Become a Leader with a Mission!

Real leaders have a vision with a mission.

Try this exercise: Close your eyes and get a mental picture of the vision you have for your business and life.

Take time to imagine your ideal:

1) Business

2) Organization

3) Job

4) Team

5) Department

6) Office

What do you see?

Is your vision big, bold, clear and compelling?

Does it excite you; does it move you and shake you up? If it does, then you are on the right track to success. If what you see doesn’t move you, then you need to spend as much time as necessary clarifying and refining your vision until it drives you to want to achieve new heights.

Here are questions to ask yourself when reflecting on your dreams.

  1. Are you willing to go out and fight for it?
  2. Are you willing to work day and night for it?
  3. Are you willing to give up your time, peace and sleep for it?
  4. Are you willing to relentlessly plan for it?
  5. Are you willing to take great risks for it?
  6. Are you willing to face your fears and opposition for it?
  7. Are you willing to help others in the process of achieving it?
  8. Are you willing to persevere through many rejections for it?
  9. Are you willing to raise your bar and raise your standards for it?

If you are willing to take the above nine actions and if (#10) you can’t go a day without thinking about IT…you know YOUR DREAM IS REAL.

For more support in personal and professional development, visit my website for resources and tools to push yourself to the next level of success: https://billycox.com/shop/

Your thoughts control your destiny!

I love the old adage, “learn from the mistakes of others, because life isn’t long enough to make them all yourself.”

If you are coachable and take advantage of the wisdom of others, you can avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary setbacks.

To learn from others, you must listen to them.

To be a winner, you’ve got to think like a winner.

Your thoughts determine your actions, your moods, your self-image, how you present yourself to others and even the words you speak.

The quickest and easiest way to change your situation in life is to change the way you think.

Your thoughts control your destiny!

Top performers set their minds for victory; they set their mind for success.

Setting your mind for success doesn’t happen automatically. You have to constantly tell yourself, “today is a great day, good things are happening and new and exciting doors are opening.” Go out each day with enthusiasm, expecting great things to come your way. You have the power to choose your thoughts and your attitude and, therefore, your success.

Listening is different than hearing. Hearing is the act of receiving sound vibrations by the ear.

Listening is something you consciously choose to do.

Of course, you need to listen to the right people and ask the right questions.

Seek out those individuals who are the highest performers in your area of interest.

Chances are, they are people in your life right now who can mentor you… if you will listen. And there are others that you may not know yet who can help coach you to the next level.

Simply put, if you ask the right people the right questions you will get the right answers. What you do with those answers is up to you.

For more support in personal and professional development, visit my website for resources and tools to push yourself to the next level of success: https://billycox.com/shop/

Write Down Your Dreams! (It really works)

Early in my sales career, I was young, inexperienced, unfocused and constantly struggling to make ends meet, I felt sorry for myself. Then, one day, my sales manager pulled me aside and encouraged me to define and write down my dreams and goals. I did, and when I finished, I gave him a copy. He put the list of my dreams and goals in an envelope, sealed it, put it away, and we both forgot about it.

About five years later, that same sales manager found that envelope while he was moving offices. He opened it and then shared it with me. To our mutual surprise, I had accomplished every dream and goal I’d written down!

Those original dreams and goals were so big and audacious, they were almost ridiculous. Yet, in five years’ time, I had achieved them all. The amazing thing is that at the time I wrote them, I was living in a two-bedroom apartment, behind on my rent payments and flat broke. Five years later, I had a new home, a new car and was financially free – and these were the exact things I’d written down.

Today, I understand that the act of writing down those first dreams and goals made them possible in my mind and changed my entire mental state. I became highly motivated because I actually believed I could achieve them. I started reading good books and listening to coaches and mentors to gain more knowledge.

I set goals in my personal life and other areas of my business, which eventually launched my career. I created and followed a plan that affected my actions and my reactions, ultimately changing my life.

What are your big goals? Have you written them down? I’d love to hear from you.

For more support in personal and professional development, visit my website for resources and tools to push yourself to the next level of success: https://billycox.com/shop/

Everyone is Selling Something

Whether we realize it or not, everyone is selling something

If you want to achieve your full potential in life, you gotta sell. Your entire life is a continuous process of communicating, persuading, and influencing other people. Take it from Tony Jeary, who is known as the world’s utmost authority on speaking and presentations. In his book, Life is a Series of Presentations, he makes the case that the average person makes hundreds of presentations a day. Anytime you communicate with someone — whether it’s in business or at home, via email or face-to-face — you’re making a presentation. And each of these presentations can have an impact on your life and future.

I think anytime you make a presentation, you’re trying to sell someone on something, even if it’s as simple as selling someone on your idea or opinion.

Even athletes sell — star athletes sell style, skills, and showmanship. Through their performances, they sell people on the idea that they’re the best, and because of this, they create great excitement. Because people recognize them as winners, they want to buy the products they endorse and tickets to watch them play.

But a star athlete must also continually sell himself to himself to consistently perform at the highest level. If superstar athletes’ confidence slips, they lose their edge and their performance suffers.

Selling yourself is a critical factor that determines the level of success you will ultimately achieve and how quickly you will achieve it. You should network, market yourself, and get your name out there. When you promote yourself to others (in an appropriate way), more opportunities will come your way. Good things will happen to you because people will recognize you and your abilities.

When companies downsize, who typically stays? The people who have marketed themselves, their results, and their value to the company. Selling yourself is a universal need.

Selling yourself involves two steps: First, it means selling others on you and your products or services. But it also means selling you to you. You’ve got to believe 100 percent in yourself, your abilities, and whatever it is you represent. How can you sell others on you if you’re not first sold on yourself?

I’m not talking about having a big ego. I’m talking about totally convincing yourself that you are the best person for the job or that the person you’re exchanging with is getting a good deal. To sell to others, you gotta be sold on yourself and believe that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to achieve success.

For more support in personal and professional development, visit my website for resources and tools to push yourself to the next level of success: https://billycox.com/shop/

 

Ready Set GROW

That’s right, GROW!

Do you have a personal growth plan for 2019?

Did you know that most people spend more time planning their family vacation than planning their life?

How about you?

Have you ever outlined all the goals and achievements you would like to accomplish in the next year or five years?

Have you ever taken the time to set your goals and create a plan to make them a reality?

Look, I don’t know what you’re dreaming or where you’re headed. What I do know is if you’re not learning, growing, reaching, stretching, and sharing, your life will have no purpose or meaning. However, if you’re on FIRE and you’re working on accomplishing your goals with a clear purpose and true passion, life takes on an entirely new dimension.

The reason so many people have no power in the present is because they have lost their hope in the future. Hope is a powerful motivating factor. The general culture and news media will tell you, “NO, don’t get your hopes up. Your best days are behind you.”

I’m here to tell you that “Your greatest days are ahead, and your biggest accomplishments are in the future.” This is why you must take the time to set clear goals for every area of your life. You should set professional, personal, financial, mental, spiritual and physical goals.

Setting clear goals and developing a plan of action will keep you focused on the future and help you live a more vibrant life.

In challenging times, it’s hard to see better days ahead. You, like many others, may have experienced setbacks. If you’re honest with yourself, you know that you have not accomplished some of your dreams. However, you do need to realize that you can renew your dreams at any time. The reality is that events, positive or negative, happen in a person’s life for a reason. The key is to know and understand that after every down turn comes an up time.

If you will hold on to your faith, set some new goals, craft a plan of action, and take steps to implement your plan, you will emerge stronger and you will be on course to achieve your dreams. One of the keys to your success is for you to establish short and long-term goals and write them down. You can develop goals for a day, week, month, year, and lifetime.

It is vital that you review your goals regularly to make sure you stay on track. You need to be flexible on the process and allow yourself to add new goals and shift priorities. Moreover, you need to know and understand that focus and discipline are the driving forces behind every significant and successful life. Making your dreams a reality takes hard work! The truth of the matter is that we only have control of two things…our attitude and our effort. At the end of the day and in the final analysis, you have to hold yourself accountable..

It’s your time to rise above today’s bumps in the road. You are closer to success than you think. Take time to write down your lifetime goals, in essence, your bucket list. What would you be, do, or have if money were no object? What would you accomplish if there were nothing to hold you back. The future is coming whether you are prepared or not. As we embark on a new year, my hope is that you will embrace change and seize the opportunities that constantly present themselves.

Always remember, if you waste your time you waste your life. Make every moment count!

For more support in personal and professional development, visit my website for resources and tools to push yourself to the next level of success: https://billycox.com/shop/

The main difference between amateurs and professionals

Do you know the difference between amateurs and professionals?

Reasons.

The high achievers in business, sales, and life have plenty of goals and they know why they are working toward them. They are practicing delayed gratification. Additionally, they are sacrificing today by putting forth the extra hours and extra efforts so they can reap the rewards in the future.

The top professionals have reasons for working such as:

  • To win a contest
  • To buy a new home
  • To take a dream vacation
  • To be an impact player, make a real difference and leave their mark
  • To achieve excellence
  • To create a secure financial future
  • To fulfill a mission
  • To be known as a person who makes things happen

Knowing why you are working will:

  • Increase your belief
  • Give you drive and discipline
  • Give you the commitment to follow through

If you struggle in sales or any area of life, you don’t have enough reasons. The reasons will drive you, keep you going and give you that inside-the-gut burning desire that will wake you up early and keep you going late.

So, ask yourself, “Why did I choose this career and what do I want to accomplish?”

Next, ask yourself, “How important is it to me and how will it change my life when I do accomplish it?”

Once you have enough “whys,” your level of commitment will increase, you will become better, and you will start sharing your message with the world.

Shoot high in order to achieve your dreams!

What are some other examples of raising the bar for all? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

For more support in personal and professional development, visit my website for resources and tools to push yourself to the next level of success: https://billycox.com/shop/

 

Going the Extra Mile

Part of raising the bar is going the extra mile — giving a little more, doing better than your competitors, doing better than your best. Many people say, “I can’t give any more than I’m already giving” or “That’s the best I can do.” I say they’re wrong.

In his book, Leading from the Lockers, John Maxwell shares the story of the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. For years, athletes had tried to break this seemingly unbreakable time barrier; experts said the human heart would explode under the conditions necessary to run a sub-four-minute mile. However, on May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister did it. He ran a mile in 3 minutes, 59 seconds.

Two amazing aspects arise from this story. The first is that Roger Bannister wasn’t a professional runner. In fact, he was a medical student who set aside only 45 minutes a day to train. But he refused to believe that he couldn’t achieve this seemingly impossible goal. In his mind, he had no limits. Asked how he did it, his reply was simple and profound: “It’s the ability to take more out of yourself than you’ve got.”

The other fascinating feature about this story is that by setting a new world record, Roger Bannister changed the sport of running forever. Within two months of Roger’s achievement, John Landy set a new sub-four-minute-mile record. The next year, 37 other runners broke the four-minute mile.

Since Roger Bannister broke the barrier 1954, hundreds of runners have run a mile in under four minutes. So, what happened? There were no great breakthroughs in training; no one discovered how to control wind resistance; human bone structure and lung power didn’t suddenly improve. What happened was that someone — someone not that different from you and me — made a decision to give just a little more than he thought he had. Someone decided that he could do better than his best. Once he proved it could be done, he raised the bar for everyone else.

What are other examples of raising the bar for all?

For more support in personal and professional development, visit my website for resources and tools to push yourself to the next level of success: https://billycox.com/shop/

 

It All Starts with Confidence

If you want to achieve your full potential in life, you’ve got to sell. Your entire life is a continuous process of communicating, persuading, and influencing other people. Take it from Tony Jeary, who is known as the world’s utmost authority on speaking and presentations. In his book Life Is a Series of Presentations, he makes the case that the average person makes hundreds of presentations a day. Any time you communicate with someone — whether it’s in business or at home, via email or face-to-face — you’re making a presentation. And each of these presentations can have an impact on your life and future.

I think anytime you make a presentation, you’re trying to sell someone on something, even if it’s as simple as selling someone on your idea or opinion.

Even athletes sell — star athletes sell style, skills, and showmanship. Through their performances, they sell people on the idea that they’re the best, and because of this, they create great excitement. Because people recognize them as winners, they want to buy the products they endorse and tickets to watch them play.

A star athlete must also continually sell himself to himself to consistently perform at the highest level. If superstar athletes’ confidence slips, they lose their edge and their performance suffers.

Selling yourself is a critical factor that determines the level of success you will ultimately achieve and how quickly you will achieve it. You should network, market yourself, and get your name out there. When you promote yourself to others (in an appropriate way), more opportunities will come your way. Good things will happen to you because people will recognize you and your abilities.

When companies downsize, who typically stays? The people who have marketed themselves, their results, and their value to the company. Selling yourself is a universal need.

Selling yourself involves two steps: First, it means selling others on you and your products or services. You’ve got to believe 100 percent in yourself, your abilities, and whatever it is you represent. How can you sell others on you if you’re not first sold on yourself?

I’m not talking about having a big ego. I’m talking about totally convincing yourself that you are the best person for the job or that the person you’re exchanging with is getting a good deal. To sell to others, you gotta be sold on yourself and believe that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to achieve success.

Would you like more tips on business, sales, leadership, and life?

Join my private Facebook Group.

As a member, you will get direct feedback on those topics as well as wisdom, methods, tips, and hacks that I have used for years to help my businesses stand out. In the group, I will equip and empower you to stay motivated even when you feel like throwing in the towel. Click here to learn more and register to become a member, and I’ll see you on the inside.

 

Becoming a Leader Instead of a Follower

You have the ability to be a leader!

Can you lead?

You may think that you lack the capability to be a leader because you’re not “the boss” or because you do not have a leadership title. This notion is “old school”, from the old game and the old rules. This myth will hold you back and keep you from obtaining the success and significance you desire. John Maxwell says, “A manager says ‘go’, a leader says ‘let’s go.’” You need to believe in your own abilities in order to progress you to the next level!

In reality, a person’s position in an organization or on a team has very little to do with leading others. Some people think, “when I get to the top, then I’ll lead” or “when I get promoted, then I’ll act like a leader.” These people overestimate the importance of a leadership title. It’s not the title that makes a leader; it’s the ability to keep people focused and moving forward through challenges, adversities, and setbacks, as well as through good times and victories.

Can you lead? You bet you can. Titles may be granted. However, it’s the decisions you make and the actions you take that determine your ability to lead. And that’s your choice.

Let’s Go!

Would you like more tips on business, sales, leadership, and life?

Join my private Facebook Group.

As a member, you will get direct feedback on those topics as well as wisdom, methods, tips, and hacks that I have used for years to help my businesses stand out. In the group, I will equip and empower you to stay motivated even when you feel like throwing in the towel. Click here to learn more and register to become a member, and I’ll see you on the inside.

 

Steering Your Future

Perhaps you want to move up in your organization and lead a bigger team or department. To do that, you must prove your leadership abilities and value to the organization.

How?  By conceiving a vision for your current team that benefits the organization. You must also develop a personal vision of how you fit into the overall scheme of your company’s present and future. One of the best ways to prove your value and showcase your visionary leadership is to find problems and fix them. People who can spot the proverbial train wreck ahead of time and take the initiative to steer in a different direction will quickly rise to the next level.

Change is always initiated by a decision – a real decision that cuts you off from any justifications, rationalizations, and excuses. It may be scary, but you know in your heart it’s what you must do. Today, make a clear, unequivocal decision that leaves you no outs. When you make that kind of decision and take massive focused action, you can literally change your life.

The world is full of people who wish their lives were better but have never made the do-or-die decision that leads them to the success they desire.

As James Broughton once said, “The only limits are, as always, those of vision.”

Would you like more tips on business, sales, leadership, and life?

Join my private Facebook Group.

As a member, you will get direct feedback on those topics as well as wisdom, methods, tips, and hacks that I have used for years to help my businesses stand out. In the group, I will equip and empower you to stay motivated even when you feel like throwing in the towel. Click here to learn more and register to become a member, and I’ll see you on the inside.