As a speaker and trainer, people often approach me after one of my programs to tell me how excited they are about the strategies they have learned and how they plan to put these ideas into action. When I connect with these people later on and ask how the techniques are working for them, I usually get answers such as "I really planned to use them but then things got so crazy that I never had the chance." or "I tried them once and wasn't successful so I gave up."
Success, like anything else, takes application and practice. Anyone who plays a sport or has achieved expertise in any skill knows that it doesn't happen the first time. They learn what to do and then apply it over and over again until it becomes easy and natural for them. They would never think of expecting to improve if they didn't apply what they had learned. However, they think different rules apply to success strategies.
If you want to make a change in your life or career, you must work with positive ideas until you can apply them effortlessly. They need to become part of your operating system. The following tips can help you do this more easily.
Work On One Thing At A Time
Often people want to change many things and they try to do it all at the same time. This can be overwhelming. Choose one idea and work with it until you gain mastery. Then you can work with another idea until you are successful with it and so on. In this way you can make changes without a lot of stress.
Determine What The Benefit Will Be To You
It's great to want to change, but if you aren't aware of how you are going to benefit as a result of the change, it is easy to get discouraged. How will achieving this change make your life better? What value will it bring to you? It is much easier to stay motivated when you have the answers to these questions.
Recognize That You Might Initially Feel Uncomfortable
Sometimes people give up working with a new idea because it feels uncomfortable. They don't want to deal with these negative feelings. Any time you try something new it feels awkward. This is a temporary situation. As you work with the new idea it will begin to feel more natural for you. It is all part of the learning process.
Commit To Using The Ideas For 30 Days
It is very easy to give up if you don't achieve instantaneous success. Make a commitment to apply the idea consistently for 30 days. If something happens to interrupt the process, then start again with your 30-day commitment. If you make the commitment at the beginning of the process, you are more likely to achieve your goal.
Appreciate Your Successes
As you work with the new idea, recognize your successes. Maybe you are trying to deal more effectively with stress. Congratulate yourself when you remember to breathe deeply when you feel your stress starting to increase. When we recognize our small successes it helps us achieve bigger successes.
Be Patient With Yourself Don't be self critical if you find yourself occasionally falling back into old patterns. You have been operating in that manner for years. It is going to take time before you fully integrate the new idea into your life. As you work with it on a consistent basis, you will find that you revert to old patterns less and less frequently.
Like anything of value that we achieve in life, success takes practice. Make a commitment to put in the practice time that is required so you can experience the wonderful rewards that success brings.
Della Menechella is a speaker, author, and trainer who inspires people to achieve greater success from the inside out. She is a contributing author to Thriving in the Midst of Change and the author of the videotape The Twelve Commandments of Goal Setting. She can be reached at della@dellamenechella.com. Subscribe to free Peak Performance Pointers e-zine - send blank e-mail to subscribe@dellamenechella.com.
One the most important Self Improvement skills to develop to... Read More
One of the greatest compliments I ever received in my... Read More
Dr. Deepak Chopra is a well-known author of more than... Read More
People often ask me how I became successful in that... Read More
We have all read about people who are successful briefly.... Read More
The first thing that you need to do is get... Read More
All too often, people pursue a vision of material success... Read More
Fear, or negative anxiety, is the modern day bubonic plague,... Read More
Do not make the mistake of looking at your failures... Read More
(excerpted from The Challenge to Succeed audio series)It is a... Read More
This summer (2005) huge crowds in England and Australia have... Read More
e-Learning is doubling yearly. Classes, e-courses, e-books on how-to and... Read More
There is a saying that goes something like this: Getting... Read More
I call the following seven belief lies of success, taking... Read More
When you analyze the traits of successful people, you will... Read More
1. Believe in yourself and what it is you do.... Read More
Anytime you are making ground and moving toward success, there... Read More
If you have read this far, we both know you... Read More
To achieve what you want, what you desire, needs a... Read More
After all the things I have shared with you this... Read More
I confess, I love westerns. There is nothing like those... Read More
When I decided to have my web site built, I... Read More
In so many areas of life we must always be... Read More
One of the most common refrains I hear from people... Read More
You have a choice today?You can remain in the same... Read More
To achieve success it can be important to keep going... Read More
Let's say you're moving forward in your efforts to achieve... Read More
How many of you have ever thought about the link... Read More
With the long-term trend of protecting employees' individual self esteem... Read More
My life is a bubble; but how much solid cash... Read More
Do you know how much time do you spend listening?... Read More
Thoughts move faster than the speed of light.Expectations jump faster... Read More
Adults, with eyes to see, can learn so much about... Read More
You've been searching for self improvement or personal development. Trying... Read More
Last Thursday evening, I was the guest of a group... Read More
The difference between success and failure is based on behavior.... Read More
1. Any work activity, unless initiated at the earliest will... Read More
I'm going to begin this article by sharing a little... Read More
The title of this article also happens to be the... Read More
The best and fastest way to learn how to make... Read More
I remember, about 35 years ago, reading two books by... Read More
Do you think you have an "average" or perhaps an... Read More
The Definition Of PerseveranceFrom a dictionary: "Persisting in or remaining... Read More
Bring in the big guns People love to be needed,... Read More
Whether you are self-employed, whether you are an employee, whether... Read More
About a month ago, I was hit by a car... Read More
When I decided to have my web site built, I... Read More
Two Immigrants Live The American DreamSome may call it a... Read More
Recently I stumbled across a list of Microsoft Interview questions... Read More
Opportunity is all around us and has many facets, but... Read More
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our... Read More
Every single one of us is trying to reach success.... Read More
It's simple and powerful.The philosophy of successful people is often... Read More
Most people want to be successful in life. But success... Read More
Having clear goals and desires for our future, and planning... Read More
Along with time and money, energy is one of your... Read More
Most self-help truths are obvious but obvious truths are often... Read More
I am sure that you're familiar with the old formula... Read More
I was in the gym, pushing my adolescent muscles to... Read More
Whenever I'm feeling stuck in a rut, I go out... Read More
If you have a choice each day in the tasks... Read More
Picture this scene: Little Johnny's mother places a large piece... Read More
Revolution:a sudden, radical, or complete change a fundamental change in... Read More
The Law of Experience"Success comes from good judgement; good judgement... Read More
Let's get right to the point, folks.We're all looking to... Read More
Give yourself a gold star Remember how rewarding it was... Read More
Success |