It is Up to You

Hello friends, I hope you are having a wonderful week.

Today I am celebrating my 20^th wedding anniversary but it seems that it was only yesterday that Michelle and I danced to The Carpenters’ song “We've Only Just Begun” on our wedding day. Captured by her love I must have lost track of time. Who cares where 20 years has gone when we have only just begun? I don’t….. but I am still curious (or clueless as Michelle often says), was it on one of our long walks in the tropical Sunday evening sunset that she captured my heart? It seems like only yesterday that I felt in love with Michelle and we’ve only just begun. Happy 20th Anniversary my love and soul mate.

Today I would like to share with you three reasons it is up to you to succeed. Obviously in order to succeed you will need to set your goals and have a plan. To be successful requires more than setting goals and having a plan and it is up to you.

Here are three reasons it is up to you:

Building the right relationships

Success is also about building the right relationships. It is up to you to connect and build relationships with people who you share a common interest with. For example, if you are starting a business and think you don’t know enough then you have to find people who share you passion and interests and people who you can learn from. In 2006, when I started Mark McKenzie Consulting I connected with Chris Mathers. He became my mentor. He helped me understand the local business culture, business development and a lot of others things relating to business. It is up to you to build the right relationships and surround yourself with others who share your vision.

Jump right in

Once you have set you goals and develop your plan for success it is up to you to jump right in. I usually tell my children and my friends that you cannot learn to swim sitting on the sand or on a pool chair. You have to jump right in to start learning how to swim. When we are learning to swim we start out at the shallow end and make our way gradually to the deep end of the pool. If your plan involves starting a business the truth is there is really no better way to start than jumping right in. If you have sufficient passion and perseverance it will guide you across the treacherous path to success.

Don’t be fooled once you have jumped right in. You will make mistakes. You will encounter setbacks and challenges but you will learn because you jumped right in. Jump right in and allow your deep-rooted drive and enthusiasm to keep you motivated and engaged in your quest for success. Jumping right in and putting yourself on the line will earn you respect from your peers. I remember about 4 years ago I met an executive from Economical Insurance based in Waterloo, Ontario on a flight. When I told him I owned and operated my own consulting practice he was very excited and told me how much he admired and respected people who have the courage to start their own business. You will gain respect when you jump right in.

Be confident and decisive

It is up to you to be confident and decisive. If you appear unsure and indecisive in the pursuit of your goals no one will take you seriously. Lack of confidence and indecisiveness is a signal of mediocrity. You cannot allow fear to cripple your dreams. As I mentioned above you are going to make mistakes and you are going to get some things wrong but you cannot allow it to make you do nothing. If it is worth doing, then it is worth trying.

One of the most important requirements for success is being confident and decisive knowing that your decisions are well thought out and thoroughly reasoned. It is about being confident in your judgement and believing in yourself. Remember doing nothing is worse than trying something and failing. If your decisions turn out to be right, you can expect to be rewarded for your efforts. Be confident and decisive and demonstrate The Power ofBelieving in Yourself.

Today I share with you three reasons why your success is up to you. Remember setting goals and having a plan is very important but you also need to:

• Build the right relationships
• Jump right in and be prepared to take risks knowing that a mistake can be corrected.
• Be confident and decisive. Learn to evaluate different decisions for their advantages and disadvantages. Taking action will get you closer to your goals than doing nothing at all.

Mark McKenzie is a leading Subject Matter Expert in financial services regulation and supervision as well as a professional motivational speaker, corporate trainer and youth mentor.  He can be contacted by email mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or by telephone 647-406-4622. Read my blog  http://mastbmckenzie.blogspot.ca/ and always write me a comment and share. Follow me on Twitter @mackynacky. Connect with me on www.youtube.com, Google+, Facebook and Linkedin.