When deciding to summit one of the great mountains in the world, a climber must decide which route to take. There are seven established routes to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. Each one has certain advantages and disadvantages and different rates of climber success. Each route has varying degrees of difficulty, traffic and quality of the scenery.
The adventurer must also decide how many days of climbing to reach the summit. The more time one allows, the higher their rate of success.
To reach your personal summit and the peak of your potential, you must also choose your route. Like a climber, you’ll want to choose the route that will bring you the highest chances of success, the least amount of difficulty and the best scenery along the way.
For some, this may be the road less traveled and a less crowded experience. For others, you may enjoy the company of like-minded adventure seekers like yourself.
Choose your route to your full potential. Your route is your own. So, own it. Another way of thinking about your route is asking yourself, “How will I get there?” or “How will I build my life, business or dreams?” We’re talking about your Strategies.
Taking care of your body by making healthy eating and lifestyle habits is a good strategy to make sure you can reach the summit of your potential. It gives you the longevity you need to complete the journey and the vehicle to enjoy it every step of the way. Eating healthy, getting enough sleep, making sure you are exercising while avoiding those things that can kill you.
Practice self-care for a healthy mind. Start each day with gratitude and make it a practice. You’ll be amazed how it can pay results in improved creativity and mindfulness. Learn to stop worry in its tracks. Worry is a waste of time and energy. Worry is crazy. That’s right. Crazy! Worry is living in the future and there is nothing real about it. Plan – yes. Worry — no. Go ahead and be selfish and do something that makes you happy. Turn off negative people.
Be your own best friend and tell yourself how awesome you are. Look for beauty and appreciate it. Do something nice for someone. It will boost YOUR spirits. Connect with a friend. Send a thank you note to someone. Every day. Practice your spirituality. No matter what it is. Connect to others and to yourself.
In your business, decide your route. Begin by knowing what you do and more importantly what you do NOT do. Find your niche. Create your uniqueness. Become a specialist. Commit to learning the new skills needed in a changing world. Choose your Target accounts. Know what success looks like. Engage more personally and more frequently with your key stakeholders.
Paul Kiewiet MAS+ is an industry speaker, writer, consultant and coach. He serves as the executive director of MiPPA. Kiewiet was inducted into the PPAI Hall of Fame and the MiPPA Hall of Fame. He served as Chairman of PPAI in 2007. A former distributor, he founded Promotion Concepts, Inc in 1982 and worked with some of America’s most valuable brands including Coca-Cola, Kelloggs, and Whirlpool.