Young Asian business woman planning her time management strategies on a tablet outside in the city

Business &amp; Branding

Business &amp; Branding Archives

Stay ahead in business: strategies and insights for success

Professional Growth

Professional Growth Archives

Professional Growth | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

Looking to improve your time management skills? Business leaders share their best time management strategies in our latest explainer.

Looking to improve your time management skills? Business leaders share their best time management strategies and techniques in our latest explainer. | SUCCESS

20 Time Management Skills &amp; Strategies to Help You Tackle Your To-Do List

Comment

The 20 Best Time Management Strategies | SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/time-management-strategies-header.jpg

Home

SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/success_opengraph_image.png

Brian Tracy

Karima Mariama-Arthur

Look for the Hidden Good and 3 Other Ways to React to Problems

Lifestyle

Lifestyle Archives

Elevate your lifestyle for success and happiness

<p>It is not what happens to you that counts. It is <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-deal-with-unexpected-change/">how you react</a> to what happens to you—especially when there are unexpected problems.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Here are four things you can do to ensure that your attitude<strong> </strong>is the very best it can be, no matter the circumstance:</p>



<h2 id="h-1-focus-on-the-future">1. Focus on the future.</h2>



<p>Whatever challenges you face, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/charting-your-new-course-4-tips-when-life-doesnt-go-as-planned/">focus on the future</a> rather than on the past. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Create a clear mental image of your ideal successful future and then take action to begin moving in that direction. Focus your mind, thoughts and mental images on the future.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-2-think-about-the-solution">2. Think about the solution.</h2>



<p>Whenever you’re faced with a difficulty, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-solve-problems-effectively-and-ethically/">focus on the solution</a> rather than on the problem. Think and talk about the ideal solution to the obstacle or setback rather than wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem. Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative.</p>



<p>Take some time to write out every detail of the problem, and then <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/11/how-to-avoid-rushing-to-solutions-when-problem-solving" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">take the most logical next step</a> to solve it. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being. </p>



<h2 id="h-3-look-for-the-good">3. Look for the good.</h2>



<p>Assume that something <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-turn-any-challenge-into-a-life-changing-opportunity/">good is hidden within each difficulty</a> or challenge. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, “Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem.” The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. But the wonderful thing is that if you look for the gift, you will always find it.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-4-seek-the-lesson">4. Seek the lesson.</h2>



<p>Assume that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you ultimately need to be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2020/09/09/11-ways-to-turn-adversity-into-opportunity/?sh=74328fad69c1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">help you become better</a>, to help you expand and grow. </p>



<p>So seek the valuable lesson in every adversity. Make a list of every idea or insight you can gain from every setback or difficulty.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/7-practical-tips-to-achieve-a-positive-mindset/">positive mental attitude</a> is indispensable to your success. You can be as positive as you want to be if you will simply think about the future and look for the good. If you do what other successful people do, if you use your mind to exert mental control over the situation, you will be positive, cheerful and reap the benefits enjoyed by all successful people.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="has-small-font-size"><em>This article was published in October 2015 and has been updated. Photo by @ebelodedova/Twenty20</em></p>

[node:summary] - Why a positive mental attitude is indispensable to your success

It is not what happens to you that counts. It is how you react to what happens to you—especially when there are unexpected problems. | SUCCESS

Look for the Hidden Good and 3 Other Ways to React to Problems | SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Look-for-the-Hidden-Good-and-3-Other-Ways-to-React-to-Problems.jpg

Brian Tracy is chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a best-selling author of more than 70 books, and a professional speaker.

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8371a0bae09ceb247d821a5c9eb0300b119d71418f98dcce64e087f214db8ff6?s=96&d=mm&r=g

<p>Psychologist Abraham Maslow once wrote, “The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short.” The average person settles for far less than he or she is truly capable of achieving. The truth is we’re all extraordinary. You came into this world with more talents and abilities than you could ever use. You could not exhaust your <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/4-changes-you-can-make-to-reach-your-full-potential/">full potential</a> if you lived 100 lifetimes.</p>



<p>Your brain has 20 billion cells, each of which is connected to as many as 20 thousand other cells. The possible combinations and permutations of ideas, thoughts and insights that you can generate are equivalent to the number one followed by eight pages of zeros. According to brain expert Tony Buzan, this number is greater than all the molecules in the known universe.</p>



<p>In other words, whatever you have accomplished in life to this date is only a small fraction of what you are truly capable of achieving. The challenge is that you come into the world with no instruction manual. As a result, you have to figure it all out for yourself. Most people never do. They go through life doing the very best they can, but they never come within shouting distance of doing, having and being all that is possible for them.</p>



<h2 id="h-the-key-to-success"><strong>The Key to Success</strong></h2>



<p>I started off in life with few advantages. My father was not always employed and my family never seemed to have any money. I began working and paying for my own clothes and expenses when I was 10 years old, doing odd jobs around the neighborhood. When I was old enough, I got a job washing dishes in the back of a small hotel. My biggest promotion at that time was up to washing pots and pans.</p>



<p>I left high school without graduating and worked at laboring jobs for several years. I worked in sawmills stacking lumber, and in the woods slashing brush with a chain saw. I dug ditches and wells. I worked in factories and on construction sites. For a time, I was a galley boy on a Norwegian freighter in the North Atlantic. I <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/what-successful-freelancers-know-about-earning-six-figures/">earned my living</a> by the sweat of my brow.</p>



<p>When I could no longer find a laboring job, I found work making straight-commission sales, cold calling from door to door and office to office. For a long time, I was one sale away from homelessness. It was not a great way to live.</p>



<p>Then one day I began asking a question: “Why is it that <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/50-ways-happier-healthier-and-more-successful-people-live-on-their-own-terms/">some people are more successful</a> than others?” Or more specifically, “Why is it that some salespeople are more successful than others?”</p>



<p>With that one question, I did something that changed my life and began the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-change-your-habits/">formation of a habit</a> that had a profound effect on my future. I asked the most successful salesman in my company what he was doing differently from me. And he told me. And I did what he told me to do. And my sales went up.</p>



<p>In the Bible, it says, “Ask and ye shall receive.” I soon developed the habit of asking everyone, and in every way possible, for the answers that I needed to move ahead more rapidly. I began to read books on selling and put into action what I had learned. I listened to audio programs while I walked and, eventually, as I drove around. I attended every sales seminar I could find. I continually asked other <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/5-skills-of-the-most-successful-salespeople/">successful salespeople</a> for advice. And I developed the habit of immediately taking action on any advice or good idea that I received or learned.</p>



<p>Not surprisingly, my sales went up and up, and eventually I surpassed everyone in my company. Soon they made me a sales manager and asked me to teach other people what I was doing that enabled me to be so successful.</p>



<p>Before long, I was recruiting people with newspaper ads, teaching them the sales methods and techniques that I had learned, and sending them out to call on prospects and customers. In no time at all, they were making sales and moving upward and onward in their own lives. Many of those early salespeople are millionaires today.</p>



<h2 id="h-the-law-of-cause-and-effect"><strong>The Law of Cause and Effect</strong></h2>



<p>What I learned from this experience was the great Law of Cause and Effect. This is the foundation principle of Western philosophy and of modern thought. It says that for every cause, there is an effect.</p>



<p><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/life-doesnt-happen-to-you-it-happens-for-you/">Everything happens for a reason</a>. Nothing happens by accident. This law says that, even if you do not know the reason why something happens, there is still a reason that explains it. Here is one of the most important of all success principles: “If you do what other successful people do, you will eventually get the same results that they do. And if you don’t, you won’t.”</p>



<p>Nature is neutral. Nature does not favor one person over another. The Bible says, “God made the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” When you do the things that other successful people do, over and over again, you will eventually get the same results that they do. It is not a matter of luck, or chance, or accident. It is a matter of law.</p>



<p>This was an extraordinary idea for me. Even today, I am awed by the immensity and power of this simple principle. If you want to be happy, healthy, prosperous, popular, positive and confident, just find out how other people who are enjoying these benefits got that way, and do the same things they do. Think the same thoughts. Feel the same feelings. Take the same actions. And, as sure as two plus two makes four, you will eventually get the same results as others do.</p>



<p style="font-size:12px"><em>This article was published in June 2008 and has been updated. Photo by Rido/Shutterstock</em></p>

Whatever you have accomplished in life to this date is only a small fraction of what you are truly capable of achieving. The challenge is that you come into the world with no instruction manual.

Whatever you have accomplished in life to this date is only a small fraction of what you are truly capable of achieving. The challenge is that you come into the world with no instruction manual. | SUCCESS

This One Question Transformed My Sales Career—and My Life

This One Question Transformed My Sales Career—and My Life | SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/The-One-Question-That-Changed-My-Life.jpg

Personal Development

Personal Development Archives

Personal Development | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

<p>Do you want to be successful? If you think the way the most successful people think and adopt the same habits they have, you can be.</p>



<p>But what makes someone a master achiever? Here are six characteristics:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p><strong><em>Related: </em> <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/dont-skip-these-5-steps-on-your-way-to-the-top">Don’t Skip These 5 Steps on Your Way to the Top</a></strong></p></blockquote>



<h2 id="h-1-they-are-ambitious">1.&nbsp;They are ambitious.</h2>



<p>They see themselves capable of being the best. They see themselves with the capacity of being really good at what they do.</p>



<p>This was a really big thought for me. It held me back for many years. When I saw people who were doing better than I was, I naturally assumed they were better than I was. And if they were better than I was, then I must be worse than them. So that would mean they were superior and I was inferior.</p>



<p>That’s a big problem in our society—we have <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/3-ways-to-outsmart-your-insecurities" target="_self" rel="noopener noreferrer">feelings of inferiority</a>, and these feelings of inferiority are often translated into feelings of undeservedness. The word “deserve” comes from two Latin words meaning “from service.” You deserve 100 percent of everything you make and enjoy as long as you get it from serving other people. If you serve better and serve more and serve at a higher level and serve more enthusiastically and serve a higher quality, then you’ll have a wonderful income—and you’ll deserve every penny of it.</p>



<p>You just must see yourself capable of <em>being the best</em>.</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-6-ways-to-act-on-your-ambition">Here are 6 ways to tap into your ambition.</a></li></ul>



<h2 id="h-2-they-are-courageous">2. They are courageous.</h2>



<p>Successful people <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-3-ways-to-face-your-fears-with-courage" target="_self" rel="noopener noreferrer">work to confront the fears</a> that hold most people back. The two biggest enemies to our success are fear and doubt.</p>



<p>When you do something repeatedly, you develop a habit. Make a habit throughout your life of doing the things that scare you. If you do the thing you fear, the death of fear is certain.</p>



<p>So face your fear. The ability to confront your fear is the mark of the superior person. If you have high ambition and you decide to be at the top, and you can confront your fears and do the things that are holding you back, those two things alone will make you a great success.</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/how-to-build-your-courage-to-achieve-anything">Here’s how to build your courage.</a></li></ul>



<h2 id="h-3-they-are-committed">3. They are committed.</h2>



<p>The top people in every field are completely committed. They believe in themselves; they believe in their companies; they believe in their products and services; they believe in their customers. They have an intense<em> belief</em>.</p>



<p>We know that there is a one-to-one relationship between <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/11-strategies-to-develop-an-unshakeable-belief-in-yourself">the depth of your belief</a> and what happens in your reality. And if you absolutely believe in the rightness and the goodness of what you’re doing, you become like a catalyst. You create what is called a transfer, like an electrical transfer of enthusiasm.</p>



<p>People who are not committed to what they do lead very empty lives. Caring is a critical element in life—all men and women who enjoy great lives care about what they do. They have passion about what they do. They <em>love</em> what they do.</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/3-ways-to-discover-your-true-passion">Here are 3 steps to finding your passion.</a></li></ul>



<h2 id="h-4-they-are-prepared">4. They are prepared.</h2>



<p>Successful people review every detail in advance. They do things that the average person is not willing to do. They make sacrifices the average person is not willing to make. But the difference it makes is extraordinary.</p>



<p>Before you go into a meeting, do your homework. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/read-this-before-your-next-presentation" target="_self" rel="noopener noreferrer">Before you give a speech</a>, research the information and practice your talking points. Dive in deep to review every detail of every situation before you take it on.</p>



<p>Successful people are more concerned about pleasing results than they are about pleasing methods. There is nothing more complimentary to your team, your client, your audience than the feeling that you have thoughtfully prepared.</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/5-evening-habits-that-will-prepare-you-for-a-day-of-success">Start preparing for tomorrow with this evening routine.</a></li></ul>



<h2 id="h-5-they-are-continuous-learners">5. They are continuous learners.</h2>



<p>High achievers recognize that if they’re not continually getting better, they’re getting worse. They read, they listen to CDs and they take additional training. The professional never stops learning. So read, listen to CDs and take continuous training.</p>



<p>Never stop learning.</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/22-ways-to-become-a-relentless-learner">Here are 22 ways to increase your knowledge.</a></li></ul>



<h2 id="h-6-they-are-responsible">6. They are responsible.</h2>



<p>The top people in our society have an attitude of self-employment. That’s essential, because 100 percent of us are self-employed—we are presidents of our own personal services corporation. You work for yourself, and the biggest mistake we can ever make is to think we work for anyone else. The person who signs our paycheck may change, our jobs may change, but <em>we</em> are always the same. <em>We</em> are the one constant.</p>



<p>The fact of the matter is that this is not optional—it is mandatory. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/6-essential-habits-for-getting-the-career-you-want">You’re the president of your own career</a>, your own life, your own finances, your own body, your own family, your own health. You are totally responsible.</p>



<p>We have to be responsible. No one will ever do it <em>for</em> us. It’s the most liberating and exhilarating thought of all, to think, to realize, that you’re the president of your own life.</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/adulting-101-9-life-skills-you-need-to-become-the-ideal-grown-up">Adulting 101: Here’s how to handle everything.&nbsp;</a></li></ul>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p><strong><em>Related:</em> <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/6-qualities-of-wildly-successful-people">6 Qualities of Wildly Successful People</a></strong></p></blockquote>



<p style="font-size:12px"><em>Adapted from </em><a style="line-height: 20.8px;" href="https://store.successcom.wpenginepowered.com/success-mastery-academy-by-brian-tracy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Success Mastery Academy</a><em> by Brian Tracy<br>Editor’s note: This post was originally published in June 2015 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness. </em><br><em>Photo by </em>anjemaster<em>/Twenty20</em></p>

Do you want to be successful? If you think the way the most successful people think and adopt the same habits they have, you can be.

These are the traits of master achievers. Do you have what it takes to get to the top? | SUCCESS

6 Qualities of Wildly Successful People

6 Qualities of Wildly Successful People | SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/6-Qualities-of-Wildly-Successful-People.jpg

Leadership

Leadership Archives

Leadership | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

<p>The most important quality of leadership, the one quality for which you want to be known, is extraordinary performance with the goal of achieving extraordinary results—results that then serve as an inspiration to others to perform at equally exceptional levels.</p>

<p class="rteindent1"><em>Related: </em><strong><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/if-you-want-to-change-your-results-you-have-to-change-your-thinking-first">If You Want to Change Your Results, You Have to Change Your Thinking First</a></strong></p>

<p>We ascribe leadership to those people who we feel can most enable us to achieve important goals or objectives—people with these <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/7-qualities-of-the-most-charming-people">charismatic qualities</a>:</p>

<h2>1. They earn respect.</h2>

<p>We develop great perceptions of those people we can count on to help us achieve what is important to us. People who work hard develop influence in the minds and hearts of their co-workers and superiors, and they are spoken about in the most positive way.</p>

<h2>2. They have the halo effect.</h2>

<p>Leaders who develop high-performing companies or departments develop what is called the “halo effect.” They are perceived by others to be leaders who are capable of great things. Their shortcomings are often overlooked, while their strong points are emphasized. They become charismatic.</p>

<h2>3. They accept themselves.</h2>

<p>Leaders develop charisma by working on themselves. They learn to like and accept themselves unconditionally. They do and say the specific things that develop within them a powerful, charismatic personality.</p>

<h2>4. They are determined and purposeful.</h2>

<p>When leaders <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-4-tips-for-setting-powerful-goals">set clear goals</a> and become determined and purposeful, backing those goals with unshakable self-confidence, they develop charisma. They are enthusiastic and excited about what they’re doing. They are totally committed to achieving something worthwhile. They <em>radiate </em>charisma.</p>

<h2>5. They accept complete responsibility.</h2>

<p>When leaders take complete responsibility and accept ownership, without making excuses or blaming others, they have a sense of control that is the foundation of charisma. They have the kind of external image that others admire. They develop their character by setting high standards and then disciplining themselves to live consistently within the highest principles. They become the kind of person who is admired and respected everywhere. They become the kind of person who radiates <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/6-ways-to-unlock-your-charisma">charisma</a> to others.</p>

<h2>6. They focus on the results.</h2>

<p>Leaders who concentrate their energies on achieving the results that they were hired to accomplish, the results that others expect of them, develop the reputation for performance and achievement that inevitably leads to the perception of greater charisma.</p>

<p>You can develop the kind of charisma that opens doors by going to work on yourself, consistently and persistently, and becoming the kind of person everyone can admire and look up to. That’s what charisma is all about.</p>

<h3>Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:</h3>

<p><strong>1.</strong> Ask yourself every day, <em>What is the one thing that I (and only I) can do, that if done well, will make a real difference to my company? </em>Whatever your answer is, go to work on that.</p>

<p><strong>2.</strong> Select the most important results you can get for your company and make sure that you and everyone else is working on those results every hour of every day.</p>

<p class="rteindent1"><em>Related: </em><strong><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/john-c-maxwell-4-qualities-of-charismatic-people">John C. Maxwell: 4 Qualities of Charismatic People</a></strong></p>


How to become the kind of person everyone admires and looks up to.

How to become the kind of person everyone admires and looks up to. | SUCCESS

6 Qualities of a Charismatic Leader

6 Qualities of a Charismatic Leader | SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/sites/default/files/main/articles/qualitiesofacharismaticleader.jpg

The best leaders have a special kind of courage. They have the courage to endure, to persist, to “<a title="13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do | SUCCESS.com" href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/13-things-mentally-strong-people-dont-do">hang in there</a>” in the face of doubt, uncertainty and criticism.

You are a work in progress, you are always growing and improving. Your job is to become the very best leader you can be. And you can—with regular and persistent practice of these seven courageous habits:
<h2><strong>1. </strong>Practice patience in adversity.</h2>
Courageous patience is the willingness and ability to stay the course in the face of uncertainty, doubt and often criticism from others.
<p class="rteindent1"><em>Related: </em><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/john-addison-the-5-as-of-leading-through-adversity"><strong>John Addison: The 5 A's of Leading Through Adversity</strong></a></p>

<h2><strong>2. </strong>Stay the course.</h2>
There is a critical time period between the launching of a new venture and the results that come from that venture. During this hiatus, this waiting period, many people lose their nerve. They cannot stand the suspense of not knowing, of <a title="Why Failure Is Good for Success | SUCCESS.com" href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/why-failure-is-good-for-success">possible failure</a>. They break and run in battle, they quake and quit in business.
<h2><strong>3. </strong>Lead by example.</h2>
A <a title="Rohn: 7 Personality Traits of a Great Leader | SUCCESS.com" href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-7-personality-traits-of-a-great-leader">true leader</a> is the person who can stand firm, who refuses to consider the possibility of failure. The turning points of many key moments in human history have been the resolution, or lack thereof, of one person. Courageous patience is the acid test of leadership.

To encourage others, to instill confidence in them, to help them to perform at their best requires that you lead by example.
<p class="rteindent1"><em>Related: </em><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/to-perform-best-in-life-remember-these-6-ziglar-truths/"><strong>To Perform Best in Life, Remember These 6 Ziglar Truths</strong></a></p>

<h2><strong>4. </strong>Allow honest mistakes.</h2>
Alleviate the fears of failure and rejection in others by encouraging your team to take calculated risks and allow honest mistakes.
<h2><strong>5. </strong>Encourage your team.</h2>
Give the people who look up to you regular praise and approval. Celebrate good tries as well as success, large and small. Create a <a title="The Business of Self-Esteem | SUCCESS.com" href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/the-business-of-self-esteem">psychological climate</a> where people feel safe from censure, blame or criticism of any kind.
<h2><strong>6. </strong>Become unstoppable.</h2>
Courage comes from acting courageously on a day-to-day basis. Your <a title="Rohn: 4 Tips for Setting Powerful Goals | SUCCESS.com" href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-4-tips-for-setting-powerful-goals">personal development goal</a> should be to practice the behaviors of a totally fearless person until you become, in your own mind, unstoppable.
<h2><strong>7. </strong>Prepare for adversity.</h2>
Prepare yourself in advance for the inevitable disappointments and setbacks you will experience on the way to your goal. Don’t be surprised when they occur. Resolve in advance that you will bounce rather than break and continually encourage others to think and act the same way.
<p class="rteindent1"><em>Related: </em><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/3-ways-to-move-past-a-setback"><strong>3 Ways to Move Past a Setback</strong></a></p>

Leadership takes a special kind of courage. Here are 7 ways to be the very best leader you can be.

Leadership takes a special kind of courage. Here are 7 ways to be the very best leader you can be. | SUCCESS

7 Ways to Be the Very Best Leader You Can Be

7 Ways to Be the Very Best Leader You Can Be | SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/waystobetheverybestleaderyoucanbe.jpg

Do These 7 Things to Get (and Stay) Motivated

<p>How do you stay motivated and inspired? How can you keep your passion, your excitement, fired up? By reviewing these self-motivators on a regular basis:</p>



<h2 id="h-1-get-serious">1. Get serious.</h2>



<p>Make a decision to go all the way to the top. Up to now, you've thought about it. Up to now, it's passed your mind. But now make up your mind to go <em>all the way</em> to the top, and your life will take off. It's the most extraordinary thing.</p>



<p>Your life is like a shadow going up the dark side of a hill—until the moment you decide that "I'm going to be the best at what I do.” And suddenly you rise into the sunshine, and your life is forever after different—wonderful.</p>



<p>Get serious. Don't fool around anymore.</p>



<h2 id="h-2-know-your-limiting-step">2. Know your limiting step.</h2>



<p>What's your limiting step? What's the one skill area that's holding you back? What's the quality? What's the action? Ask other people. Find out what you need to become good at.</p>



<p>Find out <a title="This Is How You Get Unstuck | SUCCESS.com" href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/videos/youtube/this-is-how-you-get-unstuck" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">what's keeping you stuck</a>. What is the critical limiting step that's determining your success today?</p>



<h2 id="h-3-get-around-the-right-people">3. Get around the right people. </h2>



<p>Who are the right people? Winners. <a title="Why You Need Positive People in Your Life | SUCCESS.com" href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/why-you-need-positive-people-in-your-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Get around positive people.</a> Get around people with goals and plans, people who are going somewhere with their lives and have high aspirations. Get around eagles. As Zig Ziglar says, "You can't scratch with the turkeys if you want to fly with the eagles."</p>



<p>And get away from negative people. Get away from toxic people that complain and whine and moan all the time. Who needs them? Life is too short.</p>



<h2 id="h-4-take-care-of-yourself">4. Take care of yourself.</h2>



<p>Take excellent care of your health. That means good diet, good exercise. Everybody knows they should eat better foods, work out regularly and get lots of rest. If you're going to work hard five days a week, go to bed early five days a week.</p>



<h2 id="h-5-see-yourself-as-the-best">5. See yourself as the best.</h2>



<p>Visualize yourself as the very best in whatever you do—continually. Remember, all improvement in your life begins with an improvement in your mental pictures.</p>



<h2 id="h-6-talk-nicely-to-yourself">6. Talk nicely to yourself. </h2>



<p>Control your inner dialogue and practice <a title="Attitude Adjustment 101: Say It Out Loud with Me… | SUCCESS.com" href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/attitude-adjustment-101-say-it-out-loud-with-me" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">positive self-talk</a>. How? Say, "I'm the best." Say it. Say, “I like myself,” “I can do it,” “I love my work.” If you say those things to yourself and you don't believe them, isn’t that lying to yourself? No, that's not lying to yourself—it’s telling the truth in advance. Because it doesn't matter where you're coming from—all that matters is where you're going.</p>



<p>Talk to yourself the way you want to be, not the way you just happen to be at this moment. Remember, you may have gotten where you are today largely by accident. But where you're going in the future is purely by design.</p>



<h2 id="h-7-get-going">7. Get going.<strong> </strong></h2>



<p>Move fast. A sense of urgency is the one thing you can develop that will separate you from everyone else. Develop a bias for action. When you get a good idea, do it now.</p>



<p>And the faster you move, the better you get. And the better you get, the more you like yourself. And the more you like yourself, the higher your self-esteem is. And the higher your self-esteem is, the greater your self-discipline is. And the more you persist, then you ultimately become unstoppable.</p>



<p><a title="Want to Be Successful? Do These 7 Things in Your Spare Time | SUCCESS.com" href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/want-to-be-successful-do-these-7-things-in-your-spare-time" target="_self" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Want to be successful? Check out 7 activities you should be doing in your spare time.</strong></a></p>



<p style="font-size:12px"><em>Excerpted from</em> <a title="Success Mastery Academy by Brian Tracy | Store.SUCCESS.com" href="https://store.success.com/success-mastery-academy-by-brian-tracy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Success Mastery Academy</a> <em>by Brian Tracy</em><br><em>Photo by <em>jtobiason</em>/Twenty20</em></p>

How do you stay motivated and inspired? How can you keep your passion, your excitement, fired up? By reviewing these self-motivators on a regular basis.

How do you stay motivated and inspired? How can you keep your passion, your excitement, fired up? By reviewing these self-motivators on a regular basis. | SUCCESS

Do These 7 Things to Get (and Stay) Motivated | SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Do-These-7-Things-to-Get-and-Stay-Motivated.jpg

You work hard—really hard—at your job. Your workload is heavy and you are always busy. You are the first one to get to the office and the last one to leave. Work demands your full attention—and you hand it over, no questions asked. Except that it never ends. Your to-do lists roll over (and over and over), and your days play on repeat. For you, work is life and life is work.

What are you doing with your life? Don’t lose your priorities in piles of endless work. Here’s how to get it together:
<h2><strong>1. Identify your key tasks.</strong></h2>
Identify those few <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/8-ways-to-balance-your-workload-for-max-productivity" target="_self" rel="noopener noreferrer">to-do items that contribute the greatest value</a> to your work. Think your work through carefully and in advance. Talk about it with your boss and your co-workers. Identify your key tasks with absolute clarity so that you know, without the shadow of a doubt, what it is that you can do that makes the greatest contribution.
<h2><strong>2. Stop doing low-value tasks.</strong></h2>
Identify all those routine tasks and activities that consume so much time but which contribute little or nothing to your long-term goals at work. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/a-sorority-girl-lesson-in-delegation-what-not-to-do" target="_self" rel="noopener noreferrer">Delegate and outsource</a> those tasks, one at a time. Even better, eliminate them altogether wherever possible. Reduce the amount of time that you spend in low-value, time-consuming activities. Be adamant about discontinuing to-do’s that are of little importance.
<h2><strong>3. Take time off.</strong></h2>
Decide today to take at least one full day off work each week during which you spend time exclusively with your family and on your personal pursuits. During this time off, absolutely refuse to do anything associated with work—do not read, make telephone calls, catch up on your emails, work on your computer or anything else. Let your brain completely recharge and rejuvenate by turning your attention to something totally separate and apart from the work you do during the week.

Then, once you are comfortable taking one day off each week, expand your time off to two days, a full weekend, every week. Next, schedule a three-day vacation away every three months and eventually, every two months. You should begin to schedule two to four weeks of vacation every year. Reorganize your life so that <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/how-to-leave-behind-work-take-a-real-vacation" target="_self" rel="noopener noreferrer">time off becomes a major priority</a>.
<h2><strong>4. Think through your activities.</strong></h2>
Start today to pay closer attention to the things you do. Be more conscious and aware of yourself and your actions. Think carefully about what’s on your schedule before you begin. Identify your most important activities and concentrate on them single-mindedly. The very act of continually thinking through things before you begin will develop within you new habits of thought and action that will lead to ever greater levels of productivity and performance. You will be amazed at the improvements that take place in every part of your life, and they will take place far faster than you can imagine.

The more you get your time and your life under control, the more you will get done and the more enjoyable it will be. Because the more you get done, the more free time you will have. The more free time you have, the better rested you will be. The better rested you are, the more alert and productive you will be when you are working, getting even more done in less time. And the cycle continues…
<p class="rteindent1"><em>Related: </em><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/stressed-5-simple-ways-to-prevent-burnout"><strong>Stressed? 5 Simple Ways to Prevent Burnout</strong></a></p>

Buried in work? Reorganize your priorities and make room in your schedule for a little more life.

You work hard—really hard—at your job. Your workload is heavy and you are always busy. You are the first one to get to the office and the last one to | SUCCESS

4 Steps to Get Your Life Together and Back on Track

4 Steps to Get Your Life Together and Back on Track | SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/GetYourLifeTogether.jpg

When you think <em>health</em>, what comes to mind? Gym? Salads, hold the dressing? Sure, physical fitness and diet are part of being healthy, but that's not <em>all</em> of it. Your mental state influences your overall well-being, too. And the true measure of mental fitness is how <em>optimistic</em> you are about yourself and your life.&nbsp;

Optimism is the "state of having positive beliefs." It's synonymous with <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/6-confidence-boosters" target="_blank" title="6 Confidence Boosters | SUCCESS.com" rel="noopener">certainty, confidence</a> and elation; enthusiasm, happiness and idealism. <em>Pessimism</em> is the "belief in bad outcomes." And <em>it's</em> synonymous with cynicism, despair and gloom; hopelessness, melancholy and unhappiness.

Afraid you might be more of a pessimist than an optimist? You can learn how to control your thinking in very specific ways so that you feel terrific about yourself and your situation, no matter what happens.

You may not be able to control events but you can control the way you react to them.&nbsp;Here are three basic differences in the reactions of optimists and pessimists:
&nbsp;
<strong>1. Control your reactions and responses.&nbsp;</strong>
An optimist sees a setback as temporary, while the pessimist sees it as permanent. The optimist sees an unfortunate event as a temporary event, something that is limited in time and that has no real impact on the future. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees negative events as permanent, as part of life and destiny.&nbsp;

<strong>2. Isolate the incident.</strong>
An optimist sees difficulties as specific, while the pessimist sees them as pervasive. This means that when things go wrong for the optimist, he looks at the event as an isolated incident largely disconnected from other things that are going on in his life.&nbsp;

For example, if something you were counting on failed to materialize and you interpreted it to yourself as being an unfortunate event, just something that happens in the course of life and business, you would be reacting like an optimist. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees disappointments as being inescapable. To him they are indications of a problem or shortcoming that pervades every area of life.&nbsp;

<strong>3. Don't take failure personally.</strong>&nbsp;
Optimists see events as external, while pessimists interpret events as personal. When things go wrong, the optimist will tend to see the setback as resulting from external factors over which one has little control.&nbsp;

If the optimist is cut off in traffic, for example, instead of getting angry or upset, he will simply downgrade the importance of the event by saying something like, "Oh, well, I guess that person is just having a bad day."&nbsp;The pessimist, on the other hand, will react as though the other driver has deliberately acted to upset and frustrate him.&nbsp;

The hallmark of the fully mature, fully functioning, self-actualizing personality is the ability to be objective and unemotional when caught up in the inevitable storms of daily life. The superior person has the ability to continue talking to himself in a <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/10-clever-tricks-to-trigger-positive-emotions" target="_blank" title="10 Clever Tricks to Trigger Positive Emotions | SUCCESS.com" rel="noopener">positive and optimistic</a> way, keeping his mind calm, clear and completely under control. The healthy personality is more relaxed and aware and capable of interpreting events more realistically and less emotionally than is the immature personality. As a result, the optimistic person exerts a far greater sense of control and influence over his environment, and is far less likely to be angry, upset or distracted.&nbsp;

So, resolve to be an optimist. Remember to:

• Remind yourself continually that setbacks are only temporary, they will soon be past and nothing is as serious as you think it is.&nbsp;

• Look upon each problem as a specific event, not connected to other events and not indicative of a pattern of any kind. Deal with it and get on with your life.&nbsp;

• Recognize that when things go wrong, they are usually caused by a variety of external events. Say to yourself, <em>What can't be cured must be endured</em>, and then get back to thinking about your goals.

<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/what-separates-chronically-positive-people-from-everyone-else" target="_self" title="What Separates Chronically Positive People from Everyone Else | SUCCESS.comf" rel="noopener"><strong>Find out what other characteristics separate positive people from everyone else here.</strong></a>

How to be optimistic: 3 differences between an optimistic reaction and a pessimistic one. Optimism is the "state of having positive beliefs."

How to be optimistic: 3 differences between an optimistic reaction and a pessimistic one. Optimism is the "state of having positive beliefs." | SUCCESS

A Pessimist's Guide to Being an Optimist

A Pessimist&#8217;s Guide to Being an Optimist

A Pessimist's Guide to Being an Optimist | SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/sites/default/files/main/articles/PessimistsGuidetoBeinganOptimist.jpg