Mindset
Everyone Has Their Strengths
Saying that everyone has some kind of unique strength might sound like the sort of soppy nonsense you’d get on a motivational poster but it also just so happens to be true.
While we can all feel a little useless at times, no one is in fact completely without unique talents or abilities that set them apart from the pack and it’s important to realize this so that you can go about maximizing your own abilities and using them to your advantage.
Strength as a Strength
A good way to demonstrate this reality is with an analogy. In this case that analogy is going to be particularly apt – we’re going to look at strength as being a strength.
So imagine the biggest and strongest person you can think of – perhaps Arnold Schwarzenegger in his heyday, or maybe Ronnie Coleman if you know your bodybuilders. Now imagine how big and powerful that person would look standing next to Woody Allen… No contest right?
Except it may in fact be that in some ways Woody Allen is stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Let’s say for instance that Woody can wiggle his ears whereas Arnold can’t. Or perhaps another example might be that Woody is a faster talker… and as such has a stronger tongue.
These are muscles – and even though it might not seem it this means that in at least one area someone smaller can be physically stronger than someone massive.
What This Means
So what does all this mean from the perspective of strengths as abilities and skills? Well put simply, it means that even when you don’t feel like you have any clear strengths above your colleagues, friends or the average Joe, you probably in fact do.
Even if that strength is something that you’re good at simply because you have such a unique blend of other skills and abilities. Maybe you’re a little bit good at a random selection of things, or perhaps you have some very unique experience when you combine your school career with what you did in your second job.
All of us are a unique melting pot of different skills, experiences, interests and hobbies… and as a result we all have completely unique sets of abilities and strengths that we bring to the table. Even if you don’t think your skill or strength is something ‘conventional’, that’s still something that just you have and that you shouldn’t underestimate the value of!
Goals Can Give You Purpose And Direction pt2
The next time you feel like you’re in a rut, try setting and pursuing some goals. They don’t have to be outlandish, and you want them to be obtainable. Keep working on them until you complete them. Create a journal to track your progress and get whatever help you can to motivate you. Once you see what is possible by setting goals, you will find you can accomplish just about anything.
You can’t stop the situation of getting into a rut, but you now have a way of getting out of it. You just have to figure out what you want to pursue and set up a plan to make it happen. Then, it’s simply a matter of following that plan.
And don’t give up on the plan; in fact having a well defined plan with pre-determined goals will ensure you have the best chance of success in your endeavours so go NOW and take some action!
Clearing Your Internal Clutter AKA Lets’s Get More Productive!
Do you ever find yourself frozen in time, having spent hours in front of your computer and not being able to account for anything that you have actually done! C’mon be honest 
If you have found yourself spinning your wheels, it could be for numerous reasons. Either you were trying to do too many things at once, or you were concentrating on insignificant tasks and putting off the work you really need to do. Often, as entrepreneurs, we take on too many things, and since we are only accountable to ourselves in the short-term, many times we don’t finish any of them.
What’s your routine? When you get to your computer, what you do first? Do you check your e-mail, Skype, log into messenger, or answer calls? Unless there’s something urgent that you know is pending, this is probably a waste of your best time. The problem is first, these all seem like natural things to do. You want to know what’s going on. Second, these have
probably become habits, and they feel comfortable and even make you think that you’re accomplishing something.
But to quote Dr. Phil, “How’s that been working for you”?
If you’re like most people, you might not be as successful and productive as you’d like to be. The first step to changing that is to admit it, but unfortunately it can also be the hardest.
But be brutally honest with yourself; are you where you want to be? If the answer is no, why not? You need to take the actions daily that move you towards your goals and one way to gain (and keep momentum) is to be productive when you are working on your goals and not wasting time.
Goals Can Give You Purpose And Direction pt1
It’s very common for people to get to a point in their lives when they ask why they are doing what they are doing. It could be the career choice they made and wanted a change, or it could be something personal that is simply not working out as they had hoped. This is referred to by many as being stuck in a rut. Without any changes, it can be difficult to get out of this rut. One way out of this rut is to set some goals. This may help you find a sense of purpose.
When you lay out a plan, you can take a bird’s eye view of your possible paths. This creates an energy within that helps you carry out your plan. It gives you something to look forward to which can give you a sense of purpose. Having that helps you motivate and keep on track.
During the period of reaching for your goals, you will have good days and bad days. The bad days may even make you feel like throwing in the towel and forgetting the whole thing. This is natural and you need to refer to your goals to help you keep going. Family and friends can help to encourage you as well. Reach out to them when you feel like you want to quit.
The good days will get you pumped and will show that you are getting close to your target. Meeting milestones for your goals will solidify this experience as it gives you something to check off when completing the task. The more you pursue your goals, the more you will have these feelings of accomplishment which help show you a sense of purpose.
Leaving Your Comfort Zone (continued)!
Another aspect of going outside of your comfort zone is the head rush that many people experience when it happens. For instance, if you have ever tried skydiving, you would know what this is about. The fear is definitely there, but the exhilaration is what brings people to do it over again. Of course, it won’t be right for everyone. But if you do get hooked, think about that the next time you are looking to try something new. If you don’t go for it, you won’t get that extraordinary feeling.
This doesn’t just work for risky sports. It can be for other experiences like taking on a new career or starting a new business. These activities may not give you the instant head rush as those risky sports. But they can give you a feeling of exhilaration that lasts for a longer term basis.
People will never push forward if they don’t try something that they are not comfortable with. This is why it’s called the comfort zone and is why it is used as a reference to breaking through. It may not work as you planned but you will learn something at any point of the journey. They will likely be experiences that you can tell your grandkids about which may leave them awestruck. There is nothing more powerful than that!