 PILLARS OF SUCCESS
By Tim Breithaupt, author of 'Take This Job &
Love It: The Joys of Professional Selling' Attitude
determines your destiny, quality of life and success. Business professionals today require
a complex array of skills. Attitude is one of these proficiencies.
Your field of perception and how you view your environment
largely determines your attitude. Is the glass half-full or half-empty? While looking
outside, do you see the beautiful view or do you see the dirty window? Is it a partly
cloudy or partly sunny day? It’s up to you.
The following five pillars of success will assist you in responding to
the daily challenges of your personal and business lives.
•Just Did It! Turn Thought Into Action - Instead
of embracing Nike’s well-worn slogan, ‘Just Do It’, that implies merely
planning to take action, we suggest you embrace the ‘Just Did It’ attitude. Take
your thoughts and ideas to the next dimension: action. Skip the procrastination and choose
to experience the pain of discipline instead of the pain of regret.
•Set Goals - Did you know that only 5%
of North Americans are committed to written goals? Writing vague To-do lists are not
enough. To-do lists simply remind you of what you haven’t done yet and then you end
up dealing with the stress of list-layover, items that continually get bumped to the next
day.
Goal setting offers a host of benefits including providing a
destination and clarifying purpose. The following SMART approach is a simple strategy to
effective goal setting:
•Specific (include dates, numbers, times, etc.)
•Measurable (in terms of end results)
•Attainable (to you)
•Relevant (to you)
•Trackable (progress of goal)
Also, goals should be set daily. Don’t view a goal as a future
five-year window. Have a goal, a destination, clearly defined for each and every day.
•Self-esteem: Sell Yourself to Yourself -
Self-esteem is the most important of the five pillars. It is about confidence in yourself,
confidence in your ability to think, confidence in your ability to cope with life and the
confidence to recognize your right to be successful and happy. It includes not only
personal self-esteem, but also career esteem: how you feel about your job, your company,
your boss, your product or your service.
•Comfort Zone: Stretch It - Your comfort
zone includes your life experiences that feel natural, safe and normal to you. Successful
people realize that growth comes by stretching or breaking our of their comfort zone. You
can engage in a new activity by planning it or you can be spontaneous. See an opportunity
and go for it.
•Be Patient, Yet Persistent - Many of us
are great starters, but poor finishers. If you stick to it, you will be ahead of the pack.
Sticking it out requires both patience and persistence. Goal setting offers a tremendous
advantage. We crave instant gratification and this virus often derails any long-term
commitment. Experience the pain of discipline and the handsome rewards that come with
patience and persistence.
Tim Breithaupt is author of Canadian Bestselling book,
“Take This Job and Love It: The Joys of Professional Selling.” As President of
Spectrum Training Solutions Inc., he delivers presentations & seminars sharing his
unique formula of success with thousands of professionals. Tim can be reached at
403.269-2626, tim@spectrain.com or www.spectrain.com |
