For as long as I have known her, my friend Trina has always spouted out her favorite saying, “Success leaves clues,” at every opportune moment.

Trina is a financial planner – an extraordinarily successful financial planner – and she built her success on a very simple premise; find out what works, do it, then, do it again and again.

I remember Trina telling me, many years ago how she arrived at that spark of wisdom.

The early years of her career were a difficult struggle for her. Clients were few and far between and those she was able to obtain tended to cancel and move on as quickly as possible.

On more than one occasion Trina had seriously thought of quitting, and all that kept her soldiering on during these tough times was the memory of her father telling her repeatedly throughout her childhood, that it is OK to quit if you want, but you can only quit when you’re at the top.

Her feet were barely on the bottom rung of the success ladder and therefore quitting was not an option.

One day as she was sitting at her desk wondering how she would survive, her mind drifted back a few months to the day when she had closed what was, to that point, her largest ever sale.

Whenever we think of, or relate to, a past experience, we re-access that experience as if it were recurring right now, along with all those same feelings (to some degree) that were associated with that experience.

As her mind disappeared into the warm glow of remembering that day she had what she later called “a major life epiphany”.

While she was recalling all of the details and events that led up to that moment of victory – completing the sale – she suddenly felt compelled to write down a list of every single activity and event that formed part of the sale.

She noted how she first become aware of the client, how she made initial contact with the client, all her preparation for each meeting, all the meetings with the client, what she said, how the client responded, everything. She did not leave out a single detail in the process.

And as she read through her notes her spirit began to soar. She described the moment as one in which a long-time illusive light suddenly appears and guides you down a path you have been long seeking.

The secret to acquiring more clients had magically been revealed. She suddenly understood for the very first time, that results in our lives come from repetition – from those very things we do over and over and over again – and she instantly knew what she had to do.

She had just listed every step she had taken in closing her biggest sale so the solution was obvious. If she wanted to close another large sale, she must repeat those same steps. And then do it again. And again.

Success does indeed leave clues. Sometimes we waste inordinate amounts of time looking in all the wrong places.

That day was a turning point in Trina’s career. That moment of nostalgia proved to be life-changing for her and in the subsequent months and years she transitioned from being a person barely hanging onto her career by her cuticles, to becoming one of the superstars of her company.

If you meet Trina, she will tell you her transition was simple.

Discover what works.

Do it.

Do it again.

In other words she made the process of obtaining clients a habit. That big sale became her model for success and she simply duplicated it.

Trina discovered and adopted the Habit of Modelling Success and now looks for every opportunity to duplicate success in every facet of her life.

She tells me how she frequently watches some of her co-workers in the office waste countless hours, days and weeks attempting to re-invent the wheel. They all have access to a system that works and yet some of them seemed determined to ignore that wise old saying that reminds us that, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

Over the years Trina has refined, modified and improved her process but each refinement, modification and improvement has been the result of a meticulously planned and executed strategy.

She tells me that for her, a typical day at the office involves showing up, pouring coffee, and then duplicating what she had done the day before and the day before that.

She explained that in her new stress-free life, acquiring new clients and closing sales has become a “no-brainer.”

Trina committed herself to the Habit of Modeling Success and is succeeding at a level she never imagined possible.

Success has always left clues and yet so many of us forgo the Habit of Modelling Success by ignoring its simplicity and spend enormous amounts of time trying to “find a better way”.

Most often we don’t find a better way; we simply carve a pathway to frustration and despair.

We choose to model failure, not success.

Have you ever wasted time ignoring the lessons of the past and in so doing have brought disappointment and anguish into your own life.

I have.

In her spare time Trina coaches three friends who are realtors. Two of them are doing really well, the other, not so much.

Can you guess who among them is duplicating their past successes and who is constantly looking for a better, faster, easier way?

Trina offer sage advice to those of us who may be struggling to achieve a goal; find someone who has successfully done so and just do what they do.

It’s called duplication. And when you duplicate success you don’t achieve double success you achieve MEGA success.

Just ask Trina.

Let’s make a habit of meeting like this.

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Thank you.