We use strategies for everything we do, such as getting out of bed in the morning, going to bed at night ... and for everything we do in between. Strategies start with thoughts, which lead to actions and produce a result.

For example, a successful strategy to get out of bed at a certain time might be:

• decide the time you want to wake up
• set your alarm for that time
• get into bed
• turn the alarm off when it sounds
• get out of bed immediately

Most strategies like the one above happen automatically without us consciously thinking about what we're doing. And most of them work well for us. But what happens when our strategies don't work? Some people repeat the same unsuccessful strategies over and over ... even when they are producing unwanted results. They keep getting into trouble without stopping to realise that they can choose to think and behave differently to enjoy better outcomes.

Let's say that you use the alarm clock strategy -- up to step 4. But instead of taking step 5 and getting out of bed immediately, you decide to lie there for a few minutes before getting up. And then ... you  d r i f t  back to sleep. This strategy only works if you follow all the steps in the correct order. If you change the order of the steps, or change your action on the steps and you create a different result.

Imagine how a cake would look, if you put all ingredients into the oven first for forty minutes, then tried to pour, grate, peel, sift and mix them together!

Think about the strategies you currently use for your relationships, health, academic success, sporting results, self-esteem, leisure time and hobbies. Break them down into steps.
Could you improve your results in any of these areas by changing one or more steps in your strategy?

Test each step of a current strategy by asking yourself ... If I change my behaviour on this step, how will it effect the end result? Will it create a more successful outcome?

eg. Melissa wanted to improve her running times. Her strategy was:

• Get up at 7 am and have a big healthy breakfast.
• Dress in T-shirt and shorts
• Start training at 7.30 with stretches.
• Do 50 push-ups and then
• Run flat out straight away to really wake up the body but this didn't seem to work.
  

Then she saw Cathy Freeman run and did some research to find out how Cathy got to be so successful.

She went to Cathy's website at www.cathyfreeman.com.au and found that Cathy's strategy is:

• Get up at 7 am and have breakfast
• Start training at 9 am - when her stomach has settled.
• Wear warm clothing to keep muscles warm
• Jog at a light pace to warm up
• Then do some stretches and drills before running.

Melissa learned that Cathy's warm ups before racing can take up to an hour and a half! See her website for full details.

This method for creating success is called 'modelling'.

After following Cathy Freeman's strategy for running, Melissa found that she was able to run for longer without hurting her muscles. She also improved her times!

If, for example, you wanted to sing in front of a large audience, you might follow the strategies of a popular singer. To find out how they have achieved success: read about them, listen to interviews, attend their concerts and visit their websites.

Many websites of high profile people have FAQ reports - answers to 'frequently asked questions' that can offer insights to help you learn which steps to take to achieve what that person has achieved. You may also notice things they have done that caused problems for them and then you can choose to avoid these particular behaviours.

If you can directly contact the person you would like to emulate, ask them specific questions about how they did what they did. Many successful people are happy to offer tips on how to follow in their footsteps. Be aware that included in their advice will probably be the words 'work', 'practice' and 'persist!'

Did you know ?
When you break down the successful strategies of others, you can often re-create the same results as them, in a fraction of the time! This is commonly known as 'Why reinvent the wheel?'

Julie Davey wrote and illustrated 'A for Attitude' - the best selling book for people 5 - 95 yrs and 'Attitude in Action' - a simple and effective guide to achieving goals.