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    • Boost Your Strengths
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Home / 2018 / December

December 2018

The Formula Successful People Follow Every Day

Many successful people follow a similar formula every day. They share similar ideas and routines that play an intrinsic part in their success. Does this happen by coincidence?

Of course not!

The Formula Successful People Follow Every Day

“I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through – then follow through.” – Eddie Rickenbacker

This success formula, you might call it their everyday routine and beliefs sets the foundation for their success. So here are the eight routines and beliefs, the success formula that high-achieving entrepreneurs use every day.

Formula 1.  A Morning Routine

The schedules of various high achievers were extensively studied by author Laura Vanderkam. They all had one thing in common. They got up early, and to a person, they also had a fixed morning routine.

Richard Branson, the CEO of the Virgin group, advocates embracing the morning. And he is right to do so as getting up early has lots of benefits.

When you start early, you get the chance to be present and available before other demands are placed on you. As you feel more in control of your life, your mood tends to improve. Pretty cool!

The Formula Successful People Follow Every Day

“You can do anything if you set your mind to it. We get taught all sorts of things in school, but I believe the most important formula we can learn is courage plus goals equals success.” – David Brett-Williams

Getting up early and completing your morning routine also helps you to feel more in control. That boost of confidence makes you ready to handle the challenges that the day throws at you.

How To Adjust Your Schedule:

Consider swapping some of the tasks you would typically do in the evening to the morning instead. A great one to start with is to try exercising before you go to work to help you feel revitalised and energised at the start of your working day.

Formula 2.  The Important Work Gets Done First

If you are like most people you ease your way into your work day. Most people start their day with little tasks, like trivial admin or emailing.

The problem with that is that our brains are sharpest earlier in the day. So this is the best time to tackle the more creative work that challenges you.

The Formula Successful People Follow Every Day

“In living life at 90 percent, the formula is life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent of how you react to it.” – Diamond Dallas Page

If you don’t get the opportunity to work on your chosen tasks first thing, take matters into your own hands; do the work from home, or come into work early.

How To Adjust Your Schedule:

Set your schedule for the next day while you are still at work, plan your most important tasks for first thing in the morning, and then respond to your emails before lunch to guarantee a productive day.

Formula 3.  When Things Go Wrong Stay In Control

When things don’t go exactly to plan, many of us start to feel stressed and anxious. But let’s face reality, these things can happen on a daily basis. Successful people realise they cannot control everything and anticipate mistakes.

Dealing with problems is a big part of being a successful entrepreneur. Plan for mistakes, and you will deal with them rationally and efficiently as they arise.

How To Adjust Your Schedule: Factor In time every day to help you deal with any problems that arise. Half an hour at the end of your working day is ideal, as it means you can focus on the tasks you want to complete during the day.

Formula 4.  Work Even When You Don’t Have To

There are times when the vast majority of people are not working. They aren’t even thinking about working.

Realistically, the first thing in the morning, evenings and the weekends are all times that most people are doing their level best to avoid working. I hear you loud and clear, but you could be wasting your productivity.

The Formula Successful People Follow Every Day

“You should never lose the formula that worked for you from the beginning, no matter how big you get.” – Ozuna

We have all woken up from a deep slumber when that lightning bolt of inspiration strikes us. Successful entrepreneurs harness that lightning strike of inspiration and get to work right away.

They know that whenever inspiration strikes they will be more productive at that moment than later. Strike while the iron is hot and even if you’re not in work, get working,

How To Adjust Your Schedule:

Schedule one to two hours of work that you will do during your free time. It can be replying to emails to making important calls, anything that will help you to get ahead and stay ahead.

Formula 5.  Understand The Benefits Of Teamwork

While the thought of doing it on our own is appealing, you might have to develop a team to help you achieve your goals.

If you consider the most successful companies in the world, they were started with teamwork. Consider that Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple, and a team of five started Paypal.

Only in infrequent occasions is being successful about being completely independent. Successful people can work with others, able to compromise and accept other ideas.

How To Adjust Your Schedule:

If you work in a team alongside others, schedule an email chain with your co-workers. Make a note to email your co-workers at lunchtime if you do work on a project for feedback.

This will help your team to feel involved, encouraging them to share their opinions and get involved.

Formula 6. Keep Your Full Schedule In One Place

“It’s crucial to make sure you record all your meetings and appointments in one place instead of having them scattered throughout different calendars, notebooks, and apps,” says Alexandra Weiss, a partner at CA Creative in New York.

Formula

“Formula for success: rise early, work hard, strike oil. – J. Paul Getty

When you gather everything together on one device, it won’t seem quite so daunting or intimidating. To often do we fall into the trap of planning parts of our schedule on your phone, and your notepad, and your laptop, and your work computer.

When it is clearer, it is easier to understand. And you won’t have to stress about how to fit everything in when you have the luxury of seeing your full schedule and being able to arrange it as you please.

How To Adjust Your Schedule:

You need to select one device. Choose the one you use the most are most comfortable with. It can be a notebook or your smartphone. Keep it on you the entire day while you are at work so that you can adjust your plans accordingly throughout the day.

Formula 7.  Take Your Work Seriously

Successful entrepreneurs believe genuinely and passionately in their work and see immense value in what they do. You have to believe in your work, or you will find it difficult to work productively and become successful.

The Formula Successful People Follow Every Day

“I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together.” – Queen Elizabeth II

When you believe in your work, you don’t need the reassurance of others. And this is important if you are to stay motivated and not to get sidetracked by the naysayers and those who don’t share your dream or believe in you.

How To Adjust Your Schedule:

Set aside thirty to sixty minutes to review your goals and dreams, and see how you are progressing towards them at the end of each working week. Most importantly, it will encourage you to believe in your goals truly, and it will also help you to achieve your goals.

Formula 8.  Relax When You Are Done

Worrying about work while you’re not there is emotionally and physically draining. Not only does it run you down, it even make reduces your productivity when you start again.

Try writing down your working goal for tomorrow when you finish work. Tim Ferris suggests this will increase your motivation for the next day.

So when you are done, you can switch off, for now, enjoy your evening and recharge for a productive tomorrow.

How To Adjust Your Schedule:

Write down three goals you want to achieve during your next working day. Write down how you will achieve them too, as this will help you to feel focused so that you can switch off and enjoy your downtime.

Over to you, now it is your turn to take this eight step formula and use it to generate the success that you desire.

  • 25 December, 2018
  • Personal Development, Professional Development
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Getting Started Is The Key To An Outstanding Life

What does Getting Started mean? It means not putting off what you need to do today to realise your dreams in the future. It means taking action.

One big challenge with making changes in your life is that sometimes getting started is so darn hard. In fact, many people never seem to be able to get started.

getting started

“When you have a dream, you can spend a lifetime planning, studying, and getting ready for it. But what you should be doing is getting started.” – David Brett-Williams

Many of us have dreams, but sadly very few of us take action to realise our dreams. Rather than getting started, we fail to plan, or we fail to execute our plan.

You might say to yourself that there is never the right time to do this.

Procrastinating

And sometimes that is true, but most of the time we are just postponing getting started for some reason. We call that procrastinating.

Admittedly, there is often quite a lot of inner resistance when trying to make changes. And that is why developing the skill of getting started is so valuable.

The fundamental step in getting started is understanding what your dreams are. Then from that foundation, you need to form a plan that has good possibilities of realising your dreams.

Realise Your Dreams

Sometimes what sounds easy is hard to accomplish. And if you are like most people and have trouble getting started, here are some tips that will help with the process.
 The intention is that you find them helpful.

Getting Started Is The Key To An Outstanding Life

“I don’t care what you label me or how many times you come for me. I am fearless, and I’m just getting started.” – Tomi Lahren

And we will start you thinking about what you want to do with your life by asking you three questions:

  • 
What are your dreams?
  • Better still, what are your daydreams?
  • What is it that you start to think about doing when your mind wanders off?

Your answers to these three questions are going to be a good start on what you want out of your life.

Follow Your Heart

Sometimes we get started because our heart is not in it. Imagine that you set a goal, but it isn’t truly your goal, then, I am sure you will agree that it will be hard to even get started let alone achieve that goal.

If you realise that it is not your goal but a goal set by people around you then, when possible, eliminate the goal and set a few goals, you would like to achieve.

We can have goals set for us by parents, teachers, bosses or even society in general.

“However, don’t let perfectionism become an excuse for never getting started.” – Marilu Henner

Alternatively, find your own motivation and reasons for achieving that goal. This could put the goal that the people around you have set in a different light. And suddenly you will feel a whole lot more motivated to get started.

Getting Started Tip #1

Time to start framing your dreams in more concrete terms. 
Specifically, we need to move from our dreams to an actionable plan to realise them.

So instead of imagining what it would be like if you were working on your dreams, focus on the tasks and goals that you believe can get you there.
You don’t have to start them at this point. But think about the steps you will need to take.

The problems and downsides we imagine before getting started often exist only in our heads. They are a bunch of opinions or excuses based on something you heard from someone else at one time or another.

Research

So why not do a bit of research on your own instead. If you don’t like to read books, then do some Googling. Or find who have actually been where you want to go and ask them questions.

When you do that bit of research, you will often reduce your anxieties and inner resistance and anxieties. And you will find more positive benefits to getting started.

Getting Started Is The Key To An Outstanding Life

“I’ve always been a late bloomer, so I never feel like, Oh, I’m getting older; I guess everything is gonna stop. I’m the opposite: Oh, I’m just getting started.” – Megan Mullally

So, you have done your research and know a lot more about the road towards achieving it, now is the perfect time to create your plan.

When creating your plan, write down when you have to do this. Think of that as your deadline. Setting a deadline can also help to calm you down.

It tends to lessen the fear and fuzzy anxiety that can hold you back from taking action and getting started.

When you have a clearer image of what you can do and how you should go about it, then you make a large chunk of your negative feelings less powerful.

Getting Started Tip #2

Time to stop putting off those little tasks. You know those 
tasks that you keep putting on the back burner with the intention that you will get to them at a later date. But, you never do.

When you start the process of doing the little tasks, you are setting up your mindset to accomplish goals, no matter how small. And that habit comes in handy when you tackle your bigger goals.

Getting Started Is The Key To An Outstanding Life

“There’s a plaque on our wall that says we’ve sold over 65 million albums, and I don’t feel I’ve accomplished anything. I feel like I’m just getting started.” – Eddie Van Halen

Are sitting around and procrastinating day in and day out? Then you need to stop over-thinking things. Procrastination is your mechanism to deal with stress. Time to shut off your brain.

Get dressed, sit down at the phone, laptop or wherever you need to be and just do it.

Just Do It

When your feelings and thoughts are continually holding you back, then you just need to stop listening to them and take action.

This is easy to say of course. It is harder to do and to develop it into a consistent habit. But it is possible.

Thinking most definitely has its place, but thinking is not taking action.

No matter how much thinking you do, you will still need to take action to achieve your goals.

Developing a just do it mindset will make taking action much easier. And it will stop you from wasting a lot of time going over different negative scenarios over and over in your head.

Getting Started Is The Key To An Outstanding Life

“I’ve got so many mountains to climb and goals to conquer. I’ve got so many scars I want to leave on the planet. I just feel like I’m not there yet. I feel like I am just getting started.” – Nikki Sixx

The art of getting started becomes more natural if you have a small list of positive benefits. These can be in your head or better yet on a piece of paper. Especially when your thoughts and feelings want to hold you back.

Positive Benefits

This list of benefits provides the reasons why you should get going even if you don’t feel like it. And is essential to counter the self-defeating and negative thoughts and feelings that you might have at that moment.

Can you recall a time in the past when you at first felt hesitant? If you think back to those times, you may remember that those negative feelings can be replaced pretty quickly with more positive ones.

And remember how happy you were that you got started. If it happened before then, chances are that the same thing will happen this time too.

If you just need a boost in motivation to try out something new, for example heading down the gym for the first time, there are a bunch of techniques you can use. Some of my favourites are guided meditation CDs, changing your physiology to change how you feel and listening to inspirational music or watching inspirational videos.

Getting Started Tip #3

Time to find people who share your vision. 
Get them on board. People who are experienced in what you are trying to accomplish can give you a good start and can help guide you along the way.

Find people who will serve as accountability partners. These people share similar goals and dreams as you and the group can keep each other on track.

You help to motivate each other to get going and maintain that habit. You should discuss what goals you want to accomplish as a group. Then, map out the tasks that it will take with milestones.

Milestones

If you can get together when the milestones hit, that would be beneficial. However, if you don’t have the time, you can use instant messaging online.

Make rules for the team so that everyone participates and let go of people who don’t take it seriously. Try to keep the group small, maybe two or three people.

For instance, you may find a buddy (sounds nicer than accountability partner) who also wants to start working out in a gym.

But don’t let the lack of an accountability partner stand in your way. It is easy to let this become an excuse.

You can find that motivation you need from others in other places. Why not join an online group or forum to find the support and help you may need. If it is exercise you want to start, then ParkRun is fantastic.

Alternatively, you can start reading workout blogs to get involved in that community. Or you might even start a blog of your own and chart your journey.

Getting Started Tip #4

Sometimes, you hold back on getting started because you don’t have the right skills. 
Find courses on those skills and begin training.

The web has made self-training much more comfortable, and you can explore this avenue further. Try to create a budget that allows for training.

Getting Started Tip #5

Conversely, don’t overtrain. 
You will never feel truly ready when trying out something that isn’t known.

Therefore, you need to try it even when you feel there is more to learn. People learn much with experience. This can never be replaced by the training you receive.

You don’t have to overcomplicate things. If you do there is a more significant chance that you’ll give up before what you started before you repeat it enough, so it becomes a habit.

Simplicity Is Key

The more simple it is, the greater the likelihood it will get done. If you make it easier on yourself, then you make it easier for you to get started.

Getting Started Is The Key To An Outstanding Life

“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.” – W. M. Lewis

Thinking of buying an expensive gym membership that is located 15 minutes away from your work to improve your anaerobic capacity? Why not invest in a decent pair of trainers and start walking.

And start walking or jogging while listening to music that you like. Make the whole experience simple and more enjoyable.

Commit to regular training every week. This can be online training, or you can find a physical location that specialises in the areas you want to learn.

It’s better to learn in small chunks of time. But, do it consistently. For instance, you can study 15 minutes per day while having your coffee, and you can take an online class during your lunch break.

Getting Started Tip #6

Find a mentor or coach. When you have someone who has gone through what you are looking to accomplish, they can help you map out a plan.

This plan should help you to realise your dreams, and the mentor can get you back on track when you stray. You should find a qualified mentor and be willing to pay him or her.

Take these six getting started tips and make them your own so you move from getting ready for it into getting started.

  • 19 December, 2018
  • Personal Development, Professional Development
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How Do I Push Out Of My Comfort Zone?

The first step to push out of your comfort zone is to not act like an elephant.

You would be stunned and a little confused to see that elephants, these huge creatures, are only held by a tiny rope when in captivity. In theory, they are able to break free from this tiny rope at any time.

The trick is, when the elephants are very young and much smaller, they are tied up with the very same rope. At that young age, it is enough to restrain them.

As they grow up and get much larger and stronger, they still believe they cannot break away. The elephants get conditioned to believe that they cannot break free.

They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.

But I am a human, not an elephant. What would I learn from that?

Your comfort zone is your enemy!

It is essential that you push your own comfort zone every single day, despite what you may have been taught in the past.

Ever sang and a friend told you to stop, it sounds terrible? Do not stop, keep on singing and focus on improving yourself.

How Do I Push Out Of My Comfort Zone?

“As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the unknown and frightening becomes your new normal.” – Robin S. Sharma

Ever did maths and the teacher told you that you seem to be more of a “language person”? If you have been conditioned to believe that you are not a math genius, keep practising and focus on improving yourself.

The key to continually keep pushing your comfort zone is to realise that failure is part of the process. Stay positive. Don’t get discouraged. At least don’t get discouraged too quickly.

Take Opportunities

Life starts beyond your comfort zone. So, when the opportunity comes to get out of your comfort zone, take it and see the growth beyond your comfort zone.

It’s not so easy to get out of your habitual home and start a new life outside of it. But, if you follow certain things, it will be easy for you.

Suppose, you feel comfortable speaking your native language and try to avoid places where you have to speak English or another foreign language as you are not strong in that language.

So, your weakness is speaking that language. When you recognise your weakness, you can work on that. Nothing is impossible.

Your efforts to eliminate your weakness will help you to start living beyond your comfort zone.

Life’s Irony

One of life’s biggest ironies is that when you try to stay comfortable, life sends you more discomfort.

It’s true when you make every effort to stay within your comfort zone, life will send you more challenges. Life will keep taking shots at you. You will encounter more resistance, struggles, and issues.

How Do I Push Out Of My Comfort Zone?

“You need to be willing to step outside your comfort zone. To take the risks in life that seem worth taking. The journey will be less predictable and it will be a heck of a lot more interesting.” – David Brett-Williams

And we are so focused on staying comfortable that we miss the opportunities to grow and reach higher. The way we grow is to address our limitations and move beyond them.

If we do not, we continue to struggle.

What Are You Here For?

Realistically, you are not on this planet to sip pornstar martinis on the beach and get a tan each and every day of your adult life.

You are here to grow.

And if you don’t make the conscious choice to get out of your comfort zone, life will provide plenty of opportunities to push you out of your comfort zone.

The way that I see it, you have one of two options.

You consciously commit to constant growth and feeling discomfort, and you take control of your own destiny. Or you hand over the keys to the car, and you let life happen to you by default as you become the passenger in the journey of your life.

Two Paths

The two paths lead to different places. One leads to success. And the other path leads you to struggle and pain.

It’s your choice, so choose wisely.

Did Steve Jobs start Apple feeling comfortable about it?
How many top athletes sleep their way to personal bests and high performance?
Do Oscar-winning actors procrastinate preparing for a role?

NO.

So why give in to wasting time with Netflix marathons? Why are you running to the pub the moment your mate texts you to come out?

To achieve more, you have got to be willing to make the hard decisions. You have got to be willing to feel uncomfortable. To feel pressure, to feel awkward, to face rejection, and to fail.

Necessary For Growth

You have got to face those things because that’s what is necessary for you to grow.

“I wish I knew back then what I know now. I would have lived my life differently.” How many times have you reflected on your life and said that?

If you have, then it is possible that the life you currently have is not the one you should be living. You would be living differently if you developed the awareness that you did not have back then.

How Do I Push Out Of My Comfort Zone?

“I’m continually trying to make choices that put me against my own comfort zone. As long as you’re uncomfortable, it means you’re growing.” – Ashton Kutcher

Surprise! The sure-fire way to develop awareness and knowledge is to undertake things you have not done before.

For you to develop things you have not yet developed. To visit places you have not yet explored. To undertake things you have not yet tried.

How You Grow

And my friends, that is how you grow!

That is the way you become the person who is worthy of sitting on the beach with their pornstar martini. Life only rewards you with those experiences AFTER you do the work.

Yes, there is a real price for success. And LIFE collects the payments from everyone, life does not offer interest-free credit or accept payment plans.

And you pay upfront with your discomfort.

Life does not let you experience things that you have not yet earned. So you need to get out of your comfort zone.

You must pay upfront and in full with your sacrifice. And that is the only way you will achieve the life you want.

So start making those calls, start approaching that person. Begin practising kindness and compassion, over jealousy and greed.

Start Doing

Confront your anxiety. Hit the gym. Study harder. Wake up earlier, even if you’re not a morning person. Destroy your procrastination.

Start doing the things, that you KNOW, deep within your heart, you should have started doing a long time ago.

Do all of that, so you begin to build the knowledge and the experiences that you need to succeed.

How Do I Push Out Of My Comfort Zone?

“The further you get away from yourself, the more challenging it is. Not to be in your comfort zone is great fun.” – Benedict Cumberbatch

Here are my suggestions for you.

Now is the time for you to get uncomfortable. It is time to start dreaming again. Time to start going after what was rightfully yours, but you ignored for far too long.

When you push yourself into discomfort, your colleagues will take notice, your friends will take notice, and your family will take notice. Most importantly, LIFE will take notice, and LIFE will respond by beginning to back you up.

Doors Will Open

When life begins to support you, doors will open for you. And you will be introduced to the people who will take you to the next level.

But YOU need to take the first step!

TAKE IT.

Take it and watch your life expand into greatness. Watch as you develop into the person you have always wanted to become.

It is all waiting for you. It is all waiting for you OUTSIDE of your comfort zone.

GO FOR IT.

Neale Donald Walsh quipped, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

His quote draws our awareness to the point that to move out of the safety of our comfort zone is to experience the richness of life.

Self-Imposed

Your comfort zone is a self-imposed safety net where your anxiety levels are at a minimum, and the status quo is preserved. It is your safe harbour of contentment.

Humans have an inherent drive for safety. It is wired into our DNA to seek food, water and shelter for survival and to stay safe.

How Do I Push Out Of My Comfort Zone?

“I don’t like to be out of my comfort zone, which is about a half an inch wide.” – Larry David

Once those needs are met listlessness and apathy set in. Our minds become accustomed to certainty.

Staying comfortable suits some people. In fact, it probably suits most people. The phrase, “..nothing ventured, nothing gained” serves as a reminder that being contented does not yield the success we search for.

The Negativity Bias

Our mind is designed with a negativity bias that meets any attempt to move out of our comfort zone with unease.

It is a normal response to experience anxiety when we are feeling uncomfortable. The body responds to this perceived threat with our inbuilt precautionary survival mechanism.

You will label it as fear, or FEAR!

This anxiety impairs our ability to gain new information. Our mind cannot be logical and reason when in a stressed state.

Fight, Flight or Fright

Our nervous system alerts us to impending danger if we move out of our comfort zone. And this impairs our performance. We stop thinking rationally and become driven by the urge to fight or take flight.

When that happens we are less receptive to external cues and react based on internal cues. We get real dumb real fast. We simply miss too much information.

Being comfortable might also be age-related.

A lot of people find that as they mature, they become more set in their ways and less likely to take risks. Beyond a certain age, the lure of perceived rewards may not be as appealing.

The pleasure-pain principle refers to our motivation to seek gratification and to avoid pain. So to venture beyond your comfort zone is greatly influenced by how you relate to pleasure and pain.

Be Curious

When you choose to be curious, you choose to be vulnerable because it requires you to surrender to an element of uncertainty.

Oddly, to be curious wasn’t always a choice because we were born curious. And over a period of time, we learn that curiosity, like vulnerability, can lead to pain and hurt.

As a result, we turn to self-protection. We choose armour over vulnerability, certainty over curiosity, and knowing over learning.

How Do I Push Out Of My Comfort Zone?

“I think the biggest advice that I could give people is to actually try and live beyond your dreams by pushing yourself, challenging yourself to do things a little bit outside of your comfort zone.” – Peggy Whitson

The paradox is that taking risks is shown to enhance self-esteem and self-worth.

Even if we don’t succeed, we are likely to gain wisdom related to our strengths and weaknesses or discover a new horizon. And the benefit is that we create an internal reference point the next time we enter uncharted waters.

To push too far past our comfort zone not just inhibits performance it can cripple it.

The Tipping Point

We must safeguard our personal interest so as not to move beyond the tipping point of stress and anxiety. Think of it as walking a tightrope while striving for balance.

Bear in mind that optimal performance is attained on the outside your comfort zone.

Success is seldom achieved when we are comfortable because everything is too familiar. When you are in your comfort zone, there is little need to draw on your mental faculties.

If we are to become the finest version of ourselves, then we must commit ourselves to take bold risks.

Moving beyond your comfort zone requires smaller steps to confront your fears. All the while managing your feelings of discomfort.

Comfortable With Uncertainty

We need learn to become comfortable with uncertainty.

It is hardly surprising that personal growth resides beyond our comfort zone. When we extend ourselves, we have the opportunity to celebrate our gains as we accomplish new skills and emotional resiliency along the way.

How Do I Push Out Of My Comfort Zone?

“You can only grow if you move out of your comfort zone and are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable trying something new.” – David Brett-Williams

Stephen R. Covey wrote in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “It takes an enormous amount of internal security, to begin with, the spirit of adventure, the spirit of discovery, the spirit of creativity.

Without a doubt, you have to leave the comfort zone of base camp and confront an entirely new and unknown wilderness.

You become a trailblazer, a pathfinder. You open new possibilities, new territories, new continents so that others can follow.”

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

The cultivation of these new thoughts leads to a rise in our awareness. So when we venture beyond our comfort zone, our Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is reinforced.

If we dare to venture beyond our comfort zone, we can find a place which leads to improvements, our optimal anxiety zone. Exactly where this lies will vary according to each individual, but the key is to resist complacency.

You don’t need to stay uncomfortable to reap the rewards. You need to realise that long-term discomfort can put the brakes on performance and damage your self-esteem.

Baby Steps

The solution is to focus on making baby steps towards your goals until you benefit from the experience.

As humans, we are resilient and can withstand most circumstances. The benefit of evolution is that it has allowed us to endure in harsh conditions. This has engineered our biology with the tools to sustain life.

How Do I Push Out Of My Comfort Zone?

“The best things in life are often waiting for you at the exit ramp of your comfort zone.” – Karen Salmansohn

Depending on our actions, that adaptability can work for or against us. If we are inactive, we run the risk of rusting out and impairing our personal development.

John C. Maxwell wrote in The Difference Maker: Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset, “However, if you were rarely exposed to growth experiences or taken outside of your comfort zone, then you may have to work harder to cultivate a positive attitude toward positive personal growth.”

We Fear The Unknown

We fear the unknown that comes with change, and It is this fear that frightens us, not change in itself.

Stephen R. Covey suggests we can mitigate this uncertainty by reframing it. “Create an internal “comfort zone.” Then, when you get into the situation, it isn’t foreign. It doesn’t scare you.”

Covey refers to creating an inner sanctuary for the times when change overwhelms us. Within the space of our inner sanctuary is the reassurance that whatever may happen cannot disrupt what is familiar.

Knowing that life begins at the end of our comfort zone, then what lies beyond our perceived security is far greater than our habituated environment.

Our lives undergo constant change, and we must celebrate the challenges in our journey if we desire a more enriching life.

So let’s accept and embrace the unease that comes with moving outside of our comfort zone. And unlike the elephant, let’s test the boundaries and limitations that are placed upon us.

  • 11 December, 2018
  • Personal Development, Professional Development
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How To Keep Going When You Want To Give Up

Whether it’s running a marathon, working towards your dream or trying to make a relationship work, there are some situations we can find ourselves in where we want to keep going but really struggle to maintain motivation.

We have to give every last drop of will-power and energy not just to give up and pack it all in.

To keep going is a skill that cannot be underestimated in goal attainment.

In these situations we often find ourselves turning to mental tricks and ruminations to try and convince ourselves to keep going. So what are some of the best techniques you can use in the moment to ensure that you keep going and persist?

Draw Inspiration

Most of us have stories and memories that we can use to dig deep and find inspiration.

Perhaps you had a parent or a friend who never gave up no matter what. Maybe you remember them challenge you to accomplish something and really believing in you.

don't give up

“You learn more from failing than succeeding. You learn how to keep going.”

Or maybe you just love the film Rocky? Who doesn’t love the original? And some, but not all of the sequels.

I still hate Ivan Drago. He was the character played by Dolph Lundgren who killed Rocky’s friend Apollo Creed. It was a charity event, Apollo came out of retirement, and this chemically synthesised superman kills him.

But Rocky Balboa comes out of retirement to avenge his good friend.

Keep Going Like Rocky Balboa

For 15 rounds he breaks Drago down by allowing him to punch him in the face repeatedly. And after 44 minutes and 27 seconds of punishment, he turns the tables on the villain and knocks him out.

To mutter the immortal phrase to the applauding and now adoring Russian audience, “If I can change, then youse can change.”

So I love Rocky! And what a great example of keep going.

Either way, these sorts of thoughts and memories can help you to dig deep when you’re really struggling for energy, commitment or will-power.

If that doesn’t work, try an inspiring music track. Borrowing from an earlier theme, how about Survivor and Eye Of The Tiger? Also known as the theme to Rocky.

Remind Yourself Why You’re Doing It

Another trick is to remind yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing. If you’re working towards a dream, then try visualising yourself where you want to be because you managed to accomplish the enormous task.

How To Keep Going When You Want To Give Up

“Believe in yourself, take on challenges, never let anyone bring you down. You have got to keep going.”

If you’re trying to make money, that might mean imagining yourself on a yacht in the sun somewhere…

Remind Yourself Of The Consequences

Sometimes the stick can be more motivating than the carrot. If imagining yourself being highly successful because you did well isn’t doing the trick, then maybe try doing the opposite instead and imagining what would happen if you had to give up.

Imagine having to tell everyone you failed. Imagine knowing you failed… Especially after all the effort you’ve already put in!

Break It Down

If you’re tackling an impossible task then sometimes it can help to break it down into smaller milestones. Writing a novel? Then celebrate each time you add a thousand words and count how many units of 1,000 you have left to go.

Take A Break

Sometimes the best thing to do is to take a step back and have a breather. Most tasks aren’t binary meaning it’s not ‘do or die’.

How To Keep Going When You Want To Give Up

“Many times things won’t go your way, but you get up and keep going.”

Be strategic with your energy management and realise that a short timeout can often yield better results in the long term.

Why You Should Keep Going

If you keep going at something, then you can never ‘fail’. Failure only happens when you give up, as otherwise all that’s happened is that you’ve had a set-back and learned from it.

If this sounds like cheesy self-help, it’s not. In fact, this is very true when you consider what happens when you fail…

Why You Will Probably Fail

Say you want to create a YouTube channel that will make you lots of money so you can quit your day job. It’s a common enough ambition, so maybe you can relate.

How To Keep Going When You Want To Give Up

“As long as you keep going, you will keep getting better.”

The usual way to go about this is to create a YouTube channel using what you know about technology and to start then uploading videos. If you’re very, very, very lucky (or just highly talented) then you’ll be seen by the right person, maybe go viral, and your channel will be a massive hit.

But in most cases? Unfortunately, that’s just not going to happen.

The reason for this is that you’ll have no experience and that the odds are very firmly stacked against you. Being recognised on YouTube is very difficult because there are millions of other channels out there.

Failure Is Learning

So what do you do? You take down your channel… then you create another one, and you try again! Only this time, you will probably be carrying over a few fans you generated from the last channel, and you’ll be bringing over your knowledge and your experience.

don't give up

“Be like a clock and keep going.”

Now you will know how to create videos that people like, you will have learned a bit about editing, and you’ll know not to make the same mistake as last time.

In other words, your new channel will be 10x as good as the last one and thus 10x as likely to succeed. This right away is incredible progress and really failing the last time was the best thing that could have happened.

Fail And Keep Going

But don’t get your hopes up. To be honest, you’re probably still going to fail. Only this time you’ll hopefully realise that that’s okay and you keep going.

This time you’ll know that the next time you try, you’ll be 10x more likely to succeed again.

And if you keep doing that and keep plugging away then eventually you’ll get to the point where you’re doing everything entirely correctly. At this point, you’ll be almost unable to fail.

It’s not success that makes you learn, get stronger or get better; it’s failure. So learn to value it and keep going!

  • 4 December, 2018
  • Personal Development
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