Press On

Quote
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”
-Calvin Coolidge

My Thoughts
I am often asked by clients “How do you handle difficult situations related to a goal?”.
What if you try and try and nothing seems to be working, but you are truly passionate about this goal? What if you’ve plateaued and haven’t made any progress in months related to your goal?

These challenges arise for all of us from time to time. So what do I recommend?

First, remember that ups and downs are a natural part of life. If you’ve set a big enough goal, you are guaranteed to meet some large challenges along the way. Overcoming these challenges will allow you to grow. By attempting to deny the downs, you often end up making them seem worse.

Second, more often than not the person that ends up being successful held on longer than everyone else. They met numerous challenges along the path and yet they kept going. They wanted to throw in the towel many times and yet they continued on. If you’ve ever read the biographies of very successful people they have all had to deal with obstacles, some of them quite major. The point is though all of them persisted and achieved their dreams.

So, if you are currently feeling stuck and unable to see the a way to move forward, remember to keep on going. Try to change the questions running through your mind. Ex: “Why isn’t there a way out?” could be changed to “What is another way to look at this situation?”. I also recommend reading books about successful people. As a matter of fact, I highly recommend reading ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill.

Until next time...

Human Potential

Quote
"When we treat man as he is, we make him worse than he is; when we treat him as if he already were what he potentially could be, we make him what he should be."
-Goethe

My Thoughts
I wanted to share this great video with you. It is from one of my mentors Christian Simpson and it deals with the subject of human potential.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9PpiUwoJoU

Until next time...

Behavior

Quote
“As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behavior. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to become. Take action on your behavior. Too many people want to feel, then take action. This never works.”
-John Maxwell

My Thoughts
It is great to start changing your thinking to help you achieve whatever you desire. However, unless you start taking action on that thinking and acting like the person you intend to become then you will never live up to your fullest potential.

It's very easy to wish for change and it can be easy to start thinking in a more positive manner. To act on that thinking is where the challenge lies. The reason why some people seem to constantly attract success is because they take action. These people see an opportunity and they seize it.

The wonderful news is that taking action is a habit that can be formed.
How?
If you want to seriously change some area of your life and you see an opportunity to do so, don't wait around thinking about it. Take the opportunity. Leave your comfort zone and take action. Once you get the momentum going you will find it easier to continue to take action.

I also recommend making a list of six people that you respect and what qualities you admire about those people. For example: Perhaps you don't respect Donald Trump's relationship advice, but you think he's a smart businessman. You could choose him for his business skills. After you have your list, read the books they've written and/or research about them. Finally, start mimicking those qualities in your own life.

You can change any area of your life by making a decision to do so. After you've made the decision take action. Stop sitting around talking about how much you want to change. Go out and do something.

Until next time....

Change

Quote
"Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor."
-Brian Tracy

My Thoughts
Change is inevitable and it often happens when you least expect it. One day you may think you have a secure job only to find out the next day that you've lost it. If you don't have a goal you will get tossed around by change and end up finding yourself in similar situations over and over again.

The way to start to get comfortable with change is to take responsibility for your life. After doing this setting goals will allow you to handle change much better.

How so?

Well, let's suppose you set a financial goal to earn $15,000 a month. Let's say you are currently earning $3,000 a month. So you set the goal and - change happens - you get fired from your job. Because you have a goal that you are committed to, you now may see other opportunities that you weren't aware of earlier. Without a goal you may just end up working another job making the same amount you've always made.

I suggest all of you spend some serious time thinking about your future. What do you want your life to look like? Once you figure this out, I encourage you to set some goals.

Until next time...

Ambition

Quote
"Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great."
-Mark Twain

My Thoughts
Instead of sharing my thoughts this week, I will share this video from Brian Tracy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P14Rxcvnf4E

Until next time...

Judgement

Quote
"If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see."
-Henry David Thoreau

My Thoughts
Occasionally you may find yourself pointing your finger in judgment of other people. Ultimately this ends up being a large waste of energy. In order for you to grow you have to be willing to rise up above a situation.
It goes back to the idea that you can't stop violence with violence.

How can you use this idea?

Let's suppose for a minute that you have a goal that you would like to achieve. You find that many people around you are telling you that you can't do it, it's impossible, just give up, etc... Instead of trying to convince them that you are right, which usually leads to arguments, show them by taking action on that goal.
By achieving the goal you will have risen above the situation instead of getting tied up in the negativity.

Until next time....

Questions

Quote
"If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes."
-Einstein

My Thoughts
I've mentioned about questions for shifting perception quite a few times before. Questions are critical to allow you to look at the same situation a different way. This is why coaching relies heavily on questions.
I believe the story below does a great job on getting this point across:

"A classic story illustrates very well the potential cost of placing a problem in a disciplinary box. It involves a multistoried office building in New York. Occupants began complaining about the poor elevator service provided in the building. Waiting times for elevators at peak hours, they said, were excessively long. Several of the tenants threatened to break their leases and move out of the building because of this…

Management authorized a study to determine what would be the best solution. The study revealed that because of the age of the building no engineering solution could be justified economically. The engineers said that management would just have to live with the problem permanently.

The desperate manager called a meeting of his staff, which included a young recently hired graduate in personnel psychology…The young man had not focused on elevator performance but on the fact that people complained about waiting only a few minutes. Why, he asked himself, were they complaining about waiting for only a very short time? He concluded that the complaints were a consequence of boredom. Therefore, he took the problem to be one of giving those waiting something to occupy their time pleasantly. He suggested installing mirrors in the elevator boarding areas so that those waiting could look at each other or themselves without appearing to do so. The manager took up his suggestion. The installation of mirrors was made quickly and at a relatively low cost. The complaints about waiting stopped.

Today, mirrors in elevator lobbies and even on elevators in tall buildings are commonplace."

When you alter the questions that you ask yourself, you will change the answers you are receiving.

So, how can you use this in your life?

Well, lets suppose you are having problems finding a job.....or finding a job that you like.
One thing many people do is look at their past or current results and see what they can do.
The problem with that is it keeps you stuck in a box.
The question that typically runs through many people's mind is "What can I get?" instead of "What do I want to do?". The first question is looking from the problem which is very limiting. The second question is starting to look from the solution which allows for exploration.
That slight change will let you to look at the situation differently.

Until next time...