When you think of limits, you create them. Here’s how to remove the lid off any limitations to think and act your way to the top.
The most successful people use a variety of tactics to get and stay at the top of their game. Based on my analysis of success and my personal experiences, I’ve discovered a few not-so-secret secrets that work. Here are 7 ways to act and think your way to the top:
Envision Success. Set Goals.
Success always follows a 2 part creation process. First, it gets created in your mind through your visions of what success looks like. Second, it is created by the goals set to bring the visions to life. The key is to be specific because the more specific you are, the clearer your pathway to achieving success will be.
Track Progress. Magnify Successes.
Tracking progress is a must for anyone who desires to achieve the goals s/he creates. The goals should be written in a SMART format – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed. SMART goals also enable you to magnify your successes because you have a much clearer picture of what led to the success and how to repeat the success-enabling process. Repetition is said to be the mother of learning, and applied learning is the mother of success.
Embrace Failure. Keep Going.
Samuel Beckett famously said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” Failure is not the hurdle you must overcome to get to the top. Seeing failure as a necessary part of success is the hurdle you must overcome. As Robert Owen said, “Don’t think of it as failure. Think of it as time-released success.”
Diagnose Problems. Prescribe Solutions.
Most people speak of problems in negative, limiting type language. By contrast, successful people think and speak of problems just as an innovator does. As Warren Berger wrote in his Harvard Business Review blog article, innovators ask this powerful question – How might we? As he explains in the article, this question enables creativity which leads to more possibilities for prescriptions for solutions. When you encounter problems, make it a habit to ask yourself, “How might we?”
Hear Criticisms. Act Anyway.
Criticisms are like taxes – always present and only value added when there is a direct and positive impact on the lives of those who are taxed. You are going to be criticized. Don’t be paralyzed by them. Find value from them, and act anyway.
Appreciate Others. Give Thanks.
One of the greatest rewards in life is to be recognized by others. Successful people are the kings and queens of thanks. They take the time and utilize creative ways to appreciate others. Each Friday, I post a “thank you” on my personal Facebook page to an individual who has contributed to my success. By crowdsourcing my “thank you”, I actually enable other people to thank the person as well. You can join the Thank You Friend On Fridays movement on Facebook too by simply posting a picture of the person you wish to thank, state why you are thanking them, and use the hashtag #ThankYouFriendOnFridays. You’ll be appreciated for it and you’ll create a movement in your circle of friends who will follow your innovative lead on showing thanks.
Recommit Daily. Adapt Often.
The last way to act and think your way to the top is to stay committed to your vision – it is a required ingredient of success. Stay flexible in your approach – it is a required ability to achieve success. Kerry Randall says life gets better by change, and this change always takes place on the inside; it is the change of thought that creates a better life. Keep changing. Keep adapting. And all the while, remain committed.
To act and think your way to the top requires a plan for lifting the lid off of limitations that can derail your success. You now have a 7 step process that can take you there.
The Floor is Yours
What other strategies have you found to be very effective at acting and thinking your way to the top? Please share your feedback in the comments below.
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