One thing that stands in the way of success is your ability to believe in yourself. We’ve touched on this in the attitude sections, but there’s more to it than just having a positive attitude. You must believe in yourself.
"So how do I do THAT?" you might be asking me right about now. "I’m really not good at very much….So-and-so at my office doesn’t struggle with anything. That’s why s/he succeeds!" I’m sorry—did we begin a whine-fest here? Who’s bringing the cheese to go with the whine?
Everyone struggles with *something*, whether or not you know what that something is. If you struggle with your self-esteem, then you’re probably comparing yourself to other people and using a measuring stick that’s not even remotely accurate as you bash yourself and your own abilities.
The first thing you need to do is sit down with a piece of paper and start to write down the things at which you are genuinely good. I mean things like "I brush my teeth twice a day," and "I’m organized." For every skill or task that you OWN (and it doesn’t matter what it is), there is a way to put those abilities to good use and a way to make it your own personal success story.
Now that you’ve done that, think about things you *love* to do. Make another column on your paper and begin to list things you really enjoy and could do every day for the rest of your life—and not dread going to work. Draw lines between things in your two columns that might go together.
On my paper, I’d write "I’m good at organizing things" in one column and "I like to write." They don’t seem to go together, but what if I began writing about getting organized? What if I started an email list with tips on how to get organized and wrote notes to encourage my subscribers? And then what if I started to talk to companies who would custom-make things for my subscribers to help keep them organized and began seeing profit from all of this?
Would you call that "success"? I would—and there’s a lady in North Carolina who’s done just that. Just ask any of the 250,000 "Flybabies" if the FLYlady is good for them! This woman has created a niche for herself and is success personified.
So are you beginning to see how some creative thinking and listing your skills and passions can come together for success? I hope you’re learning to think outside the box in this exercise, because that’s what it takes.
So the moral of this story is that you CAN do this. You CAN succeed at this and you DO have what it takes to be successful. Go work on your lists and remember to think outside the box!
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
The Success Zone
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression "in the zone," particularly as it applies to athletes or others who are unflappable as they eye the goal. Sometimes you can be in the zone regarding your success and nothing gets in your way; other times you can do everything right and find that whatever can go wrong, will. Here are thoughts on building the habit of success and getting "in the zone."
q Achieve Success by Expecting It
You must understand that the path from where you are to where you want to be is not always smooth or straight. When you hit those inevitable bumps in the road, your character, commitment, and attitude will help get you "in the zone" or at least, keep you there.
q Success Breeds Success
"Mo." That shortened word of "mo" speaks of momentum—the ability to continually succeed and build on the past successes you’ve had. Most people understand that when they have one (big or small) success, it encourages them and makes them believe they can do anything. Salespeople know it, and they strive for it.
When you’ve unlocked the key to your success (whatever that may be), you’ll find your "mo" and that nothing can get in your way.
q Choosing Success
We all understand that we can choose to be happy or miserable, and that our choices will affect our lives for the better or worse. When you opt to be happy, you choose to identify with the accomplishments in life that exude who you are and who you have striven to be.
You can choose to look on the positive side, just as you can choose success. Remember, success is more than just wealth. Choose the positive side of things and you choose to remember and live your successes, not your failures.
q Experts Don’t Know Everything
If you have a plan that seems to go against all the conventional wisdom and yet you know in your soul that this WILL work, then follow your gut instincts. The "experts" are wrong all the time—from medical experts who predict incorrectly to future-trending experts who foretell the wrong trends and costs corporations millions.
More than 100 years ago, someone wanted to close down the US Patent office because he thought everything that could be invented had been and that no one would need to patent anything else, ever. So don’t listen to the nay sayers and "experts"—sometimes they are dead wrong!
q Achieve Success by Expecting It
You must understand that the path from where you are to where you want to be is not always smooth or straight. When you hit those inevitable bumps in the road, your character, commitment, and attitude will help get you "in the zone" or at least, keep you there.
q Success Breeds Success
"Mo." That shortened word of "mo" speaks of momentum—the ability to continually succeed and build on the past successes you’ve had. Most people understand that when they have one (big or small) success, it encourages them and makes them believe they can do anything. Salespeople know it, and they strive for it.
When you’ve unlocked the key to your success (whatever that may be), you’ll find your "mo" and that nothing can get in your way.
q Choosing Success
We all understand that we can choose to be happy or miserable, and that our choices will affect our lives for the better or worse. When you opt to be happy, you choose to identify with the accomplishments in life that exude who you are and who you have striven to be.
You can choose to look on the positive side, just as you can choose success. Remember, success is more than just wealth. Choose the positive side of things and you choose to remember and live your successes, not your failures.
q Experts Don’t Know Everything
If you have a plan that seems to go against all the conventional wisdom and yet you know in your soul that this WILL work, then follow your gut instincts. The "experts" are wrong all the time—from medical experts who predict incorrectly to future-trending experts who foretell the wrong trends and costs corporations millions.
More than 100 years ago, someone wanted to close down the US Patent office because he thought everything that could be invented had been and that no one would need to patent anything else, ever. So don’t listen to the nay sayers and "experts"—sometimes they are dead wrong!
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