In this series I want to encourage you to take just five minutes out of your busy day to set yourself up for bigger, better success.

People wonder how they can make their dreams come true: very often, it’s a matter of working out a way of making a small dent in a big  ambition , putting the right systems in place, and making sure that it’s easy for these systems to work.

I will share my own systems, so that you can test them and see whether they work for you.

If you want to share a five-minute system with my readers or indeed give me feedback on how this is working for you, tweet me @SusanHayes_

Remember, it only takes five minutes, right now, to change the course of history – your history at least!

1. Think of… A customer. A supplier. Somebody you met recently at an event. Somebody you know and deeply respect in your industry. Somebody you haven’t spoken to in a while.

2. Take 5 minutes to think about how you can help them . Can you make an introduction? Send them a book or an article that you read recently, and outline why it would be of use to them? Did you come across somebody else whose offer is complementary to theirs? Have you seen a tender that would suit their business? Do you know of a networking event that might be good for them to attend? Do you know of a forum where they could participate with expertise and it would be good for their branding?

3. Do it, and put a reminder in your calendar to do it again very soon. Every day is great if that’s possible, but maybe aim for two or three times a week.

If it’s an introduction … Ask both persons separately whether they would be interested in being introduced. Explain why you think the connection would be valuable.

If it’s a piece of information, a book or an article or a video or a podcast … Explain what made you think of the content and what points in particular are relevant to the person you’re contacting?

If you receive an invitation or are going to a networking event … Who could you invite? Who would it be of interest to? Who would benefit from meeting the people likely to turn up?

And it can also just be to tell them that something they did touched you, helped you . Write to them to thank them, to compliment them, and be as specific as possible: how has their work helped you? (on this theme, listen to the third episode of my podcast )

That’s it. Think of a person. Think of something they would value. Send it to them, by post, email, or call them up to tell them.

1. Because that’s how you do business. To leave a positive mark on the world.

Yes, money is nice, it’s a good metric of success, but it’s not the only metric, and it’s unlikely that you’re going to succeed in the best possible way if that’s your only goal.

It’s a really lovely feeling to be at the receiving end of random acts of kindness and you can create that feeling for somebody today .

Also, this could be something that could make a big difference to their business and wouldn’t you like to be the person who orchestrated such a development ? Think about a specific client you’re dealing with or a particular friend that you have or a positive situation that you find yourself in… Who, apart from you, was influential in making this happen? Imagine if they hadn’t made that effort….

2. When everything feels stale , when you’re only going through the motions and you’re afraid burnout is around the corner, doing something nice and helpful for somebody else is one of the best remedies !

3. Karma has an incredible way of returning the favour .

So think of somebody, and think of something that would be of value to them.

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