Book Review: Take the Stairs – 7 Steps to Achieving True Success
By: Rory Vaden
I’ll admit it – I’m a sucker for a quiz and Vaden includes one right up front in the Introduction to his book. It rates your current level of self-discipline in comparison to the many people studied for this very book. Even better, the test and score with recommendations are free! My assessment was spot on – and it stoked the fire of excitement to continue reading his book for more insights and revelations.
Here are the top five concepts (and it was hard to narrow it down to these five!) I enjoyed reflecting on and learning more about in the rest of his book, with some additional commentary by yours truly:
· “It’s the habit that’s important. Success is often not the result of our major decisions, but more deceptively it is the aggregate sum total of all our small and seemingly insignificant ones. Success comes down to choosing the hard right over the easy wrong. Consistently.”
In my coaching practice, one of the main things we focus on no matter what my clients come to me for coaching with (health & nutrition, fitness, business or general lifestyle) is their habits. We look at what they are doing well, what they enjoy, what we can build on, and conversely what are some of the things they are doing that are taking them further from their goals that we can minimize or eliminate. More often than not, we are making small shifts to their everyday practices instead of massive changes to overhaul their lives. Why? Because how we live our life, day in and day out, impacts our outcomes much more than the big shifts, and small changes are also less overwhelming and therefore more sustainable. Once we choose the best areas for clients to focus on, we then work on consistency, and that is where progress is made and success is created.
· “Discipline creates freedom.”
I heard this over and over again when I first started coaching and even though it’s a concept I believe in, working with my various clients over the years has absolutely underscored the truth of this statement. Many people think the opposite is true, that discipline is restrictive, but when you have goals and you create a plan to reach them, the structure that you then operate in creates a framework for success! Your plan (the discipline) creates parameters and guidelines off of which to make your decisions. For example, if you are working on saving money, creating a budget so you know how much you can spend and how much to save is helpful when deciding when to take a trip. You have a plan in place (the budget), a target amount to save within that budget (the discipline), so you have the option to spend money outside of what you allocated to save based on your plan (the freedom. Whereas before you may have booked a vacation without giving thought to the spend at all and then found yourself wondering where all your money was going, your discipline to stick to your plan now creates a freedom to reach your goal (save money).
When working toward goals, the power comes with action. Creating a mindset that bypasses the will I, won’t I pothole and goes straight into the planning pathway of HOW to tackle your goals is a surefire way to set yourself up for a successful course of action.
· “Have you maximized your potential in the current situation?”
I love this question because it removes all outside influence, factors, blame and other ways of stealing your power and positions you in the driver seat to reach your goals. There are so many factors that are out of our control along our pathway to successful goal achievement that is can become frustrating and distracting, so by shifting focus internally to your own behaviors, thoughts and intentions you take control. Taking full responsibility for your future is the best way to make it happen.
· “The most important skill for the next generation of knowledge workers is not learning what to do but rather determining what not to do.”
Many people believe that to achieve their goals they need to do more, pay more, and add more to their already busy lives, and that just isn’t the case. In fact, one of the many things I frequently investigate with my clients are the things they are doing that are not working, adding value or creating joy for them. By reflecting on what we can eliminate, we create space to welcome in the things that will take us closer to our goals and dreams.
· “Today’s work turns into next week’s success.”
Investing in your current self for your future self is the best way to ensure that you are successful in whatever goals you are pursuing. Learning to be patient, to create short-term milestones for recognition as you work toward long-term goals, and understanding that the work you put in today may not be immediately fruitful but over time it will compound and produce the results you are after are all ways to create a mindset that will keep you engaged, focused and taking action toward your next success.
You can get your own copy of Take the Stairs here.
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