We've all heard that consistent, persistent action is necessary to achieve success (more on that in a later newsletter...). But how many times have you worked at achieving some goal, only to look back and find a minimal level of accomplishment?
While it is true that consistent and persistent action are requirements to get the ball rolling, there are a couple of additional pieces that can make a HUGE difference in your results. The two things that seem to be the difference between just putting in activity and actually your achieving goals, are belief and purpose. Without those two keys, we can be as busy as anyone else, have all the "effective techniques" down pat, and be more committed than others,... and still have poor results.
Here's the bottom line: If you don't know why you're doing what you do (and I don't mean, "To make money") and you don't believe you can really do the things you set out to do, you simply won't be successful. Don't get me wrong, making money is a good thing. It's just not the main thing. When you succeed, you'll make more money than you imagined possible. Develop a clear purpose - the reason you do what you do. It may be to help others protect their assets, to help them provide for their family, to help your family have more security, to help others have peace of mind, to help people get ahead,.. It can be any number of things ,but it does end up revolving around helping someone. The second part of this is to develop a sense of belief. You must believe that you can achieve your goals. This can be a bit more difficult than it sounds. It goes beyond positive thinking. It goes beyond visualization. It involves positive expectations. It can feel like "knowing" in advance. Getting to that point often involves dealing with self-image issues; dealing with the fears of failure, of success, of money. If you're not already there, it can be a struggle. But the prize is worth the price.
Having a clear purpose and believing you can accomplish your goals will propel you towards success faster and more easily than just about anything else you can do. It will spark your creativity, attract the resources you may need, and energize you through any obstacles that may present themselves.
Spend some time identifying or clarifying why you're doing what you do. You may decide that you don't know why you're doing what you do! Either figure it out, or move on! You'll be much happier in the end for making the effort.
Be honest with yourself. Having self-confidence doesn't mean you believe, deep down inside, that you can accomplish your goals. Almost anyone can achieve whatever they set out to achieve. If you argue for your limitations, you get to keep them!
Make the effort to really understand and acknowledge the beliefs that hold you back.
Written by Michael Beck, President of Exceptional Leadership, Inc., a leadership development and executive coaching firm dedicated to creating exceptional leadership for higher profits and greater job satisfaction. Michael can be reached at 877-977-8956 or mbeck@XLeaders.com, and you can learn more about the company and these ideas at www.XLeaders.com
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