Steps to becoming a Successful Person
The potential to create a better future, obtain goals, and achieve success is possible for every human being. Still, sometimes we are held back from meeting our potential and it lies dormant. Daily routines, busy lives and fear of failure all play a role in letting our potential success lie unfulfilled. There are ways to awaken our motivation and take steps to take that can help unlock our sleeping potential and achieve success.
The first thing that must be addressed is the definition of your goals. Being clear about what you want uncovers details that you might not even consciously be aware of into focus. To take your first step in realizing your goal, try this:
1) Write down exactly what you want. It can be anything that you desire to become or achieve i.e.: a dream you always wished for, a new career or better position, a lifestyle change, or a relationship change. Being clear about what you want, even to yourself brings it in focus. Be as specific as possible in the definition of what you want.
The next step is to address your fears and self- perceived obstacles. In an attempt to remain positive, we can sometimes hide our fears under a cloak of optimism. Fears are emotionally exhausting and it seems easier not to think about them This provides a temporary spike of motivation but does not rid us of what is holds us back. The trouble with cloaking our fears is that the underlying obstacles don't go away. They stay right where they are, unchanging and just as toxic to our achievement as poison is to our lips. To change your perspective and lift your confidence, try these exercises:
2) List the problems or obstacles you believe are holding you back from obtaining your goal. These can be as trivial or significant as you want as long as they come to mind when you think of your goal. The statements must be about you not about other people that you believe hold you back. After all, we can only change ourselves, not other people. For example: I don't have enough time in the day to write.
3) On another piece of paper take all the statements you made on the list of obstacles and rewrite them replacing "I can't," "I won't," "I don't," statements with I can, I will, and I do statements. After you have finished writing positive statements, read them out loud. By doing this, you are conditioning yourself to change your perspective. As silly as it may seem, you will immediately feel empowered. Use this technique whenever you start to doubt yourself.
4) Listen to what you tell yourself. It is surprising how many thoughts we have about ourselves are negative. To gauge how negative you are on yourself, tap your finger every time you think badly of yourself. This will help put in perspective the self-talk that may be holding you back. After a day of this, you will be more aware of when you are putting yourself down. When you catch yourself doing this, change your thought to a positive one and say it out loud.
5) Surround yourself with people who are supportive of your goals. Being with people who believe in you lifts your self-esteem and gives energy to your actions. Do not discuss goals with people who do not support your efforts. Remember that their reasons for being non-supportive may have more to do with their problems than yours.
Now it is time to take action towards your goal:
6) Make it part of your daily routine to take at least one hour to focus on your goal. Within that hour take a least one step towards investigating, researching or discussing your goal. You can look up information on the Internet, write down information pertaining to your goal or discuss the goal with a supportive friend or family member. Do this for one week.
7) After the first week take a physical act towards obtaining your goal. You can write out a resume, visit a place related to your goal, interact with a person related to your goal or participate in a course of study related to your goal. Any type of action you take towards your goal creates another action. A simple step can connect you with a source of valuable information or a person that can be of help to obtaining your goal. There is no failure in taking action, even if you encounter rejection it may help move you in a different position that will be better or give you reason to learn more about your goal. The only thing that guarantees failure is doing nothing.
You are no different from people who have reached the height of success in our world. All of them had obstacles, fears and routines to deal with. You have the same potential and as an individual, have something completely unique to offer the world. Everyday is gives you a new opportunity to take a step forward towards your goals. Uncover your potential and let it shine.
