Rieva Lesonsky, Editor-at-Large at AllBusiness.com, Consulting Editor at BizWomen.com and CEO at SMB Connects, spent the last 22 years of her life advocating for women business owners but now that she is an entrepreneurial woman herself, she is following her own advice.

She calls it “The P’s of Success.”

• Imagine the POSSIBILITIES
• PLAN, and every time you achieve your goals, PLAN again
• Be PROACTIVE
• Be PASSIONATE
• Be POSITIVE
• Be PERSISTENT

Although these are pretty self-explanatory, I would like to elaborate and add my 2 cents worth.

Imagine the POSSIBILITIES

Well I’m sure none of us have a problem with imagination. We all imagine ourselves at one point or another in the future… maybe a year from now, or 5 years, even as far as 10 years or retirement! It’s human to dream and imagine the Possibilities of our lives. I know for myself, I have a vision for my business Key Administration, for my children & for my own personal life. I know what levels I want to reach for certain goals.

However starting a new business can be both exciting and frightening. You start off with a dream, a possibility. You envision the big picture. You talk it over with some friends and family and realize Hey, it’s a pretty good idea… Now what?

PLAN - and every time you achieve your goals, plan again…

While you want to reach for the stars, I suggest you plan small and plan often. Keep the big picture in focus, break it down into steps and break those steps down to even smaller steps. Every time you reach one of your small goals, rework your steps, your plan and work towards another one. This eliminates being discouraged when trying to reach a big goal. Make every small step count!

Be PROACTIVE

It’s all fine and dandy to have a plan on paper however it won’t get up and accomplish anything on it’s own. Take charge! Work on some easy goals in between the big ones. Hire some assistants to take care of redundant tasks while you focus on the big picture. Go out into the community (local, online… whichever) and make yourself known as an expert in your possibility!

Be PASSIONATE

“When there’s a will, there’s a way” and when there is passion, there is a will. Your motivation is boosted by your passion. And without complete dedication, there is no success. Assure to keep your passion on the upscale.

Be POSSITIVE

A way to stay passionate about your possibility is to keep positive. There will always be a few bumps, scratches and bruises along the road. Those will create the character of your vision and shape your possibility into new directions. Don’t allow yourself to get down in the dumps. Assess the situation and rework your plan!

Be PERSISTENT

Try, try again… Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go! (T. S. Elliot)

To conclude,

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (Mark Twain) ~ And keep the P’s of success in check!

C