…I remember when I first started in business and I was doing an interview with a well-known speaker…I forgot to press play on the recording and had to ask to start the interview again…boy was I embarrassed. She was amazingly gracious.

We get closer to achieving our goals by challenging ourselves and stepping out of our comfort zones. Facing our fears and leaning into our faith in ourselves.

What would it take for you not have the fear?

Do you need to talk to someone who is doing what you want to do? Who do you know who knows someone? Ask who you know.

Do you need to gain more knowledge? The internet is at your finger tips…make sure it is a good source.

Do you need to practice? Put yourself out there. You do not get anywhere hiding at home. Get in front of the mirror, talk to yourself, talk to family and friends – as Nike’s tagline says – “Just Do It!”

Your fears will begin to minimize. The risk of failure will minimize. Keep taking consistent action toward your goals and soon enough your goals will be realized!

EPISODE 150 – Progress Over Perfection

February 19, 2018 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

– Vince Lombardi

I was watching a video in my email from Matthew Kelly about Power of Progress and how we need to see ourselves as works in progress. It fascinates me that when we decidie to take on something that is new to us that we can easily start putting pressure on ourselves to be perfect OR as good as someone who has been working on it for years. Mastery comes from building habits that support our growth. It comes from doing repetitive actions and honing our skills and talents.

Too many people focus on wanting things “just perfect” or done the “right way” they hold back in taking action without ever thinking the right way was how they do things. Let’s think about this…

If you are not impacting someone’s life or that there is a chance you could go to jail, I would say it is pretty safe to take action. For many people taking action equals risk. Without action, you do not make progress. There are ways to minimize risks. Perform your due diligence by doing research and asking questions you have unanswered. This way you are not stuck on waiting for the “HOW” to get things done. Some people feel if they do not have the full instructions on how to get started- they don’t start at all.

Start with the first step…

Focus on the progress you have made thus far. Each step gets you closer than before. You can continue to focus on the details but don’t get caught up in them. When you focus too closely on the details, you fail to see the big picture of how far you have come!

I love how Amy Cuddy refers to “Fake it until you become it.” She had suffered a head injury and told she would have to change direction with her career. The naysayers came out of the woodwork. She stayed focused and put in the hard work and did not give up! Even when you are nervous, keep practicing and putting yourself out there until you become what you want to be.

The awkwardness you feel is not that you are an imposter…

The awkwardness you feel is because you are stepping out of your comfort zone and growing…

Instead of focusing on HOW I do this when I don’t know how…you should be focusing on –

“What do I need to do to become ___________________? (you fill in the blank with what you want to be)

What are the skills and abilities I need to possess to BE that person?

What do I need to DO to show up at that caliber?

What do I need to HAVE in place in order to do what I want to DO?

No one is asking you to be perfect. Embrace your uniqueness. Everything is perfect as it is right now for you to learn what you need to learn and be who you need to be.

You may be saying, but Debra, “Does focusing on progress versus perfection lower your standards?”

My answer is simple…NO!!!

Your expectations and standards are not lowered.

Focusing on your progress helps you:

Celebrate your successes and wins
Build momentum to your next step
Envision the possibilities
Seize opportunities that can advance you toward your goal

Personally, I have been known to have high standards and high expectations. I set them for myself for the goals I want to achieve. I want other people to set their own.

Daily self-reflection provides you with many lessons to learn and grow from as you take each step. Questions for journaling or quiet reflection, although journaling is the best way to flush out your thoughts and ideas, include:

What did I do that went well today? Why?

What will I continue doing?

What is something that did not go as well as I would have like?

How would I have liked that situation or circumstance to go?

What could I do differently in the future?

What habit do I need to start, stop, or continue?

I want you to remember this, “the work in progress is often just as beautiful” – Unknown.

Progress starts with paying attention and focusing on your priorities. It was John Wooden who said, “Don’t mistake activity with achievement.” Progress does not mean you “busy” yourself with tasks and activities. Progress means you are taking intentional actions to get toward your end goal. Perfection is often tied to procrastination. People procrastinate because they want everything to be perfect before they act. They sabotage their opportunity to advance. Notice that no one fears perfection but they fear failure. If you do not have the fear of being perfect you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain because you are farther ahead than if you did nothing.

Stop hiding in the shadows of others…

Start putting yourself out there and BECOME who you want to BE by being perfect just the way you are!

What step are you willing to take to get closer to your goals?

EPISODE 149 – Raise Your Expectations

February 14, 2018 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.”
– Ralph Marston

Has anyone ever told you that your standards are too high? You expect too much? I have… what I find is that too many people are lowering their expectations so they don’t disappoint themselves. Guess what? They will be disappointed because they will realize they could have achieved more. Don’t lower your expectations; increase your performance by increasing the actions you need to reach your goals.

You get what you expect of yourself. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you’re right.” What you believe is possible for yourself is the effort you will put in. It all starts in the mind. If you believe you can do something and your surround yourself with people who encourage and support you, you are already part way there.

Ralph Lauren said, “A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.” You are the leader in your life, your business, and in your organization. When you raise your expectations, increase your performance, so too, do the people around you. They start wanting the results you are reaping. If you don’t increase your performance to meet your expectations, your dream or goal will fade. It will not become a reality. If you no longer have an emotional connection to the goal that motivates and inspires you, it is alright to change things up but it is not okay to settle or resign yourself to your current circumstance if you have the ability to do something about it.

If you want results, you need to take action. Start paying attention to what is influencing the way you think because what you expect you get. Are you letting the seeds of naysayers take root in your mind or do you push what they say aside and say, “Thanks, but no thanks”? You need to shield and focus your thoughts on what you want to achieve. You are the best predictor of your future. What do you believe is possible?

“No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilities – always see them, for they’re always there.” – Norman Vincent Peale

The possibilities are always there! One of the best questions to ask yourself is,

“What will it take for me to achieve _____________?”

When you maintain a positive attitude and stay open to ideas, strategies, and suggestions, you will figure out the “how”. Too many people stop taking action because they don’t start with the “how”. John F. Kennedy did not know how to put a man on the moon when he made his declaration. Suddenly, the declaration made teams of people start thinking about what is required to achieve such a goal. Martin Luther King Jr. made a declaration in his speech, “I Had a Dream” for all men (and women) to be equal. Imagine if he did not start taking action on his dream. These leaders started with a possibility and worked toward seeing it through.

What is your possibility? What do you expect?

Are you willing to see it through?