Top People Issues Around the Globe, the Dirty Dozen

1. Failed goals
2. Lack of focus
3. Poor time management skills
4. Poor financial management skills
5. Lack of confidence
6. Lack of motivation
7. Inconsistency
8. Missed commitments
9. Procrastination
10. Disorganization
11. Poor communication skills
12. Ineffective leadership skills

The first 10 issues fall under the category of self-discipline. Without these discipline-related skills it is impossible to effectively manage your life. Whether it's your personal life or career, improving these skills is the key ingredient to improving the quality of your life.

Self-discipline skills are difficult to acquire. Although acquiring discipline is not rocket science it does take time and hard work to leverage its power. It's easier for people to train for a college degree then it is to embrace and eventually leverage the power of discipline.

Discipline is the defining element in your life. With it you can achieve almost anything; without it, you will struggle to exist. Those who do will have no limitations in accomplishing their wildest aspirations. Regardless of your chosen personal and professional endeavors, discipline remains the single most critical ingredient required to bring fruition to your goals and desired outcomes. To acquire discipline follow these 4 principles:

1. Focus
Establish and adhere to a maximum of 2 priorities ONLY (i.e., career and health). De-clutter the mind of everything else.

Establish minor goals with simple milestones and realistic due dates. Build in safeguards (plan for emergencies and worst case scenarios).

Treat everyday equally by focusing on your priorities first.

Be efficient by keeping every day organized. Write down your daily tasks/errands the night before.

2. Commitment
Train the mind to think with a sense of urgency by playing mind games. The method I use to play mind games is the man in the mirror (MIM) technique. You're conversing with yourself repeatedly in a negative manner. Just like a drill sergeant would mentally beat up new recruits in boot camp. Adhere to a daily routine and it will eventually become habitual.

3. Management
Manage Milestones NOT goals.

Plan your milestones for the entire week. For example, if one of your milestones is to exercise 3 times a week and you will be going on vacation Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun that week - make sure you exercise Mon-Wed.

Establish a Personal Banking System (PBS). The concept is simple. It's the same notion as depositing money in a savings account in case it's needed for an emergency. For example, If your milestone is to exercise 3 days a week then on the weeks that you feel energetic and have additional bandwidth do an extra workout and deposit it into your PBS. You never know when an emergency arises and you cannot workout. Your milestone will still be on target.

Manage time in minutes and always forecast wasted time in months/years.

Manage energy (mind and body) for peak performance. If you're a morning person then do all of your brain intensive projects in the AM - as you get tired in the late afternoon do less brain intensive tasks (i.e., administrative).

4. Control
Sacrifice. Before charging forward you must realize that you can't have it all¾if you try you will always fail. Learn to say no with grace.

The effort to develop your skills to consistently achieve results and improve your quality of life is a difficult one. Although the approach seems fairly easy to follow no one should underestimate the resources required to dramatically change your life. I don't think this is news to anyone. It's a lot of hard work and only a handful of individuals are willing to sacrifice their unstructured lifestyle in the short-term to enjoy a more productive and balanced future.

Do you honestly think reading a self-help book, listening to a 1-hour talk or even attending a 1-day seminar on wealth management will provide you with the necessary level of discipline for success? It may for a day/two or perhaps even a week, but then it's back to business as usual. Acquiring discipline is a huge commitment of resources and sacrifice. That's why people fail in this endeavor and self-help experts are making millions. Everyone is looking for a quick fix. Unfortunately there are none. Very few are willing to sacrifice their unstructured and just barely surviving lifestyle for a more disciplined/structured and productive lifestyle.