Ongoing Secrets of Success

No matter how great yesterday’s success was, today is another day and there are more mountains to climb. Here is a look at strategies for continued flight.

Receive the gift of your changing self. Life is not a constant and neither are we. To resist change makes growth difficult if not impossible. Age seems to be a major obstacle for the young as well as the more mature. I love Tom Petty’s and Mark Cuban’s take on aging:

“If you are not getting older, you’re dead.” Tom Petty to Anthony Mason

“You are the youngest you will ever be, act like it.” Mark Cuban

Refuse to plateau – continually set new goals. Moving forward necessitates courage and focus. There will be moments of fear and doubt, but recognize this as a natural process of growth. Hold on to your excitement and determination until the feeling sticks. Do not dwell on past successes or failures. Saying “Yes” to one thing sometimes means saying “No” to another, but that is not an absolute. Sometimes the “Yes” or the “No” advances endless possibilities.

Be a receiver. Give yourself credit when credit is due. Confidently tackle new challenges. Notice and accept changes in yourself as they occur? Graciously accept criticism and honestly evaluate it for truth or error. Here is a test of receivership: How do you respond to a compliment? Politely receive the kind words whether you agree or not.

Competition is good; it shows what you can become. What will set you apart is the way you love your job (joy). Learn to love what you once disliked or dreaded. How? Determine what you lose yourself in then project that stage of well-being onto the unpopular task. Find your passion and transfer it to growth areas.

Understand what your job is and what it is not. Example: My job is to make the presentation; to show the benefits of the service or product; to be friendly, not pushy; to get out the door or pick up the phone; to network, to continually be educated. My job is not to force or coerce; to manage fellow co-workers, to set someone else’s schedule; to judge intentions. It’s your turn: “My job is…” and “My job is not…”

Own your feelings. When you have a negative feeling, do not resist it. Do not nurse it, curse it and rehearse it either. You are having a bad day; it may be legitimate; receive it, feel it and move past. Own it so you can discard it. Or savor it. Or store it as a learning experience. Or use it to motivate others. Resistance is tied to habits. To feel and release is the way to prevent the “moods” from becoming habit forming.

Look at the building blocks that have brought you success thus far and build on those. Evaluate what needs to be modified, added to or discarded.

What is your strategy for ongoing success. Let us hear from you.

Invite Mona to speak to your group. Whether business, organizational, civic or faith-based, you will be entertained with her humor, challenged by her gift of uncommon insights ad motivated by her thought provoking poems.