I've always wondered why some people accomplish more, get
better results, earn more and leave a huge legacy, while
others work just as hard but never seem to "get it
together." What's the difference between high achievers and
everyone else? Why are some people so happy with their
lives? Are there a few keys that make the difference? And
if so, are they skills or techniques that can be learned
and used by everyone, or are they reserved for the lucky
few?
I'm sure there may be other ways to phrase it, but I've
discovered three big parts of the answer. When I read about
the most admired people in history, or talk with highly
successful people, there are three daily activities that
stand out. Most importantly to me, these three things seem
to make a huge difference in my own life and my own
results. I'd like to share them with you.
1. Positive Self-Awareness. High achievers talk to
themselves constantly and are very clear and positive in
their self-descriptions.
We all have dozens of ways we describe ourselves to
ourselves. We tell ourselves, "I'm a good cook" or "I can't
dance." We tell ourselves we're athletic or smart or that
we "can't carry a tune in a bucket." We all do it and
here's a critical piece: We all have areas where we want to
improve our performance. High performers consciously and
continuously think about getting better in those specific
areas.
This is familiar to those who use affirmations but it's a
bit different from the way affirmations are usually taught.
I'm not talking about "affirming" that you've already
reached your yearly income goal. Far from it! I'm talking
about things that winners can control and change
immediately.
Here are two simple examples. Many people tell themselves,
"I'm a procrastinator." By doing so, they actually affirm
the habit of procrastination. In contrast, winners
consciously decide never to use that phrase again! Instead
they might substitute a positive self-description like, "I
do it now!" or, "I never put off what I can do today."
Then, they repeat that over and over, every day.
Procrastination becomes a thing of the past.
A second example. People who are afraid to fly (or have
similar fears) often focus on their fears and tell
themselves, "I hate flying." Instead, winners analyze their
fear and decide whether (or not) it's statistically valid.
They might ask hard questions about whether the fear is
holding them back in life and decide how badly they want to
over-come it. Then they create an alternative statement
such as, "I enjoy flying to exciting destinations," or
"Flying fearlessly gets me more of what I want in life."
Winners consciously and continuously affirm the person they
want to be. Instead of berating themselves for habits they
want to change, they practice Positive Self-Awareness.
2. Positive Daily Habits. We all have dozens of things we
do every day. We brush our teeth, read the paper, walk the
dog, eat dinner and so forth. What sets winners apart is
that they also have a few carefully chosen, specific daily
disciplines they do every single day to move them toward
the life they want.
Thomas Leonard gave me this idea many years ago, and called
it his Daily Ten. For me, it's become a Daily Eight. The
idea is to develop a short list of daily actions that will
move you forward. I'll share my Daily Eight by way of
example. Every day I so these eight things:
Read, Write, Walk, Work, Nest, Network, Romance and Have
Fun
I've carefully defined each of those words in my own unique
way. They suit me. "Read" is code for actually reading for
an hour every day. "Walk," on the other hand, has a
much broader definition and simply refers to cardio-
vascular activity of some sort, every single day. "Nest" is
code for keeping the house, my office and personal
environment clean, attractive and functional. "Romance" and
"Fun" have broad definitions, and I'll leave them to your
imagination.
The point is that winners are disciplined. They know that
taking simple, daily actions to enrich their lives and move
them toward their goals will, in time, bring results. They
practice their Dailies every single day.
3. Positive Future Expectations. Winners make clear,
specific, focused choices about what they want in the
future. For some, these are traditional goals with a plan--
to earn $250,000 this year or to visit Paris next summer.
Other people find goals too confining or too limiting. They
might refer to "direction" (my personal favorite), or to
"themes" or even use a word that drives some goal-setters
crazy, "dreams." I don't think the term is important, but
the concept is vital!
Know the future you want and have a strategy or system to
make it happen. Of course, life doesn't always turn out the
way we hoped. But winners are very precise about the future
they want and they imagine it and work for it, every single
day.
Positive Self-Awareness, Positive Daily Actions and
Positive Future Expectations are critical for success. Know
and use these three simple principles to create the life
you truly want. They won't let you down.
Perhaps a fourth key is to take time (and have space and
support) to clearly define exactly what you want in life.
Modern society is not generally fond of pondering. We
rarely sit. We rarely journal or dream. I'm not sure how
often we even pause to be grateful! I suspect that's a
mistake.
better results, earn more and leave a huge legacy, while
others work just as hard but never seem to "get it
together." What's the difference between high achievers and
everyone else? Why are some people so happy with their
lives? Are there a few keys that make the difference? And
if so, are they skills or techniques that can be learned
and used by everyone, or are they reserved for the lucky
few?
I'm sure there may be other ways to phrase it, but I've
discovered three big parts of the answer. When I read about
the most admired people in history, or talk with highly
successful people, there are three daily activities that
stand out. Most importantly to me, these three things seem
to make a huge difference in my own life and my own
results. I'd like to share them with you.
1. Positive Self-Awareness. High achievers talk to
themselves constantly and are very clear and positive in
their self-descriptions.
We all have dozens of ways we describe ourselves to
ourselves. We tell ourselves, "I'm a good cook" or "I can't
dance." We tell ourselves we're athletic or smart or that
we "can't carry a tune in a bucket." We all do it and
here's a critical piece: We all have areas where we want to
improve our performance. High performers consciously and
continuously think about getting better in those specific
areas.
This is familiar to those who use affirmations but it's a
bit different from the way affirmations are usually taught.
I'm not talking about "affirming" that you've already
reached your yearly income goal. Far from it! I'm talking
about things that winners can control and change
immediately.
Here are two simple examples. Many people tell themselves,
"I'm a procrastinator." By doing so, they actually affirm
the habit of procrastination. In contrast, winners
consciously decide never to use that phrase again! Instead
they might substitute a positive self-description like, "I
do it now!" or, "I never put off what I can do today."
Then, they repeat that over and over, every day.
Procrastination becomes a thing of the past.
A second example. People who are afraid to fly (or have
similar fears) often focus on their fears and tell
themselves, "I hate flying." Instead, winners analyze their
fear and decide whether (or not) it's statistically valid.
They might ask hard questions about whether the fear is
holding them back in life and decide how badly they want to
over-come it. Then they create an alternative statement
such as, "I enjoy flying to exciting destinations," or
"Flying fearlessly gets me more of what I want in life."
Winners consciously and continuously affirm the person they
want to be. Instead of berating themselves for habits they
want to change, they practice Positive Self-Awareness.
2. Positive Daily Habits. We all have dozens of things we
do every day. We brush our teeth, read the paper, walk the
dog, eat dinner and so forth. What sets winners apart is
that they also have a few carefully chosen, specific daily
disciplines they do every single day to move them toward
the life they want.
Thomas Leonard gave me this idea many years ago, and called
it his Daily Ten. For me, it's become a Daily Eight. The
idea is to develop a short list of daily actions that will
move you forward. I'll share my Daily Eight by way of
example. Every day I so these eight things:
Read, Write, Walk, Work, Nest, Network, Romance and Have
Fun
I've carefully defined each of those words in my own unique
way. They suit me. "Read" is code for actually reading for
an hour every day. "Walk," on the other hand, has a
much broader definition and simply refers to cardio-
vascular activity of some sort, every single day. "Nest" is
code for keeping the house, my office and personal
environment clean, attractive and functional. "Romance" and
"Fun" have broad definitions, and I'll leave them to your
imagination.
The point is that winners are disciplined. They know that
taking simple, daily actions to enrich their lives and move
them toward their goals will, in time, bring results. They
practice their Dailies every single day.
3. Positive Future Expectations. Winners make clear,
specific, focused choices about what they want in the
future. For some, these are traditional goals with a plan--
to earn $250,000 this year or to visit Paris next summer.
Other people find goals too confining or too limiting. They
might refer to "direction" (my personal favorite), or to
"themes" or even use a word that drives some goal-setters
crazy, "dreams." I don't think the term is important, but
the concept is vital!
Know the future you want and have a strategy or system to
make it happen. Of course, life doesn't always turn out the
way we hoped. But winners are very precise about the future
they want and they imagine it and work for it, every single
day.
Positive Self-Awareness, Positive Daily Actions and
Positive Future Expectations are critical for success. Know
and use these three simple principles to create the life
you truly want. They won't let you down.
Perhaps a fourth key is to take time (and have space and
support) to clearly define exactly what you want in life.
Modern society is not generally fond of pondering. We
rarely sit. We rarely journal or dream. I'm not sure how
often we even pause to be grateful! I suspect that's a
mistake.
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