21-Day Countdown to Success

Take Charge of Your Life in Less than a Month

by Chris J. Witting Jr.

Career Press © 1998
255 pages

Focus Take-Aways
Leadership
• Think of three compelling reasons that you believe you can be successful.
Strategy
Sales & Marketing
• Create a personal mission statement.
Corporate Finance • Use positive affirmations to increase your potential for success.
Human Resources
• Set goals in these areas: money and abundance, work and career, personal
Technology
mastery, learning and inner transformation.
Production & Logistics
Small Business
• For perspective, compare realistic outcomes with worst-case scenarios. Then you
can conquer your worries.
Economics & Politics
Industries & Regions • You need to take risks to be successful. If you lack confidence, you won’t be willing
Career Development to take risks.
Personal Finance • Learn to use your network of contacts. Most people have a network of at least
Self Improvement 100 people.
Ideas & Trends
• Learn from leaders who have already accomplished the goals you wish to achieve.
• Plan for abundance by learning to harness the three forces of modern prosperity:
economics, demographics and psychographics.
• Give your best to others and it will come back to you.

Rating (10 is best)

Overall Applicability Innovation Style

5 5 4 6

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 Review
21-Day Countdown to Success
Every “road-to-success” book has some sort of gimmick that sets it apart from the many
others in the genre. Chris J. Witting Jr.’s offering is a 21-day exercise regime designed
to transform your personality, catapult you up the career ladder and pave over fi nancial
potholes. Witting asks readers to devote just a few minutes per day to his program, with
each day devoted to a different aspect of getting your life on track. Naturally, that’s
a lot of ground to cover. But the inherent drama of the countdown to the end of the
three-week cycle does keep your interest, thereby encouraging you to take the exercises
seriously. And once you’ve taken that leap, the book does present some intriguing ideas
on how to overcome inertia, simplify a cluttered life and harness your existing network
of contacts. The instructions are easy to follow and the writing takes a pleasing, matter-
of-fact tone. getAbstract.com recommends this book to anyone interested in personal
improvement, especially those who have been left less than fulfilled after falling for
other “successful” gimmicks.

Abstract
The Countdown
Begin with Day 21, so the countdown effect can work its magic. Countdowns have
an intriguing ability to hold your attention (think about watching the clock tick down
on New Year’s Eve). At the end of each day of the countdown answer these questions
in your journal: 1) What mattered to me today? 2) What coincidences, hunches, or
breakthroughs did I experience today? 3) What new ideas did I have today? 4) What are
“Confidence is an my thoughts, feelings and reflections on today?
attitude that can
be learned.” Day 21: You Can Succeed — Write three compelling reasons you think you can succeed.
One statement may be, “I believe I can be successful because I am smart.” This exercise
helps to unlock the power of your mind to help you succeed. Write your statements and
think about them for the next 24 hours.
Day 20: Uncovering Your Personal Destiny — Think about the skills and talents you
have that you are able to use without thinking. These are your natural abilities. Don’t
think too hard, just quickly write down five things you really enjoy doing.

“Just as Michelan- Keeping these abilities in mind, think about what major accomplishments would give
gelo painted the you the most satisfaction while serving humanity. This leads to the development of
Sistine Chapel lifetime goals, or your life mission. Create a personal mission statement that describes
with many small
brush strokes, and what you believe you are destined to accomplish in your lifetime. Your mission statement
the massive Great can be changed at any time, but write one because it provides guidance when life gets
Wall of China was confusing. Don’t limit yourself. Use your list of natural talents and create a mission
built one rock at
a time, so it will
statement that describes your ideal future.
go with your suc-
cess.” Day 19: Visualization — Use visualization, which is extremely focused daydreaming, to
get a picture of your goal in your mind. If your goal always seems to be in sight, you
can change image to reality. Your exercise today is to think about an image of your
success. Are you sitting in a Mercedes or standing in front of your new home? Write
a detailed description of your image of your success. Use as much detail as possible.

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 If you see a new house, describe the style (Tudor, Art Deco, etc.), the construction
material (brick, fieldstone, etc.), the interior furnishings, the number of rooms and the
landscaping. Spend a few minutes every day reading your wonderful description.

“Grow all that you Day 18: Positive Affirmation — No words can mean more to you than your internal
possibly can, conversations with yourself. This can be either beneficial or detrimental, so you must
thank your Creator
not put yourself down. Negative statements limit your potential for success. Conversely,
for your existence,
refuse to let positive statements increase your success potential. Your exercise is to create three
anyone limit your positive affirmations. Always state your affirmation in positive terms (“Money is
ambitions, and flowing to me,” not, “I won’t be broke.”) Also, make sure they are in the present tense
above all, never
stop following your (“I am healthy and strong,” not “I will be healthy and strong.”) Repeat your affirmations
personal path to to yourself over and over — with emotion! Telling yourself to win can be the pathway
success.” to success.
Day 17: Taking Charge of Your Life — Set some goals. Goals are different than
dreams because they have a timeline attached. Time brings motivation and structure
to goal setting. Write down the goals you have in each of these five areas: 1) money
and abundance; 2) work and career; 3) personal mastery; 4) learning; and 5) inner
transformation. Now that your goals are written down you can assign a deadline to each
one. It doesn’t have to be a specific date. If you can achieve the goal in less than a year,
put an “S,” for short-term, beside it. Mark goals that require more time with an “L” for
long-term.
“When a worry
starts bothering
Day 16: Simplify Your Life — Start by cleaning out your wardrobe and cupboards and
you, first ask your- giving items you have not used for a year to charity. Simplify your tasks by choosing
self if the outcome a single day each week to do your shopping and regular errands. Dump piled up
is beyond your newspapers and magazines. Look over your cable and telephone bills and eliminate any
control. If so, wor-
rying won’t make services that are only complicating your life. Write some ideas about other ways that you
any difference, so could simplify your life.
relax and let go
of your meaning- Day 15: Celebrate — Congratulations! You are on your seventh day. Make today a day of
less worries.”
celebration and reflection. Write down 10 things in your life worth celebrating right now.
Reflect on your list. Enjoy your success today. You have more work in store tomorrow.

Day 14: Face Your Fears — Write five things that have worried you lately. See if anything
on the list qualifies as a meaningless worry (something totally beyond your control).
Meaningless worrying takes energy you could use better elsewhere. Let go of these worries.

Your next step will help you gain some perspective. Think about the worst possible
outcome for each of your five worries. Now write down the realistic outcomes for those
same five worries. Contrast the realistic outcomes with the worst-case scenarios. Once
you are aware of the facts, you can see that the odds are against the worst-case scenario
“To achieve your
destiny and live
ever happening. Repeat this exercise anytime you feel worried.
the life you have
dreamed of, you Day 13: Building Your Confidence — If you lack confidence, you won’t take risks, but
have to get risk taking is crucial to success. Therefore, you need to build your confidence. Write
moving.”
down two risks that you want to feel more confident about in your efforts to reach your
goals. Then write down things that you can do to prepare to face those risks in the days,
weeks and months ahead. Now, visualize yourself being successful in those risks and
describe that mental picture. Preparing for risk and being able to visualize successful
risk taking are the two keys to developing confidence.
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 Day 12: Improving Your Persistence — To become more persistent, you need to believe
that reaching your desired result is possible. Build your persistence with this exercise.
Choose a household task you generally avoid (dishes, cleaning the litter box). Make that
task an absolute must-do item for every day of the next three weeks. Completing this task
every day without fail will instill belief, self-discipline and self-reliance.
“Imagine that your
life has no limits.”
Day 11: Overcoming the Hurdle of Inaction — Procrastination will limit your progress and
must be overcome. Follow these steps to get over procrastination and inertia in your life.

1. Set short-term goals — Set a 10-minute goal for yourself, or even a one-minute goal.
2. Get a limited-time state of mind — Create artificial deadlines so you seize the day.
3. Fixed action period — Set aside a specific time each day or week only for your goal.
4. Get help to get moving — Get someone you trust to help you move toward your
goals. Ask that person to request a weekly progress report from you on your plans.

Day 10: Networking — Complete this exercise to gauge the size of your network. List
all the people in your family. List everyone you know from school and the neighborhood.
Now list your acquaintances. By the time you are done, you are likely to have hundreds of
names. Unleash the power of your network by listing five people you know who can help
you achieve success. Make a point of contacting each of these people in the next week.
“Visualization may
be what helps you
You may be surprised to find out how many of them are ready to help you right now.
achieve success. If
it’s right for you, Day 9: Find a Role Model — Someone, somewhere has already achieved the goals you
you will find that want to achieve. Find out how. To go a step further, find yourself a mentor. Look for
its power to create
reality is as unlim-
someone who has achieved what you want and ask to be his or her protégé.
ited as your mind’s
ability to imagine Day 8: Reflection — You are now at the end of your second seventh day. Today, reflect and
new goals.” listen to your heart, your intuition. Read the entries you have made in your journal. Pay
attention to the “coincidences” question. If you are noticing lots of these events, you are
already tuning into your intuition. If you aren’t, don’t worry; that will come. Review any
major decisions facing you. What do you intuitively think is the best decision to make?

Day 7: Plan for Abundance — Harness the three forces of modern prosperity. Ask yourself:

• Economics — How does your plan to achieve prosperity offer real value to others? Will it
offer a unique and unusual service? How will you offer others the best possible quality?
• Demographics — Whom are you targeting? What is the age, sex and income level
of your ideal customer? The right demographic information can significantly affect
your success.
“When you say • Psychographics — Study of people’s attitudes, opinions and activities. How will their
mean-spirited, different attitudes affect your plan?
negative things to
yourself, you
damage your self- Day 6: Attracting Wealth — You can learn to attract wealth. Follow these steps:
confidence and
limit your potential 1. Save — Spend less than you earn.
for success.”
2. Pay yourself first — Set up an automatic payroll deduction plan for your savings account.
3. Use the power of compounding — Automatically reinvest the interest on your savings.
4. Protect yourself — Become adequately insured so disaster cannot destroy your wealth.
5. Follow the law of reciprocity — The better the service you offer, the more wealth it
will attract.
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 Day 5: Eliminate Distractions — List five things you can do to improve your mental focus.
Consider any mini-rituals you can use to get focused. Act on your ideas. Give yourself
time to reflect and take occasional breaks. Rest and reflection are powerful ways to focus.

“If you have just

Day 4: Making Changes — Today, you will change your surroundings, yourself and your
been reading with-
out involvement, location. First, list five changes you can make to your workspace. Then, list five positive
sort of like those changes you can make to your appearance. Make those changes today. Finally, list five
people who just self-renewing places that you could visit. Make a point of going to these places.
stick their toe in
the swimming pool
instead of jumping Day 3: Giving to Others — “Give and ye shall receive,” is your lesson today. If you
in, then now is the give your best to others, it will come back to you. The first step is to envision a perfect
time to go back
and complete the
customer experience. If you can envision it you can make it happen. The next step
exercise!” requires you to get close to the people you are serving. An extreme example of this can be
found in the U.S. Air Force. Everyone who packs parachutes is required to make regular
jumps with randomly selected chutes. The third step is to go beyond the “Golden Rule”
and treat people better than you would ever expect to be treated. Serving others with
passion is the final step toward giving your best. Write down some ways that you can
give your best to others.

Day 2: Practicing Meditation — Set aside 20 minutes and go to a quiet place. Sit with
“Belief in yourself your back straight and your hands in your lap. Close your eyes and inhale slowly while
comes from seeing
visible proof of counting to 12. Hold the breath for another count of 12. Then exhale for another count of
your persistence 12. Repeat this six times. Now relax your entire body, starting with your feet and moving
every day.” progressively toward your head. Finally, focus on one single thing to quiet your thoughts.
It could be the rhythm of your breathing. Allow yourself to become increasingly relaxed
with each breath.

Day 1: Well Done! — You should be proud of yourself for getting this far. Now is the
time to review your journal entries and discover which methods worked best for you.
Once you identify them, use them. Continue making entries in your journal to track your
progress on the path to success.

About The Author

Chris J. Witting Jr. is an award-winning broadcaster, journalist and entrepreneur. He
hosts the nationally syndicated radio program, Success Journal.

Buzz-Words
Personal destiny / Positive affirmation / Psychographics

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