By Marc Beauchamp
Bankcard Life
I love the start of a new year; it gives us a chance to begin again with a clean slate. We are still dealing with a lot of unknowns around COVID-19, the economy and the future regulatory environment. I say, so what? When haven't there been unknowns in business and life? Most of these things are out of our control. My advice is to stay focused on what you can control.
In my last article I addressed important questions to help bring clarity to two areas: what we accomplished in 2020 and what our vision is for the new year.
I hope you were able to attend my free workshop, Creating Your Blueprint for 2021. If not, join my Bankcard Life Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/Bankcardlife to access the replay and handouts. There is no charge to become a group member for 2021.
We went deep in this workshop and created impossible targets around the domains of body (health), being (spiritual life), balance (relationships) and business. We gained awareness of the gaps in our lives and committed to closing those gaps in 2021. And from that place of commitment, we were able to create a strategy around our first 90-day sprint of the year.
If you haven't set targets for 2021, do it now. As Fredrich Engels said, "An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory."
One of my favorite quotes comes from Omar Khayyam, a 12th century Persian poet and tent maker who wrote, "The moving finger writes, and, having writ, moves on: nor all your piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all your tears wash out a word of it." What he is saying is that no matter how much you want to undo the past, it's over, done with, and you are powerless to change it.
It is now time for action. The difference in the results that people produce in their lives comes down to what they have done differently from others in similar situations. Quite simply, different actions produce different results. If you're not getting the results you want, you may not be taking the correct actions necessary to achieve the desired outcome.
Most ISOs and merchant level salespeople (MLSs) want similar things from this industry: big commission checks, huge residual streams, a steady flow of referrals, financial independence and control over their own destiny. But how many people create a plan to move their dreams to reality?
Consider this: If you were about to take a family vacation to Disney World would you just pack up the family, jump in the car and take off? I don't think so. Most reasonable people would make a plan. The planning might include travel dates, budgeting, mapping a trip route, locating and reserving a hotel room, buying tickets to enter the theme parks and finally deciding what activities to attend.
Peak performance is similar in sales and in life. The most prosperous ISOs and MLSs in this industry have what Anthony Robbins calls a MAP, short for Massive Action Plan, for success. First, you get clarity, create a strategy and then you're ready to build a MAP, which is a road map of actions you're committed to taking to hit your targets.
In Awaken the Giant Within, one of my favorite books, Robbins wrote. "The truth of the matter is that there's nothing you can't accomplish if: 1) You clearly decide what it is that you're absolutely committed to achieving, 2) You are willing to take Massive Action, 3) You notice what's working or not, and 4) You continue to change your approach until you achieve what you want."
The underlying factor in all success is massive action. Step out each day and commit yourself to taking the actions you need to bring your vision to reality. If you need to make 50 cold calls to get three solid appointments, then don't stop until you have reached your goal for the day. Each day builds upon the next. When you get in the habit of taking action and building discipline, you will start seeing positive results from your daily MAP, and it will start to come automatically.
Another key is to ask quality action questions daily. Quality questions direct your focus and get you in a state of mind that readies you to take action. Instead of asking yourself self-defeating questions—like, why can't I?—start your day by asking questions like these:
The cost is too great not to do this work. Set your targets, create a MAP, ask yourself quality questions—and take Nike's advice: just do it! 
Marc Beauchamp is author of Survive and Thrive in the Merchant Services Industry and founder of Bankcard Life, a community for payments professionals. He is offering a free copy of his book to all payments professionals at www.bankcardlife.com/greensheet. Marc welcomes your comments and feedback at marcb@surviveandthrive.biz..
The Green Sheet Inc. is now a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals. Click here for more information.
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