Six Steps to Planning a Great Second Quarter

“Without strategy, execution is aimless.
Without execution, strategy is useless.”

— Morris Chang

Success must be earned, deserved, respected and appreciated. It plays by specific, non-negotiable rules, it will always require that goals be clearly identified, plans firmly in place, and deadlines consistently enforced.

And if you stand a chance of making progress in the second quarter, it will be because of your answer to this question…

What specific, measurable, and time-bound goals are you committed to achieve from April 1 through June 30th?

As you work to answer that question, always remember that you will NEVER be greater than the vision and goals that guide you.

If you think small, you will get small results, therefore the second quarter is the time for a BIG, BOLD, AUDACIOUS agenda.

Hi There, my name is Gary Ryan Blair and I’ve got a great message for you today that you’re absolutely going to love.

It’s all about making huge gains in your performance and creating radical results in the second quarter.

Let’s start where the first quarter finished…

The year is now 25% complete.

If you had ambitions of making $250,000 this year, you should NOW have $62,500 in the bag.

If you set a goal of paying down $20,000 in debt, you should be $5000 lighter by now.

Are you on track with any of your goals or resolutions?

Have you surpassed your expectations?

Are you even close?

IF you have not made as much progress as you’d like in the first quarter, then stick with me, and hold on tight as I’m going to use the balance of this message to talk frankly about your performance, as well as to provide you with a prescription for starting the second quarter with a raging fire under your behind.

There is only ONE reason for under performance and…

IT’S YOUR OWN FAULT

Your year-to-date results aren’t dependent upon your background, your company, your spouse, the economy, the latest bestseller on the self-help charts, or who’s sitting in the Oval Office.

Your performance and corresponding results ARE dependent upon, one thing…YOU and your ability to deliver, and right now you have NOT delivered the goods.

It’s time to shine a flashlight to your soul, acknowledge that your current strategies are not working, and wake up to the fact that if you continue along this line of behavior…this year and your future is in serious jeopardy.

Your current results speak for themselves. You’ve had a full 90 days, which in anyone’s book is more than enough time to perform, to display your talents, and to show the world how good you really are.

What Can You Do To Turn it Around and Create a Stellar Second Quarter Performance?

The solution for turning things around are found in a simple six step process which play off each letter in the word…CHANGE!

Use the letters in the word “CHANGE” for redeeming yourself and quickly getting back on track in the second quarter.

Step 1. “C” is for Consequences

More specifically, it’s about Facing the CONSEQUENCES

No matter how you look at it, we act because of the good or bad consequences we expect to get as a result of our actions.

If you do not wake up and smell the reality that your current performance is nothing worth bragging about, that the game you are playing is not working, and that you are the only one who can turn things around, then your future is in serious jeopardy.

Why? Because precedent, patterns and low performance standards have been set and reinforced, and they will also be repeated if left unchanged.

YOU must prove to yourself the severe disadvantages of not changing and the huge advantages of changing…QUICKLY!

To do so, answer these two questions…

What are the negative consequences of not changing and just maintaining the status quo?

What are the positive consequences of changing and how will it impact your second quarter results?

The next five steps provide a rock solid blueprint for addressing the positive consequences of change and exactly what you need to do to knock it out of the park in the second quarter.

Step 2. “H” is for Habit

So let’s talk about the need for Creating New HABITS

There’s no way around this truth…your habits determine your past, present and your future. And your current habits are leading you to an undesirable, undisciplined, and unprofitable future.

The one true path to success in the second quarter is to replace your bad habits with positive habits that move you in the direction that you want…period!

Answer these two questions…

What bad new habits need to be broken…now?

What good habits do you need to develop in order to become highly competitive?

The moral of this lesson is that old dogs can, do, and must learn new tricks!

“In real life, strategy is actually very straightforward. You pick a general direction and implement like hell.”
— Jack Welch

Step 3. “A” is for Attitude

So let’s talk about Adjusting Your Attitude

Moan and complain all you want, but eventually you will accept the reality that your results are largely an extension of your attitude, and if you do not change it quickly, you will continue to be vicitimized by it.

This question will lead you towards the necessary attitude adjustment…

What is the best mental attitude that I can choose in order to redeem myself and deliver better results in the second quarter?

Because attitude is everything, do everything in your power to adjust yours accordingly.

The best one is a positive, joyful one that focuses on solutions and increases in personal contribution.

Step 4. “N” is for Needs

Focus on NEEDS

Part of adjusting your attitude also involves refocusing on what needs to get done in order to deliver results.

To ensure a successful second quarter, you need to…

execute
surprise and delight
go the extra mile
exceed expectations
inspire excellence
practice integrity
raise standards
contribute ideas
meet deadlines
be accountable
take risks
become brilliant on the basics
act with a sense of urgency
set a good example
honor your commitments
keep your promises
make good decisions
learn from mistakes
make everything count

Simply showing up, going through the motions, only doing what you want to do is one of the primary reasons why you’re behind the 8 ball right now.

This point is worth repeating, you must focus on what needs to be done to deliver results, not on what you want to do.

You’re on the payroll to do what needs to be done, to delight the customer, add value, and drive sustained profitably.

Step 5. “G” is for Goals

Set Big GOALS

Success must be earned, deserved, respected and appreciated. It plays by specific, non-negotiable rules, it will always require that goals be clearly identified, plans in place, and deadlines consistently enforced.

And if you stand a chance of making progress in the second quarter, it will be because of your answer to this question…

What specific, measurable, and time-bound goals are you committed to achieve from April 1 through June 30th?

As you work to answer that question, always remember that you will never be greater than the vision and goals that guide you.

If you think small, you will get small results, therefore the second quarter is the time for a BIG, BOLD, AUDACIOUS agenda.

Stick around another minute and I’ll show you how to turn those goals into reality faster than you ever imagined.

Step 6. “E” is for Empowerment

EMPOWER Your Greatness

You will naturally feel empowered to work for proactive change in the second quarter when you understand the consequences of a repeat performance… identify and commit to a new set of habits… adjust your attitude… focus on what needs to be done to drive results… and set some big, bold, audacious goals.

Once you drink the Kool-Aid of that reality, you will expect the best, you will feel empowered to make big things happen in the second quarter… and you will show the world just how GREAT and powerful you really are.

It is not just the championship athlete or record breaker that aspires to push their limits and become great.

It is also the parent, teacher and coach who wants their children and students to reach their full potential.

It’s the leader or entrepreneur who wants to create a culture that inspires excellence, passion, and innovation.

It’s the artist who wants to create a true work of art that moves everyone who comes in contact with it.

It’s everyone who strives to excel on their own terms… to set and realize personal goals… and achieve their own defining moment of greatness.

That’s the reason why I created the “100 Day Challenge”… the world’s most powerful goal setting program for achieving radical results…fast!

The 100 Day Challenge is designed to inspire anyone who wants to achieve their own moment of greatness, who wants to redeem themselves in the second quarter, and who truly wants to be the best they can be.

To those who are overwhelmed by the prospect of what is required to reach their goals and truly find their greatness, my advice is this…

Be better today than you were yesterday, as each day of your life provides you with an endless number of opportunities to demonstrate commitment, character, focus, integrity, initiative, creativity, perseverance and a host of other noble virtues to showcase your greatness.

You may be asking yourself why should I participate in the 100 Day Challenge?

On a global scale, there is a chronic disconnect between goal formulation and execution.

The goals and resolutions that companies and people set for themselves at the beginning of the year often bear little resemblance to the results they actually achieve.

The root cause of this disconnect is that most of us do not have a proven and sustainable execution process in place.

The 100 Day Challenge is the ideal solution as it’s all about strategy execution and satisfying the need for more, better, and faster results in a highly competitive world.

Through this revolutionary extreme performance acceleration program, you will learn:

How to transform your life by implementing proven execution strategies.

How to execute flawlessly and enjoy greater levels of productivity.

How to eliminate performance and time-draining activities.

How to get more done in 100 days than most people do over the course of 10 years.

Success as well all know is a journey, a maze of obstacles, options, and opportunities along with failure, ambiguity, and do-overs.

The success you enjoy in the SECOND QUARTER depends upon many things, but mostly it depends on you and your ability to execute until each goal is achieved.

That is why the one decision you must make today is to say YES, I’m ready for a challenge!

Gary Ryan Blair is creator of the 100 Day Challengea radical approach to goal achievement that shows you how to 10X your goals by applying the strategies of growth hacking.

Join an enthusiastic community of 600,000+ aspiring people and get the training, support and accountability you need to turn your big goals and crazy dreams into breakthrough success.