About 10 years ago while studying strategy and innovation at Oxford I learned the value of using frameworks to build a better business. You can also apply this type of thinking to your career and life to be more successful and lead a more fulfilling life.

A few examples to highlight what I am talking about:

Want to expand your business internationally? Might want to check out Ghemawhat's CAGE framework to examine your business from a cultural, administrative, geographic, and economic perspective.

Want to model out how a new technology you are working on will be adopted in the market? Might want to study Roger's ACCORD framework and think about how each element may accelerate or delay adoption.

Want to build a business from scratch? Check out Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas.

Want to develop a framework for Personal Success and Fulfillment? There are a googol of them out there (a "googol" is 10 raised to the 100th power - a very large number!!!!!)

A few good one's I like are:

• Zig Ziglar's Wheel of Life (Ziglar Inc - The Wheel of Life)

• Career Development Institutes 6-step framework (CDI_90-Framework-Career_Development_skills-web.pdf (thecdi.net)0

• National Wellness Institute (Six Dimensions of Wellness - National Wellness Institute)

I don't think there is a "one size fits all" and all frameworks are meant to be interpreted and applied to situations and individual lives. From my experience below are 10 attributes critical to any framework for leading a successful career and a good life.

1. Self-Awareness - introspective and also always looking for ways to gain feedback on your life from people you can trust.
2. Learning agility - curious mindset, learn from others to accelerate your growth (books, podcasts, associations, etc)
3. Initiative - make it a habit to engage and lead in your life
4. Health and well-being - manage your energy as well as your time through proper nutrition and exercise
5. Purpose - be a part of something bigger that your life. Find something that motivates you to grow and contribute to the world.
6. Goal, aspiration, or directional orientation - write down goals, or at least be moving in a direction at all times.
7. Action oriented - take action, drop what doesn't work, accelerate what does.
8. Positive outlook - this is a skill to hone - at all times, be positive and constructive as much as possible.
9. Abundant mindset - training I received as an executive coach that I believe in is "People are Creative, Resourceful, and Whole" and have everything they need to be successful within themselves. What we often seek is already what we have.
10. Self Confidence - deep rooted believe in yourself and how you can impact the world.

For a more in-depth look into these essential elements (and a lot more!!!!) thorough treatment of professional and personal development, check out my book on Amazon - Am I Doing This Right?: Foundations for a Successful Career and a Fulfilling Life: Thelen, Tony D., Mitchell, Matthew C., Kappen, Jeffrey A.: 9781637423172: Amazon.com: Books

For executive coaching, speaking, newsletters, and more please check out www.therivercoach.org or drop Tony a note at [email protected].

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A special thank you to those of you who have posted comments to share your experience and advice. I'm grateful as these interactions inspire me, and I'm certain it has helped others in their journey.