Photo by KK+

This is the first post in a new series called Success Mastery, which is all about changing the way you see success in order to experience more of it on a day to day basis (see Redefining the Path of Success for more information).

This post outlines one of my favorite strategies for experiencing success more frequently - Getting a Win in!

At it’s most basic, this strategy is about increasing motivation and the feelings of success whenever you are starting something new - an exercise program, a new day, a work project, a blog… Anything new that you want to focus your efforts upon.

When you are starting your new venture, even if it is just a new day - look around, and find something small you can do immediately, that moves you towards your end result. This is your “win” - a small but positive action you’ve taken to achieve your objective.

This process works quickly and easily, for 3 reasons:

1. You have achieved something tangible towards your goal
2. You have experienced a small measure of success
3. You have built momentum behind your positive action

Just a small “win” early on in a venture can have a massive positive impact on your motivation - you’ve already started and been successful, so you will subconsciously want to take the next step (as long as that is fairly small too).

Here are some possible “wins” that might help you build the momentum of success:

• When starting a new day, get some exercise in straight away, even if it’s just a few stretches before you get dressed
• When starting a new project,work on a simple one paragraph definition of what you want to achieve
• When quitting smoking, make passing up those first 5 cigarettes your immediate goal for the day
• If you’re trying to get organized - pick just one drawer to start on
• If you want to write a book, start with a single page
• If you want to lose weight, start by binning all your temptations
• If you want to drink more water, simple grab a glass and slurp away!
• If you want to meet someone new, focus on starting to smile at potentially desirable dates
• To beat procrastination, just start working for 5 minutes, then celebrate!

If you’re starting something new, don’t underestimate the psychological benefits of taking even a very small positive action - a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Just a few links for your edification this morning - I’ve been away visiting Oxford with my better half this weekend, and I’ve been busy working on the first few follow-up posts to Success Mastery.

Monk at Work - My latest fave blog, which I am still working my way through (it has loads of great posts and podcasts) is Monk at Work. The author, Adam Kayce has a wonderful way with words, and present a wide range of topics in a fun, friendly way. Via Chrisg.com.

Stephen Covey Interview at Zen Habits - Leo Babauta is one of my top bloggers, and Stephen Covey is one of my favorite Personal Development Authors - This interview is a great combination - make sure you read it!

What Side of your Brain are You Using? - This is very interesting, and is worth spending a few minutes playing with. You can consciously experience the shift between left-brain and right-brain thinking and see the consequences in front of you.

Create and Use a Prep Card - Those smart lads over at Lifeclever have a great idea for using an Index Card as a simple, elegant reminder sheet for meetings and discussions, helping you stay focussed on your targets.

That’s all for this week - I hope you like what you see. You can find more of my favorite links by checking out my StumbleUpon profile, my Del.icio.us profile, or by following my daily updates on Twitter.