Think BIG!

Sticks and Stones... But Thoughts Can Harm You! 

Personal Development Coaching and Training
by Herman L. Dixon, CLU, CLF, LUTCF, LTCP, RFC, MBA     

Sometimes we may get tired of hearing about this certain reality; but, the fact remains that a negative attitude WILL destroy a business, a career and a life.  Motivational magnet W.W. Ziege once said, "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."  As you explore your business operations, your life and your career dream achievements, where does your attitude tend to go?  Is it positive and refreshing so that you have no fear of embarking on a fishing trip for whales and in fact take the tartar sauce with you; or, is it so dismal and disheartening that you light up a room by leaving?  Be aware that your thoughts will impact you and your future.

Business, career and life follow a very regimented pathway. Nothing will come easy as we all tend to find out in our interactions daily.  We have our share of success and also our share of shortfall.  How we tend to reflect on whether our glass is "half-full or half-empty" will greatly determine our ultimate achievement. Our decision to be "alive" in the moment and to set aside the "gremlins" of self-doubt, false assumptions and victimization will forever change our life, our business and career success for the better.  However, in the reality of our circumstances we must be aware that there are forces constructing stumbling blocks in our way.  Whether we respond or react determines our next steps.

There are three (3) crucial points that must be kept in one's mental awareness for the foundation to be laid that will enables business, career and life to proceed on the proper pathway.  While these points may not provide the "certainly" of achievement in every undertaking, each will insure that the foundation necessary to proceed will be strong enough to build the structure you seek. When strength is evident, success can be launched.  Those points are: unquestionable belief in your abilities;  facing the realities of the moment; and, knowing what you really want.  

First, having an unquestionable belief in your abilities is paramount for any success whether it be business ownership or management, career achievement or life satisfaction.  If you allow your mind to present false information about whether you are good enough, or smart enough or have the ability to learn, you have lost before you begin in any of these efforts. As the adage says, "...whether you believe you can or you can't, you are right!"   Doubt at times will "creep" into your world.  However, if you will take a long and enthusiastic look at yourself in the mirror, there is a way to chase doubt away.  What your mind hears, it believes.  Therefore, speak positively about your abilities.  Believe in you.  Cease to complain and then proclaim enthusiastically your abilities to succeed in your endeavors. That mental affirmation constantly conveye d will better guide you to where you desire to be. That person you see in the mirror will be the champion you strive to employ.

Next, facing the realities of the moment enables you to better deal with success and shortfall.  In one of the famous "Dirty Harry" movies, actor Clint Eastwood proclaims, "...A man's gotta know his limitations."  That reality is so true in business, career and life.  There are some things that you will not be able to "rightly" achieve.  For example, not every one will be able to play basketball in the NBA.  Now there are those who say that with enough money, you can buy a one day contract and thus have on record you played in the NBA.  That is not reality.  That is not achieving the goal on performance.  There is a distinct difference in levels of achievement that impacts the mind and the inner drive to excel. When you achieve a goal through personal performance, it grows your inner drive to excel.  Achieve ment by any other means will not provide the level of drive you need to build a self-fulfilling legacy.  Knowing that difference, knowing the limitations you have and then finding a way to achieve despite any shortfalls is the "true" essence of universal realities.  Not everyone will become "the leader" but everyone can be "a leader" in many avenues of life and business.  Knowing your avenues and then giving those avenues a 110% effort will enable success to be more effectively achieved.  Leverage your strengths.  Find ways to win by utilizing those strengths to gain the ultimate goals you need to sustain and grow.

Finally, knowing what you really want out of your business, career and life is perhaps the most important reality you will face.  Too often many think they know what they want from their business, career or life and then set out to accomplish that end.  Later, they discover that they were chasing an unattainable "golden ring" and unfortunately too frequently tumble into the disaster of defeat and unfulfillment.   The fact you know what you really want provides the fuel needed to awaken and engage the "warrior" that lies within you.  This internal "warrior" encourages you to produce the vision you need to build the most effective plan of direction.  Once you are able to see the "end" in your mind's eye and proclaim that "end" so that it becomes your guiding force, you are then positioned to begin your battle toward achievement and satisfaction.  You gain strength and confidence and are able to push aside the critics who try to tell you it is not possible.  When the vision is clear and the mind is determined, it can be done.

Leadership pioneer Herbert N. Casson once said, "Business is always a struggle.  There are always obstacles and competitors.  There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to failure.  Every great success has always been achieved by fight.  Every winner has scars...The men who succeed are the efficient few.  They are the few who have the ambition and will-power to develop themselves."  In business, career and life, how we think, how we face the realities of our world and how we position ourselves to clearly knowing what we want will determine our abilities to succeed.  Just as fuel provides the power to operate our vehicles, our attitude will determine our level of understanding and achieving the success we desire.  Unless that attitude is properly distributed within our personal being to fuel our internal will toward success, no plan, no marketplace, nor no financial position will be strong enough to move us forward in our quest for achievement.  Remember, our stride for success is most often only one thought away.  Think positive and strive to build the business, career and life you truly deserve.

Business plan time is now here.  Are you still putting your business plan in a binder? Are you finding that all you do is replace the yearly cover and use the same figures perhaps with a slight increase to reflect new demands?  What would it mean to have a business plan that REALLY gets the results you need?  How would you feel to have a plan that every member of your team could easily understand and know precisely what to do? A plan that would help you to discover whether you have relationships or associations with customers.  With the One Page Plan process, I can help you achieve those goals and do so with less stress so that 2015 might be your most effective goals achievement yet!  For an opportunity to find out what this unique concept is all about, contact me:  herman@thinkbigcoachingandtraining.com or call me at 304-839-5101 or 843-879-3740.  All it takes is one moment of time!