Make your LIFE a SUCCESS

Realizing that life is a continuous move towards something we truly want to achieve allows us to see that it is our decisions that are going to lead us to be in that place and at that moment we so desire.

In doing so, we convince ourselves that the best way to live life is being happy, glad, and optimistic, and always being positive. It is true that we find adversities and difficulties daily, but we decide what we learn from each one of these moments, as we improve continuously, as we change to be better in everything we set out and ultimately, in achieving excellence in every single one of the activities we do every day and that will guide us toward those long-term goals we want to achieve.

A quote I use regularly in my seminars says that ‘Success is a journey, not a destination'. Let us make our life a journey, our journeys an adventure and enjoy our travels on the as we encounter all those destinations on our way every day.

Luis Vicente Garcia

2015: A new Year of Adventures, Learning and Experiences!

While we begin to think about the next year at the end of the current year, very few do so with due seriousness; and, as a result, few real and serious goals are set for the New Year. As 2014 just ended, we probably thought about what we did, what we accomplished and what really happened. For some it was a year of challenges and changes; for others, it was a year of learning, experiences and exploration. For me, I can summarize this year in one word: 

ADVENTURE!

In an article I wrote earlier this year, I commented after an article that I read that at the beginning of 2014 we all had 365 days ahead of us. Days, at that time still blank, which could filled with whatever we wanted: new ideas, thoughts, business, jobs, or education; in short, everything new. For some people it was a combination of all this plus something else, such as writing our words and ideas; or embark in new actions, goals and activities. Those days would be filled with all our experiences with our family, friends, work colleagues or university friends. Some of those would be good days or excellent days (never bad ones as Zig Ziglar once said). Well, the same is true for 2015, as we have 365 days ahead of us.

I ask a lot of questions so I get a lot of answers. This means that for some people, the year 2014 was - as I was told - a quiet or normal year. For others, it was a really difficult year. To you my friends, a warm hug of solidarity and appreciation. For a few, as someone told me a few weeks ago, the year was more or less the same as previous ones; in that case, however, my comment was that it might have been the same but that it was also different, given the experiences we've all had in the last 12 months.

But, for most, I'm sure, 2014 was a year of adventures. As I try to do sometimes, I searched the definition of Adventure and the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy defines 'Adventure' as:

1. Occurrence of an strange event;
2. Chance, or contingency;
3. Uncertain Outcome or something that presents risks.

You can see the year as a change or a challenges depending on your personal attitude, which has had to be a positive one in everything we do. If we do so, we need to figure out how 2014 was a year of personal motivation, positive attitude and continuous growth and learning. There is no other way to see any kind of year. We have an obligation: to always motivate others. And we need to start seeing 2015 as the year for 'highly motivated teams'.

As we embrace the new 2015, with more energy, emotions and of course prepared for more changes and challenges, how do we prepare for it? When I talked with my kids about 2014 they told me that it was a "different and unusual" year. We might see our future different from the past and better than the present. Nobody knows what the future holds; just understand that it is up to us to define what we do with it and in it. Our decisions will guide us along the way and take us through the path that will result from our actions.

In this new 2015 full of challenges but also full of hope, with 365 new and ready to be filled days ahead of us, with changes and decisions to be made, we will need to define our course of Action. There will be uncertain adventures and events, but let’s work so that they are the result of our actions and steps. And make it a year where we all carry forward the goal to become better at our personal development: with the optimism, enthusiasm and motivation that drives us to inspire others to join us on this adventure that is our own life.

Enjoy the New Year; seize it; learn, be inspired and motivate all around you; and make 2015 a fabulous year for everyone.

Luis Vicente Garcia

@lvgarciag

www.luisvicentegarcia.com

Start Early on Entrepreneurship!

Entrepreneurship is about daring, taking chances, not knowing where you are going and yet, taking action. Entrepreneurship is about movement, using action verbs, about implementing strategies to fulfill your dreams. I say fulfill as you will reach them along the way and then you, the entrepreneur, will be looking for new ways to improve your company, your team, your performance; in the simplest way, to improve yourself.

As a business performance consultant I meet regularly with business owners and entrepreneurs alike. And yes, there is a big difference in their definition. While business owners most times manage their companies, entrepreneurs look for ways to innovate, create and constantly improve. You may agree or disagree with me on this definition, but put some thought into it. Most successful entrepreneurs I have interviewed have mainly one regret, not having started earlier. However, the good thing I tell them is that they have started already. And the only way you will succeed in life and in business is if you put your heart and soul into making your company, your enterprise, successful.

This is what entrepreneurs do every single day. They start with a dream and then go working out of their way to see it become a reality.

As the title of this short article suggests, you need to start early.  And then start again and again until you get it right and do it right. Taking the first step gets you going and moves you in a direction. It may not be the right one; you might have to change courses from time to time; so you have to set your mind on your goals. Developing your goals and creating the strategies to implement them is of crucial importance.

So start early. Your idea does not have to be perfect; nor does your plan (and of course you do need a plan). But until you start you will never know what you will need to change, to adapt, to modify. Simply put, start and start early so that you can become the entrepreneur you have in you.

Working on your ideas.

We usually have many ideas on our minds. Some might be vague, while others may need a little help. However, every so often we come up with an inspiring idea that is worth taking care of, for it is clear that the most important thing right now is to focus and clarify our ideas and our thoughts. None of it is easy.

Walt Disney once said, "A dream is a wish come true." But let's go further. A dream is something that we want to achieve and thus we need to work on making it a reality. Our minds are full of words, lists, ideas, plans, dreams, thoughts, activities, previous or future commitments and so many other things that we seldom stop to think what we really need and have to do to achieve our dreams and our goals and our objectives. And we need to develop a process for putting those ideas into action, even mentally, which we then need to develop into a plan.
I do not want to sound over simplistic, but everything has a methodology, steps that if followed, will help you get in the right direction. We are allowed to believe in what we want and we just need to work on them. Most people never start! Do your list and create a plan. Have all your ideas set up like actions, one by one, and make the necessary commitment to achieve them, meaning, you need to believe in yourselves.
If we want a better job, work harder on your skills, start planning, be proactive, and learn how to market yourselves and your ideas and do new things; never stop. If you have your dream job (so that the best possibility is doing what you love and loving what you do), you then need to improve and innovate continuously. Be creative and generate results. Do it as a student and as a professional; do it as an employee and an entrepreneur. Always be alert, attentive and seeking new opportunities for learning, understanding, reading and so many things to keep improving, being alive, and being able to enjoy life.
Believe in your dreams and take action on them. Decide what you are going to do in order to achieve them; work constantly on your goals. Then put your dreams into actions, do not live them as ideas in your head. So define what you want, be clear and specific on how to get it, work on your goals and above all, make a plan to achieve your dreams. 

Luis Vicente Garcia