12 Week Year

I just finished reading the book The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington. I blogged earlier about the Emotional Cycles of Change, which the authors describe in this book. But there are many other wonderful quotes and business planning ideas here that I highly recommend to any entrepreneur.


Here are a few of my favorite excerpts:

"The more personally compelling your vision is, the more likely it is that you will act upon it...In order to tap the incredible power of your vision you need a future that is bigger than the present...It is your personal vision that keeps you in the game when things become difficult."

"Long-term results are created by the actions you take every day...you have greater control over your actions than you do your results. Your results are created by your actions...The physical universe will not respond to your desires, no matter how passionate or intense they are. The one thing that moves the universe is action."

"Weekly plans allow you to structure your activities so that you are focused on...tasks that are truly important...The weekly plan...reflects the critical strategic activity from your 12 week plan that needs to take place this week in order for you to achieve your goals."

"We keep track of scores, measurements and stats to determine success and identify areas for improvement...Too often in business we fail to keep score, and without some objective measure, we cannot know for certain if we are being effective."

"Effective measurement captures both lead and lag indicators...Lag indicators - things like income, sales, commission dollars, pounds lost, body fat percentage, overall cholesterol levels - represent the end results that you are striving to achieve. Lead indicators are the activities that produce the end result...While it's true that we control our actions and not our outcomes, our results are created by our actions."

"Once you have an intense desire to accomplish something, you then need to identify the core actions that will produce the result..."

"[Studies show that] faced with the imminent threat of death, an overwhelming majority [90%] of people still failed to consistently make more productive choices. There was a group that had a much higher success rate - almost seven times greater. These patiest were involved in peer suport sessions, and they had a success rate of almost 80 percent."

"As long as you see the solution to your greatness as being outside of you, you will remain powerless to change. The reality is that the only things you control are the way you think and the way you act...Personal accountability...is the single most important thing that you can do to become great."

This book is full of great tips and execution strategies that will help anyone get more out of life, and more success in any area of their life, after they commit to making a change. If you want to improve your life, your real estate business, relationships, health or whatever, I would highly recommend this book.

Happy Investing!

Emotional Change Cycles

Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts. -Winston Churchill

I am reading another great business book entitled the 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington. Lots of great information on ways to increase productivity. And a great excerpt explaining the Emotional Cycle of Change (ECOC) which I believe is relevant to every investor, entrepreneur, business person, or change agent. It describes the emotional process we go through when faced with change. Unless we understand this normal cycle, it is too easy to be derailed by it when we attempt to make a big change in our lives.

The ECOC comes from the work of psychologists Don Kelley and Daryl Connor, and describes five stages of emotional experience. Regardless of the type of change you might implement in your life, your business, your relationships, you will experience this cycle. I believe this is especially important for many of our local real estate investors who just embarked on their "30-Day Challenges" to improve their investment businesses. I would suspect that many of them are experiencing the emotional roller coaster that comes along with making change happen.

The five stages that people move through emotionally when making changes in their behavior are as follows:

1. Uninformed Optimism
2. Informed Pessimism
3. Valley of Despair
4. Informed Optimism
5. Success and Fulfillment

The first stage of Uninformed Optimism is where we experience all of the thrills and excitement of embarking in a new direction, without any idea of the costs or downside. Get rich quick! No money down! Make money while you sleep! Kiss your day job good-bye! You brainstorm ideas and strategize how to achieve the results you desire.

Sadly, this phase does not last long, as reality begins to sink in. During the next phase of Informed Pessimism, the costs of the change are apparent and the benefits seem far removed. There is a shift to a negative emotional state, as we weigh the pros and cons of moving forward. This is hard work! I don't like hearing "no." It really isn't "no money down." My parents think I'm crazy to do this. My friends say this will never work.

And if that is not bad enough, things are about to get worse...as we move into the Valley of Despair. Perhaps this is where some of our 30-day challengers gave up. This is where most people give up. All of the pain of change is present, and it feels very uncomfortable. This is the stage at which it is absolutely critical to have a compelling vision. You must want the results so badly that you are willing to pay the price of discomfort to get it. Few people do. So they quit on their dream, and return to the stage of uninformed optimism.

Those who persist with commitment may be rewarded with progress to the fourth stage of Informed Optimism, where their likelihood of success is much higher. You are beginning to see the fruits of your efforts and the costs are easier because your activity is becoming more routine. Hey! That Seller returned my call! I found someone willing to lease-option! I got a private lender! The key at this stage is to keep going, do not quit!

Finally, those who stay the course reach the fifth stage of Success and Fulfillment, where the benefits of their behaviors are fully realized. "The actions which at the beginning were difficult and uncomfortable, have now become routine. Every time you complete the cycle, you build not only your capacity, but also your confidence." Bravo to those investors who completed their 30-day Challenge! They stayed the course and found success!

Being aware of this cycle of emotional shifts means that an investor will be less likely to be derailed by negative emotions and will be able to manage change more effectively.

Change is never easy. Being willing to follow through despite the skepticism, discomfort, obstacles, and negativity will bring you closer to the vision of reality you wish to pursue. It won't be easy, but guaranteed it will be rewarding.

And if you need some guidance along the way, be sure to check out the book The 12 Week Year.

Happy Investing!