vision
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!
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!
Create A Vision Of Who You Want To Be
If you are unhappy where you are in your life at present, it could be because you are not creating the right vision about yourself. Think back to recent thoughts you had. Were they negative thoughts or feelings like you’ve hit a roadblock?
Shift your focus to the kind of life that you want or the ideal person that you want to become. If you want to have a life similar to an idol of yours, read about how that idol has become a success and use that as a guideline to help you accomplish something similar.
When you create a positive image within your mind, it will set up neural pathways to help you reach your goals. The more you reinforce this mental image the more pathways will be created. If there is information available online that can help you with your vision, use it to your advantage. This may sound a little ethereal and weird but it works, so don’t question it, just go with it and if it doesn’t quite work as intended you have lost nothing; BUT if it does work, the gains can be life-changing.
When you have determined your vision and the steps you believe will help you get there, continue to imagine that vision. Do this type of visualisation on a daily basis. Your brain will get so used to this vision it will become a subconscious process.
This is not to say you can’t alter your plan or your vision. There may be something you thought you wanted, but as you progress, you find that this is no longer true and that’s fine. If this happens, create another vision and move on from there. Your brain will form new pathways for this new vision.
If your vision is fine but the plan is not getting you where you need to be, don’t be afraid to make changes with it. Plans are guidelines only. They can be changed as needed. This can happen when new information comes to light along the way, information which wasn’t available when you first got started.
Be prepared for criticism while creating this new vision for yourself. It is yours and yours alone. People may not understand what you are trying to shoot for. Hold to your beliefs and prove them wrong. Your critics are not the ones who have to live with the vision you make for yourself. You will find when you reach your goals those same critics will suddenly be on your side. They will even claim to have been there for you all along. It’s annoying, but that is how people behave. It’s not worth the aggravation. Just move on with your vision and let them think whatever they want.
Your Entrepreneurial Spirit
Have you ever just sat down and thought about what you really want from your life? What are your dreams for yourself and for your family?
What if you hit the jackpot tomorrow? Have you ever made a list of everything you actually want in life; what do you dream of? Have you thought of what legacy you would like to leave behind for your future generations?
If you have answered “Yes” to most of these questions, then congratulations, you are the type of person who isn’t interested in “ordinary” or “average” but someone who wants to achieve big and you probably have a belief that anything is possible. You have the entrepreneurial spirit, now go and use it…
6 Tips To Help You Live A Successful Life
Irrespective of how old or young you are, what you do for your living or where you belong, everyone has one thing common i.e. they want to have a successful life. However, one person’s definition of being successful may vary greatly to other people’s. While some may call success as having a faithful spouse or being a responsible parent, others equate it with fame, power and wealth.
What is success to YOU?
So, before heading forward, you need to define “success” and what it means to YOU. You cannot be successful if you don’t know what it actually means to you. Set clear goals and, more importantly, try to be as much realistic as possible.
Plan ahead and plan BIG
The next step in the journey towards success is to plan ahead about what you want to achieve in life and plan big for yourself. Never underestimate your worth or skills and plan accordingly. Don’t be afraid to dream; it will keep you going through the tough times!
Achieve balance
After careful and wise planning, you now need to balance your life; things such as your professional life, financial burdens and your personal life. Try to be very logical and practical.
Find your purpose in life and your reason why
Recognise the things that move and inspire you, the things you simply love to do and the ones that provide you utter satisfaction. As you identify these things, you can use them to find the main goal of your life. Knowing what you love will help to motivate you along the course of your life’s journey towards attaining success.
Beware distractions
Distractions can be the spice or forbidden fruit in your life, depending on how you view it! So remain and focused on your goals. Distractions will always be present but don’t allow them to affect you. When you see that your goals take a back seat because of such distractions, just banish them for once and for all.
Accept things as they come
You need to accept the fact that life can be really unfair. You can repent about it and just wish it to be different, or you can be proactive and move on. Stop wasting your time moping about a negative situation and use them for your own benefit. Just think that Newton may have complained about the apple falling on his head and hitting him but instead of that he discovered the law of gravity!
Abolish fear
Remove fear from your thinking and stay focused on positive things in life. And when you fail, just don’t be fearful, be positive and start again. Always fail forward!
In truth, the road to success will be complete with hard work, rejections, pain, disappointment and many other obstacles; but as you reach the end you will definitely feel victorious and happy. You will feel really proud about overcoming the obstacles and achieving your goals. You will also be satisfied and happy when you start experiencing the success that is coming your way. So, stick with it, try the suggestions above and you will truly be successful in no time. Always remember that success comes to those who try hard and REALLY want it. Just follow this and enjoy YOUR successful life ahead.