PART 2: BREAKING NEW GROUND: YOUR PLAN OF ACTION

C. DECISIONS
Decisions are at the starting point of every breakthrough. A true decision is a powerful tool. The Latin root of the word means “to cut off.” So when you call something a decision, you’re saying you’ve cut off all other options. You’ve made a conscious choice to go after a victory in your life and zeroed-in on the steps to set it in motion…and you’re totally serious about following through.

The Decisions Worksheet on page 15 will help you give your decisions “cut-off-all-options” power. Start by listing three to five High Possibility Thinking goals. These can be drawn from your own reading or from a Breakthrough Skills High Possibility Thinking resource like Step Out of the Box with a Bang! Take a close look too at your Self Portrait and your  reputation from the last two sections. Put them side by side. What do you notice? Are there any gaps? How can you close them?

Where are your growth opportunities? For example, if you tend to look for problems instead of solutions or miss opportunities to plan next steps, you may want to be certain people see you looking for solutions and anticipating the next three or four steps.

If you’ve gotten a reputation for reacting emotionally, freezing up (and giving up)when something goes wrong, progress in your High Possibility Thinking will lie in learning how to push past disappointments toward the goal you’re after.

Next, describe the actions you’ll take to to reach each goal. Make them specific and real by including detail about when you’ll take these actions (specific meetings,communications, etc.), with whom (specific people/teams/clients),and how often
(ad hoc/unplanned, once a week, etc.).

We’ve given you some examples to get your creative juices flowing.

DECISIONS WORKSHEET: EXAMPLES

High Possibility Thinking Goal: To speak in consistently positive terms about my company, my boss, and my coworkers.

Actions (How I will accomplish this goal)
* I will catch myself before I start to gripe or grumble about a new policy or decision the company announces.
* I’ll make a habit of congratulating myself when I’ve skipped a chance to say something negative about work.
* I’ll make a practice of knowing my company’s business goals and direction so I won’t feel surprised or “victimized” by its decisions.
* Everyone will leave conversations with me feeling more positive and hopeful, rather than more justified in their upset.

High Possibility Thinking Goal: To break the habit of approaching every new idea from the perspective of why it can’t be done.

Actions (How I will accomplish this goal)
* As a reminder, I will write on an index card and post in my work area phrases like: “I/we sure can” “Let’s think about that…” “My/our pleasure” “Sure thing” “You bet” “Absolutely…” “That sounds interesting. Tell me/us more.”
* Whenever I make the “impossible” happen, I will showcase my persistence and determination to my Key Influencers.
* I’ll get inspired by reading stories of people who refused to believe a goal was not possible (e.g., Soichiro Honda, Thomas Edison, and many others).

High Possibility Thinking Goal: To stop making excuses when something doesn’ t go according to plan.

Actions (How I will accomplish this goal)
* When something goes wrong, I will take command of the situation by mentally taking responsibility, quickly and briefly apologizing, offering a short, fact-based explanation (only if necessary), and immediately suggesting a solution for the future.
* I will pause to notice how much more powerful I feel when I take, rather than reject, responsibility for making a situation better.

WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS EXCERPT OF THE HIGH POSSIBILITY THINKING BREAKTHROUGH JOURNAL.  PLEASE DON’T LET THIS BE THE END!  BE SURE TO GET YOUR COPY OF THIS POWERFUL RESOURCE FOR BUILDING YOUR NEXT CAREER OR BUSINESS BREAKTHROUGH!