You must develop the right mental attitude on your road to success. Without being overly simplistic, think of "The Little Train Who Could." Instead of having an "I Can’t" attitude, replace it with an "I Can!" attitude.
A positive outlook is necessary to see change coming, to be able to work with the change, and to make the most of whatever change comes down the pike in your life. If you expect change (but not from a vending machine!), you’ll be in a better position to accept it and make the most of it.
A fabulous book regarding change and positive attitude is "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson, MD.
In order to gain right thinking (being positive), you must decide to look at the bright side of life. Instead of seeing the cloud, see the silver lining in the cloud. Instead of seeing downsizing as a horrible thing that will plummet you in to bankruptcy and homelessness, consider it an opportunity to look for a better job and a chance to try new skills and career paths that you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try before. Don’t be pollyannaish, but do consider all sides of a situation before you adopt a negative perspective.
In order to maintain a positive outlook, you must also be realistic. For example, if you’ve gained 30 pounds in the last 3 years, it would be highly unrealistic to expect to drop those 30 pounds in 3 weeks. If you take an honest and realistic assessment of your skills and goals, you’re much more likely to find success in whatever field or career best suits you.
Maintain a cautious optimism as you seek success, not be blindly optimistic about every situation. There are some situations in which positive thinking cannot overcome the situation you’re faced with.
Consider Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots; he’s a man who’s in excellent shape. But if he decided to trade in his helmet and pads for ballet toe shoes, he likely wouldn’t make it, despite his physique. Blind optimism also puts you at the mercy of con men and charlatans—your optimism must be tempered by context and relevance.
No matter what your abilities are (and they are fabulous!), using them realistically will get you much farther than not. Your right thinking, paired with your abilities, put you on a course for success—no matter what field you’re in!
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Success: Takin’ Care of Business
If you’re hearing the song that Bachman-Turner-Overdrive made famous in the 60s, that’s exactly what I want! I’m not talking about "business" in a strictly financial sense, but "business" with the idea that whatever you’re shooting for success-wise, you complete your tasks.
Once you have a course plotted for success, there are going to be a million things that will vie for your attention and time. It’s not that these things haven’t been there before now, and it’s not even that the world is plotting against you succeeding. It’s just that now you have a focus and you’ll begin to notice things that seem like they shouldn’t be on your radar screen.
It doesn’t mean that you don’t do the little pesky things that are buzzing and want to be taken care of (especially if it relates to your job), just that you must not let those things pull you off-track.
So how do you stay on-task? The best way I’ve found, bar none, is to keep a log of tasks that must be accomplished as you move towards your goal. Remember to break the big tasks in to a series of small ones and to give yourself a reward-system as you do it. I use check-marks; others use stickers (sounds silly, but if it works for you, who cares?), still others use tangible rewards as they accomplish "x" number of small or large tasks.
Whatever motivates you is your key—keep it simple and keep it attainable. If the carrot is too far out in front of the horse, the horse will give up. If it’s just close enough to smell and see but just out of reach, that horse will keep moving towards the incentive.
Let’s say your goal is to lose 60 pounds. That’s quite a chunk of weight and can take a long time to accomplish. Let’s also say that you need a new wardrobe. Should you wait until all the weight is gone to buy those new clothes? Probably not—your current closet full of clothes will look awfully loose and ill-fitting if you do.
But let’s talk about small, incremental rewards that help move you towards your goal. If you lose 10 pounds, your current clothes won’t look baggy on you, but you will notice a difference in your waistband that might bother you. Don’t chuck the pants or go buy a new pair—take the current ones to a seamstress or tailor to be taken in.
It’s a small reward and saves you the money of buying new pants that you will continue to shrink out of. It also keeps you motivated. For the next 5 or 10 pounds, think about some new cosmetics or a new hairstyle—small things that will make you feel better, inside and out.
Takin’ care of business and staying on task. Now that’s the way to chart yourself to success!
Once you have a course plotted for success, there are going to be a million things that will vie for your attention and time. It’s not that these things haven’t been there before now, and it’s not even that the world is plotting against you succeeding. It’s just that now you have a focus and you’ll begin to notice things that seem like they shouldn’t be on your radar screen.
It doesn’t mean that you don’t do the little pesky things that are buzzing and want to be taken care of (especially if it relates to your job), just that you must not let those things pull you off-track.
So how do you stay on-task? The best way I’ve found, bar none, is to keep a log of tasks that must be accomplished as you move towards your goal. Remember to break the big tasks in to a series of small ones and to give yourself a reward-system as you do it. I use check-marks; others use stickers (sounds silly, but if it works for you, who cares?), still others use tangible rewards as they accomplish "x" number of small or large tasks.
Whatever motivates you is your key—keep it simple and keep it attainable. If the carrot is too far out in front of the horse, the horse will give up. If it’s just close enough to smell and see but just out of reach, that horse will keep moving towards the incentive.
Let’s say your goal is to lose 60 pounds. That’s quite a chunk of weight and can take a long time to accomplish. Let’s also say that you need a new wardrobe. Should you wait until all the weight is gone to buy those new clothes? Probably not—your current closet full of clothes will look awfully loose and ill-fitting if you do.
But let’s talk about small, incremental rewards that help move you towards your goal. If you lose 10 pounds, your current clothes won’t look baggy on you, but you will notice a difference in your waistband that might bother you. Don’t chuck the pants or go buy a new pair—take the current ones to a seamstress or tailor to be taken in.
It’s a small reward and saves you the money of buying new pants that you will continue to shrink out of. It also keeps you motivated. For the next 5 or 10 pounds, think about some new cosmetics or a new hairstyle—small things that will make you feel better, inside and out.
Takin’ care of business and staying on task. Now that’s the way to chart yourself to success!
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