2019 is around the corner and I want to share with you my personal top 10 tips, to help you make ‘Shifts to Success’ in the new year.

1. Change your environment

There is a great quote which states, your “environment dictates your performance” and it is incredibly true. If you have a peer group currently, who always puts down your ambitions or laughs at your ideas then my honest advice would be cut your ties with them, otherwise, you will be a slave to their opinions.

Anyone who minimises the importance of success to your future has given up on his or her own chances of accomplishment and is spending his or her life trying to convince others to do the same. It is one of the saddest sights in the world to see a human being settling for a life they don’t want because they listened to others who did the same.

What you fill your mind with is one of the most important things you can be aware of.

Reading the negative things in the paper, watching the negative news, listening to Barry down the pub talk about negative crap, gossiping about people are all actions that are damaging and toxic.

The person you will be in five years depends largely on the information you feed your mind today. Be picky about the things you read, the people you spend time with and the conversations you engage in.

2. Rest Days > Success Days 

If you are serious about making the changes you want in your life, then you’ll have to start using your rest days to your advantage and turn them into success days. Time is an incredible resource which will separate you from where you currently are to where you want to be in life, as long as you use it wisely in taking action.

Your unwillingness to work on your own ideas during your free time is the reason why you will have to work for someone else for the majority of your life. Think long-term and ask yourself, is what I’m doing today getting me closer to where I want to be tomorrow?

3. Excuses

Recognise any of these?

• I haven’t got enough time
• I haven’t got enough money
• I haven’t got the contacts
• I haven’t got the experience
• I work full time
• I haven’t got a business idea
• I am not motivated
• I’ve got kids

Etc..

I know I do. I used to tell myself some of these! They are excuses that trapped me for so long when I really wanted success, freedom and happiness.

They are all BS!

This is not to say they do not exist because they do! However, they are not the reasons as to why you can or can’t do something! Simply because there are thousands of people from around the world who have achieved remarkable success in their lives in dire situations. You can either have excuses or results not both.

The story you tell yourself as to why you cannot gain everything you want in life is YOUR reality. Not actual reality.

4. Complete ownership of your life.

The government is not coming to save you.

Austerity is getting worse.

And the pension, well…. I won’t go there.

You can either complain about how bad things are in life and carry on doing the exact same things, waiting for someone to come and make things better or you can use that energy to get to work to change yours and your families life for the better.

I understand your frustrations, I believe you should be valued more, paid more, respected more and given better resources.

However, complaining about things isn’t going to change much. Austerity has been with us for around 10 years now and many police officers, in fact, many people in the public sector have complained about how shitty it all is (Fire, NHS, Teachers) …. And what exactly has changed in a positive and impactful way that supports YOU and your family?! Not much!

You have to understand no one but you is going to change your life. Own it 100%

You have tried complaining and you know where that gets you… Let’s see what happens when you  stop the complaining and start acting to bring about the change you truly want in your life.

5. Self-belief

This is a big one!

I hope you go into 2019 with the full belief that you can change your life for the better.

There are people less skilled and qualified than you doing the things you want to do, simply because they decided to believe in themselves.

Too many police officers overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are!

Shifts to Success, would not exist if myself or the team did not believe in you and your capabilities as police officers to transition to entrepreneurs and build successful businesses that make an impact and solve meaningful problems.

You have outstanding skillets as police officers in which you may not value and appreciate right now because you use them so often, but in the business world, they are GOLD!

Communication, empathy, resilience, team working, problem-solving, persuasion, leadership and assertiveness are to name a few. These are skill sets that the general public just does not have.

I get it, sometimes, you have to believe in someone else’s belief in you until your belief kicks in. Well, we are here and we believe in you.

6. Goals

I was shocked by the number of police officers on our cohorts who have never set goals before they joined us. As humans, we are goal-seeking machines. Our brains are wired to move towards them if they are meaningful to us.

I like to use SMART goals setting.

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Attainable

R – Realistic –   SCREW realistic! Use, relevant instead.

T – Time-bound

When we set meaningful goals for ourselves, the human mind creates something called ‘structural tension’. This causes our conscious and subconscious minds wanting to close the gap between your current reality and your goal.

I like to set goals in 5 areas of my life and you could too…

1. Business 2. Finance 3. Relationships. 4. Health/fitness  5. Growth/Contribution

Also from a deeper level, goals can create a purpose in life. They give us direction and something to aim for. Having a purpose, is a feeling that you are a part of something bigger than yourself and I firmly believe it creates true happiness.

For me personally, it has helped me overcome depression and gain clarity in my life. People without goals seem to aimlessly drift through life without meaning and let other external factors control their outcomes.

7. Educate yourself

One of the fundamental reasons why I have so many coaches and mentors in my life is because you simply do not know what you don’t know and blind spots in life can cost you thousands… Or worst, it can keep you trapped in a job you really don’t want to be in, wasting away your life doing something you do not want to do.

Knowledge is power and it is key to understand the principles of building a life you desire as an entrepreneur or business owner. Humility is a powerful trait for leaders, and that goes for police officers who are becoming new business owners. More times than not, you will come to regret thinking you knew all the answers.

If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you…

If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you!

8. Accountability

80% of new years resolutions fail by February and a major cause of this is a lack of accountability.

Accountability is the glue that sticks commitment to results. That is why it is one of our key pillars at Shifts to Success. You need accountability to make sure you act on your business goals. It’s like having people on your side, ‘spotting you’ to keep you on track – and it will help you keep going towards your personal successes.

An example of this is like clocking on shift at work. You wouldn’t be late too many times as you would have to answer to your boss which could have a negative impact on your job role.

Well when you have mentors, accountability buddies and other cohorts of remarkable people building business’s like you, holding you to account, it breeds responsibility, in which you gain momentum much quicker and are more likely to follow through to your desired outcome.

9. Embrace failure

If you want success in business and freedom in your life beyond the force, you have to welcome failure with open arms!

We have collected thousands of data from police officers, all over the UK and the biggest concern that comes up is “Fear of Failure”.

Success cannot exist without failures. It is a by-product and the quicker you come to terms with this, the quicker you can move by it and gain success.

I have failed a hell of a lot in my life.

• Failed in my GCSE’s
• Got suspended from school
• Dropped out of college
• Failed at joining the police at 18 years old
• I was depressed at 19-21
• I was suicidal at 21
• I was kicked out of my home at 21
• I failed to secure any property for the first 4-5 months of my first business, despite several opportunities
• I launched a product in the property industry and it failed compared to my high expectations
• Failed at marketing Shifts to Success for the first 3 months of starting it
• I have failed in sales calls

And I have failed in a lot of other things too!

A lot of people think they won’t reach the life they desire as an entrepreneur just because they have failed. However, this isn’t the case, it is only people who simply give up and quit after they fail who end up as failures.

It is NEVER the actual event of the failure that stops us, but most people do stop at their first failure!

What these people need to realise is that success is never linear and with each failure is an opportunity to learn, grow and adapt their approach.

So, remember true failure in life is when you decide to quit or not even try at all, which happens by default if you’re not happy with your current situation, because you are not living the life you truly want!

Never hide your failures, let them inspire you, but whatever ever you do, don’t quit on building the life you deserve…

Success is not reserved for a special group of people, it’s reserved for those who get knocked down seven times but stand up eight… The ones who refuse to give up!

Embrace failure!

10. Break Out. Make The Change. Live Your Life.

If you are unhappy with how your life has turned out then I would encourage you to do something about it before it’s too late.

Happiness should be yours and your family’s key driver in life, as life in itself is far too short to be anything but happy!

You have an expiry date on your life. We all die.

No wife wants to see their husband unhappy because of the job and vice versa.

No child wants to see their parent unhappy either.

I have spoken to a lot of police officers since the launch of Shifts to Success and there always seems to be a sadness to their voice.  Who can blame you!

The job you joined, isn’t the same job.

You’re undervalued, underappreciated, not paid your worth, working harder and longer for less pay off, not supported the way you should be and you’re working in high pressured working environments that brings about unhealthy stress.

If this causes you unhappiness, then I would urge you to do something that would bring about more lasting happiness in your life.

I am not talking about a holiday away, becoming a train driver or sitting in various interviews with your updated CV, competing on a job position, over what it says on a piece of paper rather than the true value you have to offer.

I am talking about a rewarding, lasting change. Becoming an entrepreneur, building a successful business that solves meaningful problems, providing you and your family with more income, time and passion.

As with all things, however, a business may not be for you, this is why I would encourage you to complete our police officer scorecard quiz to see if a business is for you in the first place…

You can complete your Police Officer Scorecard Quiz here

Remember, nobody can go back and start a new beginning. But anyone can start today and make a brand-new ending.

I hope you break out, make the change and live your life in 2019.

Alex