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Sometimes we get down on ourselves for “slacking off” or procrastinating, when in reality we are thinking through a tough decision. In The Procrastinator’s Guide to Success, author Lynn Lively reassuringly notes that if you feel uncertain, confused, overwhelmed, and clueless on how to proceed (we all have those moments!), then you’re not procrastinating; you’re a person who is considering options in order to make the best possible decision. Starting to feel better about yourself yet?

If you spend a little time putting a positive spin on all your actions, it will become second nature, and you’ll soon find that you’re more productive. How, you ask? Think of it this way: Every moment you spend worrying about the past is a moment you could spend learning from your mistakes so that you can become a better (and more successful) person.

We could all take a lesson from Thomas Edison, who struggled through more than 10,000 unsuccessful attempts to create the first light bulb before he finally got it right. Imagine if he’d wasted his time dwelling on his so-called “failures” or (even worse) if he’d called himself a failure and given up; who knows how long mankind would’ve been left in the dark.

So the next time you hit a stumbling block, note what went wrong, make the appropriate changes, and celebrate the fact that you’re one step closer to your goal.

As Jack Welch put it:

Don’t beat yourself up if you get it wrong some of the time, especially when you’re starting out. Just remember, it’s your mistake to fix.

And that’s the key: As long as you recognize the mistake and take action to correct it, move on. Life’s too short to beat yourself up anyways.

How you can make this work for you: Take a good, hard look at a recent mistake that you’re beating yourself up over. Instead of focusing on the negative, stop and think about the good that came from the experience. Did you walk away with a better understanding of how to handle a similar situation the next time it rolls around? Did you learn a new skill? Look for the silver lining, and commit yourself to taking something positive from everything you do.

Most successful entrepreneurs have adopted some form of process to capture ideas that (randomly) come to them on a daily basis and from the people that matter (usually their customers or employees).

Here’s what I do:

1. I carry a Moleskine notebook around on a daily basis and keep my favorite Parker pen (with gel insert, of course) to capture my ideas immediately.
2. On a monthly basis, I email 5 people (usually a mix of recent contacts and previous clients) asking them what they think of me. Here’s what you can do today: Email your friends, trusted customers and advisors (you have those, right?) and simply ask them, “When you think of me, what words come to mind?” Input from those who know (and love) you best is invaluable when it comes time to build a personal brand that is uniquely you.

As Tom Peters said, “take a lesson from the big brands.” Most businesses will survey their customers by simply picking up the phone and calling them. If email is more your style, shoot them a quick note asking what comes to mind when they hear your name. The comments you gather can help determine if their vision of you is how you want to be seen. If they weren’t able to capture your personal brand in a sentence or two, or if they stumbled through their response, your personal brand isn’t clear enough.

Remember, new ideas are all around you. Make sure you’re organized enough to capture them when they start falling in your lap. Bonus: Having all of your ideas captured in one notebook will make it easy to go back and see patterns. (Still don’t believe me? Tim Ferriss has an eight-foot stretch of shelves in my house containing nothing but full notebooks.)

1. Select the strategy: Looking for an underserved market.
2. Connect to customers: The social network as idea collector.
3. Generate ideas: Brain-storming done right.
4. Select an idea: Time to separate the good from the great.
5. Prototype and test: Bring on the customers.
6. Go to market: Cookies versus cookie dough.
7. Adjust for growth: The process evolves.

One line especially jumped out at me because it applies to you and me:

It’s not about brilliance. Valuable new ideas are the product of hard work and smart, disciplined processes.

I’ve read a couple of Ram’s books but two of my favorites are “Profitable Growth Is Everyone’s Business: 10 Tools You Can Use Monday Morning” and “What the CEO Wants You to Know : How Your Company Really Works”. Definitely worth picking up.

You get the idea: I tried to be everything to everyone but ended up being no one to anyone. More importantly, my clients started to see me as the guy they could just dump any task on. (In retrospect though, perhaps they trusted me enough to know that I could handle nearly anything they gave me and they knew I was the poor college kid that would take it with a smile.)

Look at monster.com or careerbuilder.com and compare them to the jobs section of your local newspaper – which are you most likely to check when you’re hunting for a new place to work? (If you’re reading this blog, you better not have chosen the newspaper.)

What I learned is that success favors a “best-of-breed player”, a company devoted to one line of business. The people that focus on dominating a single market usually destroy the people that try to be the best at everything. Make sense?

If I were to ask your friends, coworkers or employees what you’re an expert at, would they give me a concise answer that could be wrapped up in 10 seconds? If not, it’s time to take a step back and take a look at what you’re doing that’s confusing those around you. (Email me, I’ll help you brainstorm ways to fix it.)

Remember: Focus on what you do best and then tell the world about it. Widen your lens, narrow your focus.

I’ll admit it, I’m a perfectionist. I spend way too much time trying to make sure that everything is just right (read: perfect) before I show it to anyone. Besides the fact that I waste precious time beating myself up over trivial things, I’ve learned that there is a huge benefit to pushing things out quickly to see if they even work.It’s called the art of failing fast.

A fascinating New York Times article on the many errors in thinking about mistakes explains why we all tend to avoid mistakes in the first place:

We grow up with a mixed message: making mistakes is a necessary learning tool, but we should avoid them.

The problem is the vast majority of us (myself included) were probably raised this way, so encouraging us to embrace failure is – gasp!! – blasphemy. Get over it.

The same article continues:

“We get fixated on achievement,” he said, but, “everyone is talking about the need to innovate. If you already know the answer, it’s not learning. In most personal and business contexts, if you avoid the error, you avoid the learning process.”

Here’s what you can do today: Recognize that old habits die hard and make the decision to be more open to — or less afraid of — making mistakes. Then, just get started.

Feel free to email me if you need some extra motivation, I’m always happy to help.

Take a look around the web and you’ll easily find 375649874 tips on building community to help evangelize your brand. Or The First 7 Days of Personal Branding. Or even Start Thinking About Your Personal Brand Early.

The truth of the matter is that you need to actually do something while you spread the word about it. Sure, go read the latest tips and tricks, but never forget to tend to business. The ultimate proof of your value is that someone is willing to pay for it.

P.S. Do go check out the personal branding links up above, they have some great insights!

1. Decide, before you start, that you’re going to change three things about what you do all day at work. Then, as you’re reading, find the three things and do it. The goal of the reading, then, isn’t to persuade you to change, it’s to help you choose what to change.
2. If you’re going to invest a valuable asset (like time), go ahead and make it productive. Use a postit or two, or some index cards or a highlighter. Not to write down stuff so you can forget it later, but to create marching orders. It’s simple: if three weeks go by and you haven’t taken action on what you’ve written down, you wasted your time.

Next, take 15 minutes to read a short, free ebook on getting the most out of non-fiction reading, check outHow to Read a Book by Paul N. Edwards.

That’s it – don’t waste another minute on your books. Use these tips to make sure you’re getting the most out of your investment.

Have some tips of your own? Post them in the comments – I’ll pick the best ones and personally buy you a business book.

Here’s the thing people, successful people create their own opportunities and direct the flow of their own lives. Instead of reacting to events and waiting for opportunities, you go out and create your own.

Brian Tracy puts it best:

Those who don’t set goals for themselves are forever doomed to work to achieve the goals of others.

Make the decision to start consciously directing your own life instead of being pushed along by external things. **

Be Proactive. Not reactive.

A recent conversation with my friend Ramit got me thinking about the differences between the two types of people.

• Proactive people:
  • Take conscious control over their own life, set goals and work to achieve them.
  • Are aware of their core values and consciously make decisions based on them. Even when things are pretty good, they’re still making conscious choices.
  • Often start new projects or activities “out of the blue” when it seems like there’s no externally motivated reason to do so.
  • Pay attention to external events, but focus on getting themselves to their desired destination regardless of those events. This is the most important thing!
• Reactive people:
  • Tend to stay at the same job year after year as long as it’s semi-satisfying. Unless opportunities get dropped in their lap, they won’t do much else
  • Their lives are largely out of their direct conscious control; they tend to only exert their efforts when they absolutely must, like when they get laid off unexpectedly (and even then it’s often to a minimal degree).
  • When things are pretty good, life is mostly on autopilot. When things are bad, these people are the first to start complaining.

**Tip: **“Be Proactive” is habit #1 from Steve Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. You should read it.

Focus on getting becoming proactive today – starting right now. If you need some extra help getting started, email me – I’ll brainstorm some ideas with you.

Know yourself. A successful personal brand is authentic, so you need to be honest about who you are. If you’re timid, shy and easily distracted, you’re not likely to succeed by pretending to be outgoing, loud and focused. In the words of Baltasar Gracián:

Self-knowledge is the beginning of self-improvement.

Know your competitors. You can’t stand above the crowd without first taking a look around. It’s important to determine who the current players are and understand their particular strengths (and weaknesses).

Know your target. To be successful, you must not only have a personal brand, but also communicate it to the right people. Marketing yourself to the entire world is very expensive. The key to successful personal branding is to focus on your niche and then become the expert.

Your goal is to be different. Personal Branding is about discovering relevant differences and creating positive perceptions. It used to be about, “Can you do the job?” Today many people can do what you do.

Find out what makes you special and actively try to improve it even further. Real success won’t be far behind.

*If you’re unsure about how to apply these tips to yourself, email me – I’d be happy to help brainstorm ideas. Also, don’t forget to signup for my newsletter where I’ll provide more insider’s tips on getting ahead.
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