Quotes from The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran
If you are interested in learning how to more effectively reach your goals, I highly recommend this book. You can read this in an hour and spend the rest of your life implementing the wisdom in this book.
Cost is $12.95 plus shipping. You can order it from Amazon or directly for the author:
http://www.strategicbreakthroughs.net/#
“…the results you achieve are a direct result of the actions you take. Your actions in turn are manifestations of your underlying thinking. Ultimately, it is your thinking that drives your results; it is your thinking that creates your experiences in life.” P. 12
“In the long run your actions are always congruent with your underlying thinking. When you focus on changing your actions you experience incremental improvements. When, however, your thinking shifts—everything changes. Then your actions naturally align with your new thought patterns and it is then that you experience breakthrough.” P. 12
“If you are going to perform at a high level; if you're going to take new ground; if you're going to be great; then you better have a vision that is emotionally compelling. In order to achieve a level of performance that is greater than your current performance you will need a vision of the future that is bigger than the present; a vision with which you are emotionally connected. Without a compelling vision, you will find there is no reason to go through the pain of change.” P. 18
“The more personally compelling your vision is, the more likely it is that you will act upon it. It is your personal vision that creates an emotional connection to the daily actions that need to take place in your business. In order to tap the incredible power of your vision you need a future that is bigger than the present.” P. 19
“Critical Objectives proved you with that line of sight, that emotional link, to help you overcome the challenges and execute. When the task seems too difficult or unpleasant, you can reconnect with your personal objectives and vision. It is this emotional connection that will provide you with the inner strength to forge ahead in spite of any difficulties, thus enabling you to achieve your dreams and desires. P. 20
“Working from a plan has three distinct benefits:
· It reduces miscues
· It saves time
· It provides focus
“…planning saves significant time and resources….planning time is some of the most productive time you can have…planning keeps you focused and on purpose; this is vital, as there are all kinds of day-to-day distractions to pull you off course. Your plan continually brings you back to the strategically important items…Planning brings the future into the present.” Pp. 21-22
“…12-Week Planning is…more focused. Most plans have too many objectives, which is one of the primary reasons execution fails…With the 12-Week Year, the approach is “Let’s be great at a few things versus mediocre at many.” With 12-Week Planning you identify the top one, two maybe three things that will have the greatest impact and pursue those with intensity.” P.23
“The Weekly Plan…reflects the critical strategic activity from your 12-Week Plan that needs to take place in the current week in order for you to achieve your goals…spend the first 15-20 minutes at the beginning of each week to review your progress from the last week and to plan your upcoming week. In addition, the first 5 minutes of each day should be spent planning that day. This extra 40 minutes a week can improve your effectiveness by 300% or more. Pp. 26-27
“ …the only way to know if you are achieving is through measurement…measurement builds self-esteem and confidence….Effective scorekeeping removes the emotion and paints an honest picture of your performance. It is not concerned with effort or intentions; it simply highlights outcomes….the sooner we confront reality, the sooner we can shift our actions towards producing more desirable results. That is what effective measurement does. It demands our attention and causes us to respond more immediately, increasing the likelihood of success.
“If you don’t achieve your goal, you need to know whether it was a breakdown in plan content or a breakdown in execution, because there is a difference. A breakdown in plan content occurs when strategies and tactics are not effective, while a breakdown in execution occurs when you fail to fully implement the plan tactics. Over 60% of the time breakdown occurs in the execution process…” pp. 30-31
“To take your performance to the next level and beyond you will need to be more intentional about how you use your time. Being intentional is the opposite of being reactive. It requires you to reorganize yourself around your priorities and consciously chose the activities that align with your goals and vision. When you are intentional with your time you know what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to. You are aware when you’re procrastinating or engaging in low-level activity to avoid tackling a less comfortable high-payoff activity. When you are intentional you are much more conscious of your actions. You willingly employ discipline and rigor to how you organize and structure your day and your week. Your activity is driven by your goals and plan. In the end you work your plan instead of your day working you. Intentionality is your secret weapon in the war on mediocrity.
“The key to successful time use—intentional time use—is not necessarily trying to eliminate those unplanned interruptions but to regularly block out time in order to focus on the strategically important items…” Moran recommends that each week we schedule one three-hour strategic block of time with no interruptions, where we “focus all your energies on…your strategic and money-making activities. Doing so concentrates your intellect and creativity and producers breakthrough results. You will be astounded by the quantity and quality of the work you produce.” Pp. 33-35
“Accountability…is a character trait, a life stance, a willingness to own your actions and results regardless of the circumstances….The very nature of accountability rests on the understanding that each and every one of us has freedom of choice….Ultimately you choose your actions, your results, your consequences.
“At the end of the day the only accountability that truly exists is self-accountability. The only one that can hold you accountable is yourself. To be successful you must develop the discipline to make good on your commitments and promises to yourself.” Pp. 39-40
“Most change fails because it creates discomfort and uncertainty. Ironically, the discomfort you feel is the first sign of progress. This is true for all meaningful change—the number one thing you have to sacrifice in order to be great is your comfort. If you implement the 12-Week Year, you will have to be willing to sacrifice your comfort—at least for a period of time. P. 48
“…part of your brain [is the] Pre-Frontal Cortex that allows us to create and act upon a compelling vision of the future. Brain research show that by frequently and consistently envisioning the future we increase our brain’s capacity to create powerful and compelling visions. In fact, the neurons that we use to create our vision are the very same ones that fire when we act upon our visions. Simply by creating and nurturing our vision we are setting ourselves up for success!
“Here’s one of the great features of your brain—what you use grows in size and strength! Knowing this allows you to train and use your brain in a way that supports you being effective with the changes you want to implement. If you’re serious about achieving your best, you will need to spend time—not a lot of time, just a few minutes—with your vision each day. Pp. 49-50
“DON’T GO IT ALONE—There was a fascinating article in Fast Company in May, 2005 entitled Change or Die1. The article presented studies conducted by Dr. Ornish with patients who had severe medical conditions that required lifestyle changes in order to live. What they found was that when patients participated in peer support, their success rate was nearly 7 times higher than those who did not attend….The lesson is that if you are implanting change don’t go it alone. Your chances of success are7 times greater if you employ peer support.
“GO BIG—The same medical study also revealed another interesting dynamic: “Paradoxically, he (Dr. Ornich) found that radical, sweeping, comprehensive changes are often easier for people than small, incremental ones…The bottom line is you have a greater likelihood of successful change when you implement significant change vs. trying to implement small pieces. With increment change you experience the pain of change but the results are so slow in coming that you give up. Conversely, with massive change the pain of change is no greater, and may even be perceived as less because you are mentally prepared for it. Also an added benefit is that the results come much quicker, reinforcing the change. Pp. 51-52
1[This life-changing article can be found at http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/94/open_change-or-die.html].
Quotes from The 12-Week Year Page 4