Jul 4, 2023
The Business of Meetings – Episode 173 – BLUR - Clear the Way Ahead with Susan Ford Collins
We are delighted to speak with the remarkable Susan Ford Collins today!
With her extensive experience as a coach for diverse individuals and organizations, Susan has touched the lives of countless people all over the world, helping them overcome obstacles and achieve unparalleled success. Having initially captivated readers with her previous book, The Joy of Success, Susan has recently graced us with her latest literary triumph, BLUR: Clear the Way Ahead.
In this episode, we have the privilege of delving into Susan's wealth of knowledge. She shares invaluable insights, discusses her journey, and enlightens us on navigating the complexities of life and the importance of believing in yourself.
Bio:
Susan works with founders and leaders, creators and innovators, startups, and restarts. Susan has a busy Executive Coaching Practice in Miami and worldwide via Zoom. Susan has facilitated more than 4,000 training sessions in major corporations, educational and governmental organizations, and coached teams and individuals worldwide in person and via Zoom.
She is the Founder and CEO of The Technology of Success, a training, consulting, and coaching company that teaches 10 skills she discovered highly successful people use unconsciously and struggle to consciously pass on.
Are you using ALL TEN Success Skills, at the right time?
Susan Ford Collins is the bestselling author of the Technology of Success Book Series: The Joy of Success, Success Has Gears, Our Children Are Watching, and now, Book 4, BLUR: Clear the Way Ahead, and all are available on Amazon and Audible.
Susan’s story
Working as a researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Susan initially believed she would study the keys to success and what contributes to individuals becoming valuable members of society. However, she soon realized the focus was on illness and dysfunction. Undeterred by the laughter of senior psychologists when they expressed their opposing viewpoints, she remained steadfast and embarked on a mission to study successful people and uncover their unique skill sets. Through a serendipitous encounter with Buckminster Fuller, a renowned architect, Susan began her journey of learning and sharing skills with others.
The importance of believing in your dreams
Susan emphasizes the importance of believing in your dreams. She highlights the significance of being open to unconventional ideas, as they often hold the potential for remarkable breakthroughs, and the practice of success filing, where people foster a sense of self-worth and motivation by taking the time to acknowledge their daily achievements and milestones. She also stresses the power of celebrating the successes of others, as that creates a positive and supportive environment that uplifts individuals and teams.
Promising ideas often get dismissed
With extensive experience in corporate boardrooms and collaborating with numerous CEOs, Susan gained a profound understanding of the unfortunate reality where promising ideas frequently get dismissed and ridiculed, resulting in their failure to materialize.
Success filing
One of the skills Susan observed among successful individuals is what she refers to as success filing. It involves taking time each day to acknowledge your accomplishments, regardless of how insignificant they may seem. Success filing allows people to recognize their progress and build a positive mindset. Engaging in success filing only requires a few minutes of reflection to review the day's actions, thoughts, lessons learned, and beneficial encounters. That practice cultivates self-awareness, motivation, and a sense of accomplishment.
Success
Most people have never taken the time to define what success truly means to them. In exploring the concept, Susan discovered a three-fold understanding of success from conversations with successful people. Those individuals described success as encompassing three essential components. The first is completion, which involves finishing tasks and projects and acknowledging the accomplishment. The second is deletion, which refers to recognizing when a particular approach or strategy is not working and letting go of it to explore alternative paths. Finally, success can involve creation, where individuals can identify and commit to viable and innovative ideas and take action to bring them to fruition.
Flexibility
Flexibility and adaptability are essential when approaching challenges or pursuing goals. Many people repeat the same actions and encounter the same obstacles without considering alternative approaches. Recognizing the need for a shift in strategy is crucial. It involves acknowledging the value of your ideas while being open to modifying them to better align with the situation at hand. You also need to know when to let go of an approach that is not working.
Envisioning your success to perform better
By programming your brain's reticular activating system correctly, you can tap into your unconscious abilities and perform better. However, if you dwell on old painful memories or have been through a series of negative experiences, fear could dominate your thinking, leading to constant anticipation of negative outcomes.
Revisiting the ten skills she had been teaching
Susan faced multiple traumatic events, including natural disasters and cancer diagnoses within her family. She felt so overwhelmed, confused, and traumatized that she began developing fears and difficulties in daily life. To cope with those challenges, she revisited the ten skills she had been teaching in numerous training sessions worldwide. By consciously applying skills like successful selling and creating detailed plans, she managed to experience a positive mindset shift and regained clarity and control over her life.
Why Susan wrote her latest book, BLUR
Before the pandemic, Susan experienced the loss of both her husband and sister. Then she observed the devastating impact COVID had on her businesses and the people she coached. Many others also found their lives completely disrupted, losing their identity and struggling to navigate the uncertainty. Many people have been living in a blur since then.
It felt like the book chose Susan
For Susan, it felt like the book chose her rather than the other way around. It consumed her thoughts and woke her up at night, compelling her to take notes even when she did not want to. She felt an inner drive to organize her thoughts and use her skills to regain her sanity. In the book, she shares personal stories, including the confusion surrounding the death of her husband and the impact it had on her mental state.
The people we surround ourselves with
We must be careful when selecting the people we surround ourselves with because negative influences can hinder our progress and discourage our entrepreneurial endeavors.
Learning from failure
Avoid becoming fearful of failure. That could prevent you from trying anything new. Failure is a crucial aspect of the learning process. People learn from their own mistakes as well as the mistakes of others.
Remembering our losses and failures
Our bodies and brains are wired to remember. Remembering our past experiences helps us avoid danger and make better choices. Trying to forget is futile because our memories are deeply ingrained. Instead, we should adopt a healing approach to remembering and reconstructing past events with the knowledge and experience we have gained since then. Taking detailed notes and seeking input from others present during our challenging moments can assist us in remembering events scientifically and constructively.
A harmful habit
A harmful habit people often engage in is avoiding open discussions and burying their thoughts and experiences. By doing so, they miss out on valuable opportunities to learn from others and gain insights from the subtle nuances that emerge through meaningful conversations.
What you stand to gain from reading BLUR
The pandemic brought about a profound sense of isolation and disconnection, leading many to sadness and depression. The fear and anxiety surrounding the virus have created a pervasive sense of apprehension, where even simple acts like hugging or traveling have become sources of fear. Amid this challenging time, we must engage in conversations and share personal stories. When we open up and discuss our experiences, we can find solace in the fact that we are not alone in our struggles. BLUR catalyzes those discussions, providing a platform to delve into deep and personal narratives.
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Susan’s Books
BLUR: Clear the Way Ahead... even in the worst of times
The Joy of Success: 10 Essential Skills for Getting the Success You Want (The Technology of Success)