02/14/2016
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Don't confuse due diligence with laziness. It's not because you don't work hard, but because you spend your efforts and time on the least profitable and productive objectives.
The first thought that often comes to mind about "due diligence" is how does it have anything to do with causing me harm? Basically, if you neglect to obtain enough of the knowledge and information available necessary to make a satisfactory critical decision about things or events in your life, you will often find disappointment through most of your life.
Making decisions without having all the facts is where so many people end up failing to some degree.
Due diligence is defined as a process that means, "Done or pursued with persistent and painstakingly intensive attention and continuous in effort to accomplish."
Digging deeper into the causes for that neglect reveals a common thread that lies at the core of career failure. The great majority of people are faced with two important issues when it comes to making the right decisions:
-- How much knowledge and information do I need to make an important satisfactory decision in my life?
-- Who says that all that knowledge and information I accumulate will have any effect on the decision I'm making?
Logic tells you that the more details, facts, and data you have about a certain decision you need to make should enable much better decisions and results. The fact is that it does. The problem is that most people are totally unaware of how the brain works or they would have no resistance to due diligence becoming a habit pattern in their lives. And the consequences of that diligent attitude is to create decisions that most often are right for you at the time.
The reason that your decisions repeatedly turn out for the better is not fate, luck, or predetermination. It's because of how your mind (discussed below) helps you and you never recognize that it works in your favor.
The external factors that prevent you from diligent decision-making:
There's a lot of misleading information out there about doing what you love to do while working your butt off and then magically having the money materialize. Others prefer delegating and outsourcing their office work while chasing their passion towards a 4-day workweek.
The additional undeniable influence on you from many years of incessant media and marketing tactics touting that success is easy, is constantly brainwashing you into believing success can be had much easier and faster than ever before. It leaves silent mental scars that make it difficult to understand why hard work is still a requisite for real success and keeping that income-producing animal alive. Can you connect this to the reasons why people neglect their due diligence?
Work should be understood as a mental and physical effort that has specific aims. It lives under a hood of requirements. The greatest of these requirements is what we call "due diligence."
Diligence shouts the need of knowing exactly and completely that the work done is not wasted. Diligence means you have real knowledge through evaluation and examination beforehand that your "effort" has great rewards at the end. You expect to find, use, and benefit from those rewards that you know are there. There is no hoping, guessing, or feeling that the pot of gold is there. You know it! Otherwise, circumstances make those decisions for you.
The greatest threat to your lifetime goals, accomplishments and wealth is lack of using your due diligence.
What percentage of college students visit the colleges or universities before they apply there? What percent of doctors visit the place, street, area where they have decided to practice before making that decision?
When you fail to thoroughly investigate each and every aspect of your career path and goals, decisions, opportunities, options, alternatives, your capabilities, your talents, and your interests, mistakes are made along the way that are later regretted. You avoid those disappointing mistakes by taking the time to consider every aspect of every decision you make. This goes from whom you intend to marry and when, to what career you choose to spend your life in.
Smart people know in advance what awaits them after their decision is made. The rest don't care.
A significantly large number of people have experienced devastating career changes because of making the wrong decisions in the beginning and ended up a terribly unhappy and disappointed person. It's all because they skipped the due diligence part.
Take me for example. I was one of those who had from eight years old thought that I wanted to be a doctor. It never occurred to me as I grew older to interview a few doctors to discover the good and bad sides of medicine as a career first. Even in college in the premed program I can honestly say that I had absolutely no idea at all about what would be required of me in the future. Regardless of what was ahead, I knew that was the career I wanted no matter what.
I was lucky and accidentally make a good choice for myself at the time. I could just as easily ended up as a career flip flopper or worse.
At the time of college graduation I discovered that about 90% of my classmates had no serious idea what they wanted to do in life, other than get a job right away. It's probably the same today.
There's a widespread belief that a college education is necessary to be successful in your life. It's a myth that you are told by parents, friends, and educators. Thousands of examples can be found of people with a high school education that are now multimillionaires-even billionaires. College dropouts are often found on the millionaire roles today, like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.
This should alert you of the fact that there must be something much more essential to success and wealth than a college education. Sometimes college students can actually gain a basic knowledge of the world, literature, science and social interactions if you are able to skip a bunch of those beer parties on campus.
The consensus opinion of many highly respected business experts today is, "College is to prepare you for getting a job." You are intentionally, or inadvertently, cloned to be an employee forever and work for the rich people. It's a mindset induced by a college education. Read the book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad.
How does due diligence help you?
Everyone to some degree gets caught in the trap. The trap is caused by lack of adequate knowledge. Hurried decisions and lack of research before making any decision about anything compromises you life to an incredible degree. Unfortunately, you believe what happens to you is nothing more than fate, luck of the roll, or predestined no matter what happens. That is absolutely the wrong thinking.
Some FACTORS your diligence does for you that you don't often recognize:
When you understand that the subconscious mind adds to your memory banks about five billion bits of information transposed daily through all your senses, then you can appreciate that feeding the mind's library and memory banks with conscious input (due diligence) as well, has incredible value.
The process of decision-making of any kind, even the decision to get out of the bed in the morning, is composed of millions of data the subconscious mind automatically and instantly digs out of your memory banks on the topic to help you make that decision. Every detailed bit of information the subconscious mind thinks (both pro and con) might influence your decision at that moment, is piled up on each side of your mental balance scales.
When the amount of information on one side of the scales becomes dominant, you will notice the decision you then make is easy, logical, comfortable, understandable and reliable.
I see. Maybe you never knew about that before. Well, Maxwell Maltz, M.D. wrote the book (PSYCHO-CYBERNETICS) about that issue in 1960, which is still held in high regard today.
How does due diligence fit into this thinking activity?
You create your own mental library resource to use for the rest of your life. Due diligence is the process of consciously stuffing as much background information into your mind as you can search and find about the decision you want to make for yourself. The more details and information you have available in your mind, the better and more satisfactory your decision will turn out to be.
Can you imagine a person who wants to become a singer and can't carry a tune? Can you imagine a doctor who wants to become a surgeon and has no manual dexterity with his hands? What are the possibilities of choosing a career in something you have no talent for? It happens all the time because that person has not done adequate research and investigation into what that career will require of them or what it takes to be successful in that career.
Diligence also means determining what your talents are and how to choose an occupation that complements your skills, talents and interests.
Due diligence benefits:
-- Enables you to make the most productive and compatible decisions in your life.
-- Provides you with the self-discipline of diligence that prevents making wrong decisions.
-- Prevents you from making decisions that are incompatible with your beliefs and character.
-- Allows you the advantage of critical thinking at a level that empowers your confidence.
-- Brings you to a threshold that eliminates your fears about failure and inspires creativity.
The process of diligence throughout your life and career is of no value to a person who has a closed mind. Unwillingness to take action on new ideas, accept advice, or see and use the already proven dynamics that drive ultimate happiness and satisfaction with your career, places you in a position where disappointment follows you like a shadow.
Diligence is something that can be learned and improved as you move along in life. Yes, you will at times make bad decisions and judgments in spite of good investigative knowledge. However, those decisions and judgments are far fewer and less devastating than one who never applies diligence at all. Call lack of diligence an emotional decision founded on the "flat earth concept."
Secondly, recovery from such bad decisions becomes much easier and faster. That's because the process of investigative thinking (diligence) has already given you the mental tools to turn bad decisions into a positive leaning experience. It's a benefit that most people have a difficult time accepting.
Source: Ezinearticles
Curtis G. Graham, MD is an author, writer, and expert in business and marketing. His experience of over 35 years in medical practice, previously as a board certified OBG; 10 years in business and marketing education; and consulting to medical professionals, includes writing four books, available online from his website; over 100 articles related to business of medical practice, appearing both online and in professional publications that include Modern Physician and Medical Economics Magazines; and publishing of a free advanced business and marketing educational newsletter for professional medical care providers. To discover how you can easily ensure your career and life will be fulfilling and enjoyable, visit his website: http://www.marketingamedicalpractice.com.
© 2016, Curtis G. Graham, M.D.,L & C Internet Enterprises, Inc.The views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of College Central Network, Inc. or its affiliates. Reference to any company, organization, product, or service does not constitute endorsement by College Central Network, Inc., its affiliates or associated companies. The information provided is not intended to replace the advice or guidance of your legal, financial, or medical professional.