Resolutions Are Useless - Build Mental Toughness Instead!
Follow These 3 Steps to Toughen Your Mind to Achieve Success
In 1961 "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" opened on Broadway and during its run (1,471 performances) won seven Tony Awards and a New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play (and subsequent movie) were both great, despite the fact that nobody can succeed in business "without really trying." Success in business (or for that matter anything else) requires work; hard, focused, disciplined, and committed work. There are no shortcuts to success.
We can all agree that to be successful requires the proper use of certain knowledge and skills. However - without the proper mental foundation - there is no way you can use that knowledge and skill effectively. I refer to this foundation as your "mental toughness". Why? Because any level of success will be built upon it.
Developing this mental toughness is a choice. Here are 3 key steps that will get you going in the right direction:
1. Get Rid of the Clutter
To achieve any meaningful level of success - effective performance - you need to eliminate all of the distractions that waste your time and drain you of your energy. The best way to eliminate the clutter is to develop clarity on what you want to accomplish. You know: have a clear vision and specific goals to bring that vision to reality. Why? Because no goals equal no success - period! Without this clarity, you are inviting clutter, distractions, fear, lack of confidence, and overwhelm to take up permanent residence in your mind.
2. Focus on Winning
You would be amazed at how many folks focus on avoiding problems; not making mistakes; or how not to fail - as opposed to "winning". How many times have we seen a team in professional sports in the lead only to lose in the end? They became too concerned about "not losing" - as opposed to maintaining their focus on winning (the recent Denver Bronco playoff game is a great example of this). When you don't focus on winning, you allow events to "control you" and you become a victim - as opposed to a master - of your circumstances. When this happens, you let others (who are usually very negative) tell you what you can or cannot do - and more self-doubt is created in your mind weakening any confidence you have in yourself. Play to win - all of the time! There is no downside!
3. Develop Your Risk-Taking Skills
To get what you want in business (and in life), you will have to take some risks - logical, thought-out risks. These types of "risks" usually have a reasonable downside offset by a larger upside or reward. Keep in mind that we all have an "internal risk-warning system" that will hold us back and, if unchecked, will cause you to over-analyze the risk and stop you in your tracks. The best way to manage this "internal warning system" is to be clear on what you want to do - as described in your vision and goals. This will help you to focus on the facts of the issue and not the emotion (fear). In addition, always factor in what you've learned from your past experiences and mistakes to properly evaluate the risk. This will help you make an objective, well thought-out decision so that you can keep moving forward.
As you continue on your journey into 2013 - and before you get too far along on your resolutions (if you still have them!) - start focusing on the possibilities instead of the limits or obstacles. Stop letting the world - and all of its distractions - get in your way. Use these three steps to build your mental toughness.
Let me leave you with the last two lines of one of my favorite poems (author unknown) that I first read in
"Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. I included the poem in my book
"Step Up and Play Big" because its message is critically linked to what it takes to be exceptional.
"But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN"
