Secret 6: Go Back to School

By Myra Daniels

One of the essential qualities of “Rutbusting” is being able to wake yourself up when you’ve fallen asleep. No matter how successful we are, we must continually evaluate who and where we are and what we’re doing. We can lose bad habits and gain good ones. Often a minor adjustment in our habits can result in a major change in our lives. But we first have to recognize that we need to make this adjustment: to “go back to school.”

I have met so many people over the years who only needed a small push - a word of encouragement, a promotion, a loan, a piece of advice - and they might have found their path to contentment and success. The way I determine when I need to go back to school is by regularly taking inventory - taking a disgustingly honest look at myself. 

What’s one small adjustment you could make in your life this week? 

See all the secrets in "Secrets of a Rutbuster" available on Amazon.  

Secret 5: Learn to Take Intelligent Risks

One of the least understood - but most important - elements of success is the ability to take Intelligent Risks. I’ve known many talented people over the years who were never able to master the art of intelligent risk-taking and consequently, often came up short - in business and in life. 

Think of Risk as a stepping stone on the path to what you want, and spend just a few minutes examining and questioning your assumptions about risk. See The 5 Steps of Intelligent Risk Taking.

When was the last time you took a risk, and what happened next? 

See all the secrets in "Secrets of a Rutbuster" available on Amazon.  

Secret 4: Find What You Love - And Do It!

By Myra Daniels

If you aren’t in love with what you do, you haven’t found your true calling. You won’t reach your true potential - for happiness or success - until you’ve discovered it. Don’t settle for something you don’t love. Keep Searching. 

Ask yourself: What is it that really makes me happy? What gets me excited? The answers will steer you to what you should be doing. 

When’s the last time you really enjoyed your working on something, so much so that you completely lost track of time? 

See all the secrets in "Secrets of a Rutbuster" available on Amazon.  

Secret 7: Redefine Failure

By Myra Daniels

One of the salient differences between people who are content and successful is how they handle failure. Failure has one great advantage over success: the potential to teach us important lessons. Failure - like success - is simply a word we need to redefine. If success means being able to spend life in your own way, failure is an obstacle to that goal. Anticipate failure and look for ways around it.

In other words, don’t make room for failure in your life bu understand that it is inevitable. Use it. Accept it. Become wiser because of it. Always learn from failure. Don’t run from it or deny it. Redefine it - not as a calamity but as a necessity. Success is often a liar. Failure is what keeps us honest. 

The 5 Steps of Intelligent Risk Taking

By Myra Daniels

These are what I call the five steps of intelligent risk taking: 

1. Ask yourself: “Why am I going to do this?” An intelligent risk is, first and foremost, something you feel passionately about. Be honest with yourself when you pose this question. 

2. Do your homework. Feeling passionate isn’t, alone, enough to justify taking an intelligent risk. Make sure your passion is supported by facts. 

3. Write out a Creative Rationale: a philosophy and a strategy to examine how your plan will make you stand out from others. Formulate your Creative Rationale and write it out - don’t just keep it in your head. Write it, review it, and rewrite it if necessary. 

4. Have a sounding board or two (but not many more than that). One reason that people take unintelligent risks is that they didn’t listen to the right people. Learn to listen to yourself - and trust yourself - but also seek the perspective of a select few people who can help you see your plan in fresh light. 

5. Take Action. Transform you Creative Rationale into behavior, and be prepared to adapt and improvise. 

What are you working on now?