Habits of Excellence – Life Success Tip

Do you have a new goal you’ve recently set your sights on accomplishing? If you want to maximize the possibility of achieving this goal, the following three ideas will be extremely helpful.

Excellence Habit #1: DISCIPLINE – Discipline is the ability to give yourself a command, and follow through to completion. The great writer Thomas Huxley said, “The most valuable result of all education is to make you do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. It is the first lesson that ought to be learned. And however early one’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson we learn thoroughly.” A great tip on how to be more disciplined in any given area is to focus on both the physical and the mental. If the goal is more sales, focus on the physical tasks – (making more calls, marketing etc.) – but also address the mental – (read books to keep your mind centered on positivity while doing the task.)

ACTION STEP – If you choose to act on this habit, set the goal and write it down. Then create a plan over a three month period to read a book about discipline and doing scheduled tasks that maximize the possibility of your goal being realized.

Excellence Habit #2: PERSISTENCE – Persistence is the ability to persevere with a chosen path/plan especially in the face of opposition. To quote Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich, “There may be no heroic connotation to the word ‘persistence’, but the quality is to the character of man what carbon is to steel” Recognize that to succeed we must try, over and over and over again. Persistence is the life-blood of success. If this is the key to success, what is failure? Failure is simply the decision to stop trying. Walt Disney went bankrupt six times before succeeding, and while learning from each setback, he didn’t stop trying. Thomas Edison estimated that he failed 10,000 times before he successfully invented the light bulb. Can you fathom that level of persistence? A commitment to persist greatly enhances your success potential.

ACTION STEP – Once you’ve decided on your new goal, write down all possible obstacles that, in the past, may have prevented you from achieving it. Now that you know most of the obstacles, write down a ‘solution idea’ addressing each one, so you have a persistence plan in place for success.

Excellence Habit #3: FOCUS – Focus is the ability to give your full attention and concentration to one thing until it’s completed. A perfect example of the power of focus is the difference between regular light and laser light. The photons in regular light go in all directions simultaneously and are therefore diffused. The photons in laser light go in one direction, hence its ability to cut through steel, or perform delicate eye surgery . The difference? FOCUS. Culturally, we are taught what to focus on, but never how to focus. If you can get yourself to do the following action step, your focus will expand immensely.

ACTION STEP – The greatest activity to enhance focus is mental concentration. Try this exercise for five minutes twice a day, and you’ll focus much better. Sit in a comfortable, straight-back chair and begin by taking a few deep breaths. Now imagine the outline of a leaf, and begin mentally tracing its image while silently repeating the word ‘focus’ over and over. If the mind wanders, no matter, return to mentally tracing the leaf and watch the magic occur over the next few days.