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Episode 108 | OWN YOUR SUCCESS WITH THIS SIMPLE ACRONYM


It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome. William James

In last week’s show I revisited the videos of viral YouTube sensation Abo Demi Demi and explored three more of his motivational messages. This was a follow up to the very successful 5 motivational messages show I did on him in episode 96. Go back and have a listen if you haven’t already as Demi Demi’s messages are great fun, straight to the point and will shine a light on a few productivity and life lessons that you may find enlightening.


Today I want to introduce you to the short acronym OWN that’s O/W/N or OSCAR WHISKEY NOVEMBER if you are struggling with my accent. This stands for


· O – What outcome do I want?

· W – Why do I want this? And…

· N – What can I do right now to achieve that outcome?


I’ll say that again.


· O – What outcome do I want?

· W – Why do I want this? And…

· N – What can I do right now to achieve that outcome?


And to be perfectly honest here I have no idea where I first picked this up but I have used it repeatedly to get stuff done over the years. It’s very simple but it works.


Now you’d think that Question 1: What is my outcome? would be an obvious first question in any endeavor, but in reality many people barely consider this before storming into a task or moving towards a goal. One of the reasons I believe so strongly in The My Best Year Yet strategy which I’ve covered in several New Year episodes and in the 12 Week Year action plan is that it forces you to really think about what you actually want to get before you start making plans to achieve it. That’s exactly what this question is covering on a smaller scale. Minimalist.com suggest that another way to ask this question is to ask yourself: What do I want to happen? Do I want to lose weight? Do I want to stop fighting with my significant other? Do I want to make a billion dollars?


Simply put, before you can move forward, you must have a vision of what you want: without a vision, people perish, so next time you have a task in front of you ask yourself what outcome do you want here?


Question 2 is Why do I want this? This is the most important of the three questions - NYT Bestselling Author and leadership expert Michael Hyatt said famously that When you know your WHY, you'll know your WAY.


Your purpose gives you the leverage you need to keep going, especially when you reach a roadblock. Without this leverage, it’s easy to get excited about a new idea, but quickly fall flat on your face because you no longer know why you wanted your outcome in the first place and quickly you’ll lose interest.


Sometimes we want a specific outcome, not knowing why we desire that outcome. So you want to make a billion dollars. OK, fine, but why do you want to make a billion dollars? “So I can feel secure,” you might say. OK, but can’t you feel secure without earning a billion dollars? Of course you can. So your real outcome in this case isn’t to earn a bunch of money: your outcome is to feel secure. There’s nothing wrong with earning money, but you needn’t rake in an exorbitant, arbitrary sum to make you feel secure.

Focus on long term success but be willing to make short term adjustments to get there. Simon Sinek

When you have the answer to this question you must be willing to change your outcome so you have a good enough reason to see it through.


It’s very hard for the human brain to process this question and put your feelings into words so you may struggle with this one.


You could alternatively ask what specifically is it about this outcome that makes you need to achieve it. That question may help you to reach the why question. What you may discover is that the reason why you want something is entirely emotional but when you find it you will have the fuel to help you achieve what you are doing?

People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it and what you do simply proves what you believe. Simon Sinek

Question 3 is What can I do right now to achieve that outcome? Once you know your outcome and why you want to achieve it, you must take action. At first, it is important to take massive action, to give you the initial momentum you need to move forward. Then you must be willing to take ongoing, consistent actions until you reach your desired outcome. There’s no avoiding this step: we all must take action.


Another way to frame this question is to ask yourself: What is my strategy? So plan out and action the first steps you are going to take and actually take them.


That’s the OWN acronym and how it may be of use to you. It’s very simple but it’s kinda powerful too.


Call to Action


Your call to action is to take an outcome that you want to achieve and simply ask yourself why you want to achieve it. Don’t give up on that question but drill it down, revisit it and come to a conclusion on it. Remember that When you know your WHY, you'll know your WAY.


Next time:


I hope this little acronym will be helpful to you in future and thank you once again for joining me here. If you like what you hear you can listen to more by subscribing to the show on any app. Next week’s show is going to look into The Dunning Kruger Effect so if that’s of interest to you please join me then.

Today’s ending quote is again from Simon Sinek who said Achievement happens when we pursue and attain what we want. Success comes when we are in clear pursuit of Why we want it.


Sponsor:


Amy Brass


This episode is dedicated to all first responders to thank them for their service and tireless efforts to keep people safe.


Amy simply asks if you can take a moment to post or deliver a kind word to first responders.


Season 8 Executive Producer: David Richard Thompson


Socials:

Instagram: @daudspeaks


Business:


-IPF- Support Parkour Teachers Teaching Globally… a fundraiser (Including 12 video clips of some of our Peace Through Parkour Ambassador teachers and others)



References:



Thanks:


A Himitsu Music: Adventures by A Himitsu

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