Leadership | How To Become A Better You in 365 Days

14 Jul 2011 Comments Off

7 Elements of High Performing Mindset

Buddha once said: “Our life is the creation of our mind ” What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday. Our present thoughts build our life tomorrow.

Desire: The motivation to succeed comes from the burning desire to achieve a purpose. Napoleon Hill wrote, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”
Commitment: Integrity and wisdom are the two pillars on which to build and keep commitments.
Responsibility: People with character accept responsibilities. They make decisions and determine their own destiny in life. Accepting responsibilities involves taking risks and being accountable which is sometimes uncomfortable. Most people would rather slay in their comfort zone and live passive lives without accepting responsibilities. They drill through life waiting for things to happen rather than making them happen. Responsible people don’t think that the world owes them a living.
Hard Work: Excellence is not something that you run into by accident. It takes a lot of preparation and character. Everyone likes to win but how many are willing to put in the effort and lime to prepare to win? It takes sacrifice and self-discipline.
Positive Believing: Positive believing is a lot more than positive thinking. It is having a reason to believe that positive thinking will work.
The Power of Persistence: Persistence means commitment and determination. It is a commitment to finish what you start. Persistence comes from purpose. Life without purpose is drifting. A person who has no purpose will never persevere and will never be fulfilled.
Pride of Performance: Excellence comes when the performer takes pride in doing his best. Pride of performance does not represent ego. It represents pleasure with humility. The quality of the work and the quality and the worker are inseparable. Half-hearted effort does not produce half results; it produces no results. Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it, regardless of what the job is, whether washing cars, sweeping the floor or painting a house. Pride comes from within, which is what gives the winning edge.

Why We Fail?

Lack of Persistence: More people fail not because they lack knowledge or talent but because they quit. The total secret of success lies in two words, persistence and resistance. Persist in what must be done and resist what ought not to be done. When problems seem insurmountable, quitting seems to be the easiest way out…… Winners are struck but not destroyed. We all have had setbacks in life. Failing does not mean we are failures.
Lack of Conviction: People who lack conviction take the middle of the road; and guess what happens in the middle of the road? You get run over. People without conviction do not take a stand. They go along to get along because they lack confidence and courage. They conform in order to get accepted even when they know that what they are doing is wrong. They behave like part of a herd.
Rationalizing: Winners may analyze but never rationalize. That is a loser’s game. Losers always have a book full of excuses to tell you why they could not.

We hear excuses like……

I’m unlucky
I’m born under the wrong stars
I’m not good looking
I don’t have contacts
I don’t have enough money
The economy is bad
If only I had the opportunity
If only I didn’t have a family

The list can go on and on…….

4. Not Learning from Past Mistakes: Some people live and learn, and some only live. Wise people learn from their mistakes. People who do not learn lessons from history are doomed. Failure is a teacher if we have the right attitude. Failure is a detour, not a dead end. It is a delay, not a defeat. Experience is the name we give to our mistakes.

5. Lack of Discipline: Anyone who has accomplished anything worthwhile has never done so without discipline. Discipline takes self-control, sacrifice, and avoiding distractions and temptations. It means staying focused. Steam does not move the engine unless it is confined. Niagara Falls would not generate power unless it were harnessed.

6. Poor Self-Esteem: Poor self-esteem is a lack of self-respect and self-worth. It leads to abuse of one’s self and others. People with low self-esteem are constantly looking for identity. They are trying to find themselves. One’s self is not to be found but to be created. Idleness and laziness are consequences of poor self-esteem and so is making excuses. Idleness is like rust that eats into the most brilliant metal.

7. Fatalistic Attitude: A fatalistic attitude prevents people from accepting responsibility for their position in life. They attribute success and failure to luck. They resign themselves to their fate. They believe and accept the predestined future written in their horoscope or stars, that regardless of their effort whatever has to happen will happen. Hence they never put in any effort and complacency becomes a way of life. They wait for things to happen rather than make them happen.

Where-ever you maybe in life, you are destined to succeed and you deserve to have riches in your life.

The Little Guide to Bringing the Best Out in People

27 May 2011 Comments Off

Every person has their unique, natural, God-given talents, positive traits heart in hands 300x204 The Little Guide to Bringing the Best Out in People of character and desire to contribute to the world in some way. Sometimes this inner goodness is temporary overshadowed by fears, harsh words and painful past experiences.

But it does not mean we should not try to see past people’s actions and limiting beliefs and try to bring out the best in every person we see.

I know, it is not your job, nor your duty to bring the best out in people, but take it from me it is a lot nicer to live in a world of bright, kind-hearted and compassionate people than deal with “ungrateful family members”, “hard-headed clients” and “slack co-workers”.

In fact, learning to bring out the best in other people is one of the best gifts that you can give yourself. True, it might not always be easy. It might not always be appreciated. It might not even work in some cases, but it does not mean we should stop trying.

Here is a little guide on how to do it:

1. Do not take negativity personally.

“Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it.” – Rene Descartes

Can you think of a time when you were bubbling with joy and love for the whole world? You wanted to share it with everyone you met, right? Well, when people are overcome by negative feelings, they unintentionally share them with the world as well.

So when someone is being negative, judgmental or offensive in your presence it does not mean that you have to take their negativity personally. People feel what they feel and you just happened to be in their way. No big deal. Of course, it does not mean that you should become a doormat and tolerate others treating you poorly. It means that you should not let negativity rub off you.

2. Start with your own attitude.

“If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.” – Lucy Larcom

To bring out the best in others you have to start with your own attitude. Try to judge less and not concentrate as much on other people’s shortcomings. I like to think that sometimes, how people act around us is an echo of how we have been to others. If something about another person is bothering you right now maybe it is good to take a step back and think about the people you have been rude and unjust to in your life. Think of those, who have seen potential in you, even if it was not obvious to you. Think of those, who were patient and kind to you. Think of those, who have stuck with you through the hard times. Now try to do the same for others.

3. Look for the positive motivation behind a negative action.

“Good intentions are at least, the seed of good actions” – Sr. William Temple

Many of our negative actions are triggered by good intentions. We often criticize others, because we think it will help another person to grow both personally and professionally. We try to mold people into what we want them to be, because we think they will be happier that way. There are hundreds of examples when our good intentions “boomerang” back into our face. Therefore, before assuming something or pointing out another person’s mistake, take a moment to find the positive motivation behind it. This action alone will win you the admiration of your friends, employees and co-workers.

4. Put on positivity glasses.

“We don’t see the things the way they are. We see things the way WE are.” – Talmund

The simplest way to bring out the best in people is to hold an attitude of positive expectations. Instead of looking for what is missing, or what is wrong with a person, we can re-frame our expectations to look for what is positive. Make it a habit to find admirable qualities – beauty, talent, wisdom, dedication, loyalty – in everybody around you and acknowledge these qualities on a regular basis. Most of the time people will live up to your expectations and sometimes even exceed them.

5. Witness potential everywhere.

“We are all the same in one notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” – Wilma Rudolph

Many people are much more talented, interesting and open-hearted than they think themselves to be. To bring these qualities into others, you have to believe that they are capable of doing more, and treat them as if they are already living up to their potential.

6. Encourage.

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” – Mother Teresa

As little as an encouraging smile, generous praise, and a sincere interest in another person’s feeling go a long way to motivating people into working harder towards following their dreams and striving to be their best selves. Therefore, try to follow Mother Teresa’s advice daily – meet people with a smile and have faith in them, even in the worst circumstances. Because it is in your power to make those around you a little better. At least that is what I believe.

What do you think?