Most people fail because they quit. 

Most people quit because they get frustrated. 

Most people get frustrated because they don't know how to measure success. 

Most people don't know how to measure success because they never took the time to think about how they might be able to accomplish that measurement.

Most people don't understand the value in breaking work down into bite-sized tasks, which can be measured.

When we break success into bite-sized pieces of action we can measure it. 

When we measure actions we can see small successes. 

When we see small successes we can celebrate them. 

When we celebrate small successes we self motivate. 

When we self motivate we increase our chances of future successes.

When we measure and understand our small successes we see they are accumulating and we gain confidence.

When we gain confidence we increase the likelihood of ultimate success...achievement of our long-term Goals...attainment of our Vision. 

This is the sort of logic that allows us to understand the value embedded in goals, specifically when vivid long-term vision is built upon measurable short-term actions.

first version posted on Oct 21, 2014

In his first inaugural address, in 1933, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Starting with this sort of thinking, FDR proceeded to take the series of planned actions that broke the back of the Great Depression, bringing vitality back to the U.S. economy and the economies of many nations around the world [including Canada’s economy].  

FDR was one of the most-influential leaders of the 20th Century. FDR understood people. FDR understood the power of positive thinking backed by decisive action.

While his words "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." have puzzled many people, FDR knew what he meant and when he took decisive actions in the form of 'fireside chats' about what to do with money & banking the American people quickly understood how to bring about positive change. FDR understood fear and he understood how fear could be mastered. 

Perhaps FDR thought along these lines...

Fear is a necessary part of life. It is not a ‘necessary evil’...it is not a burden we have to bear in order to have the opportunity to more fully appreciate the good parts of life. We should not look at fear in that sort of light.

Rather, we need to accept that fear contains value.

Yes - in excess fear can debilitate or craze, wreaking havoc. But, fears do not have to become excessive. We have the power and ability to make choices that limit and remove fear-damage.

The key is to face each fear and nip it in the bud, before it swells to excessive proportions/perceptions.

When faced and nipped in the bud, fear educates and serves as the catalyst that triggers courage. When faced over time, fear can be a vital part of the process for building self-confidence. Fear, properly faced and nipped in the bud, is the fundamental building block for strong character and influence.

Perhaps fear is a necessary precursor to, the essential ingredient for, true self-confidence. That seems to be an accurate description of one key role fear plays in our lives, the other key aspect being self-protection.

Fear protects.

Fear is at the roots of strength of character.

Really, considering the positive roles fear alone serves better than all other mindsets combined, we do not have to fear fear. We simple have to muster the conviction to work through our fears.

The key thing: we need to understand how fear affects our energy. Is it killing our energy? Is it kindling or sparking our energy? Shun the former. Embrace the latter.

In business, as in other endeavours, the essence of leadership is positive Influence.

At its core, positive Influence is about inspiring people to take positive actions...where 'positive actions' means mean actions directed toward desired long-term goals.

In addition to the ability to inspire positive actions, a leader must have a pleasing personality (or at the very least an acceptable personality) in order to inspire other people to be motivated in positive ways...i.e., be motivated to take actions aimed at desired & shared goals. 

Inspiring People and Influencing them to take positive Actions toward desired & shared Goals...toward a shared & vivid Vision.

• this is the way to grow personal wealth through business
• this is the work of business Leaders