Why are some people more successful than others? The true secret of high achievers, contends Brian Tracy, is their ability to find their focal point, the one thing they should be concentrating on in order to attain maximum results. In what amounts to a user’s guide for self-improvement, Tracy encourages readers to critically analyze their lives in seven key areas and shows them how to develop workable, effective goals and plans in each area.

Whenever you’re overwhelmed with too much work and not enough time, take a hard look at your work and priorities. Ask yourself if there might be a better way to accomplish your goals. Visualize yourself as an outside consultant brought in to evaluate the situation. Remain open and receptive to the idea that your current approach may be wrong.

1. Reevaluating: If you learn something new, stop and think about it. You have to be honest with yourself. Don’t fool yourself into thinking things are better than they really are. Think realistically about the situation at hand, not how you wish it were or how you remember it being in the past.
2. In times of rapid change, it’s important to reorganize your workspace for every new task. Also, you need to reorganize your schedule throughout the day and prioritize on the fly. You should always look for ways to be as efficient as possible.
3. As you become more aware of which activities produce the most results in your work, you can focus on those and delegate or eliminate other tasks that are not as important.
4. Reengineering can help you simplify your business. You should constantly seek newer, better, faster, or cheaper ways to get a task done.
5. Now that you’ve accomplished the above, it’s time to reinvent yourself. You’re well on your way. Apply zero-based thinking to yourself by asking if you’d do things the same way again knowing what you know now. Keep an eye on where you want to be and who you want to be in life. Reinvent yourself as often as necessary and refine your skills along the way so there are no limits to your potential for success and happiness.

The most important thing is to regain control of your life. Make plans, set goals, and take action. Accept responsibility for the things that happen in your life and make changes to get what you want. Don’t wait for good things to happen; go out and make them happen yourself!