Things just happen. I’ve never really believed that. All the books I’ve read that mention positive thinking sounded nice but way too out there to ever be something that I could command and control.
I was wrong. Continue Reading…
Archives For goals
Most of us are trying to get from A to B. Why? There could be a number of reasons but what it boils down to is that A is where you are (unhappy, unfulfilled, unsatisfied) and B provides something to fill that void. The desire to fill this void can lead to some dramatic and illogical decision-making.
How you get to B is as important as getting there. Why?
If you consider the diagram above. There are three options to get from A to B. Option 1 is becoming an entrepreneur and opening your own business. Option 2 is going to university to become a Lawyer. Option 3 is becoming a drug dealer (illegal).
Assuming that in this scenario getting to B means financial stability or wealth and that all three of these option would provide that, what is the difference in each path? The type of person you become. It seems obvious in this dramatization. In life though there are many more variables which disguise that you will be a changed person. The people you deal with, the skills you learn and how you behave all affect your mindset and who you will be in the end.
These are some important questions to ask yourself before choosing a path:
- Who do you want to be?
- How will your path affect who you are?
- How will your journey affect other people?
- If you don’t like the outcome, can you go back?
- Once you arrive at B how will who you are effect where you go next?
The Art Of Adaptation: No decision is just A to B.
When you give your valuable time and useful skills to an individual or organization you want to be as effective as possible and maximize your return and theirs.
What returns?
Well they get help with what ever they need and you get that warm fuzzy feeling inside at the very least. I try to push for a reference letter though… just a tip.
How to be effective:
- Choose something you are passionate about. If you don’t have a reason for helping you won’t do it for long. Volunteering is the fire, motivation is the fuel.
- Give what you can, not what they want. If you don’t have the skills an organization needs don’t spend time and resources trying to fit the mold. Find someone who needs what you’re giving! If it’s money be wary, everyone needs that stuff.
- Set goals. Many causes are an ongoing effort. Conflict is part of human nature, disease is part of biology. Some things don’t have a beginning or end which can lead to a lack of direction and focus. If you want to make an impact in the fight against Cancer, set a specific goal to help keep you on track. Once complete, set another if you choose to continue. Goal: I want to make a financial* contribution of ($) by (Date). I will do this by (Method).
The Art Of Adaptation: Effectiveness is the only way to make sure you get out what you put in.
Notes:
*The contribution doesn’t have to be financial.
We’re all going to strive to achieve something. We’re all going to fail in doing so at some point. They say it’s not how many time you fall but how many time you get back up which is what determines if you will be successful. Without a doubt perseverance is key to many success stories. The real question is… Continue Reading…
Who doesn’t want to be the best at what they do? We all want to at least improve, at least the people with some type of drive. If you have an ounce of drive in your bones you are like me and always search for ways to improve or strategies that will help you.
Growing up my dad always said, “It doesn’t matter what you do in life. Just be the best at it.”
At first I thought it was cheesy. Like he stole it from a movie or some song he heard on the radio. Who says those things to kids right?
It was funny though, the more he said it the less I was able to resist the truth or merit in it. Soon enough it didn’t matter if he was repeating a phrase he heard. He was like me. He found that a phrase like that helped him and the way he viewed his world.
That phrase was his tactic for self-improvement. I soon began to see how it applied to his life. We are close and from what I gather from other people he is an intelligent man. Could have been anything he chose. He had the opportunity to work in the construction industry and become a small business owner which provided for him and his family for over 30 years. And yes, he did become the best in his field for a time. At least in the place where he operated.
I think about this phrase all the time now. It has become ingrained in me. I’ve heard it over and over. I have adopted it as one of my strategies for motivation and now pass it along to you. I do this along with 7 other ways to become the best in what ever it is that you are pursuing.
Here they are:
1. Pick a skill to work on: It doesn’t matter if you have to learn to communicate better, manage finances, listen more often, pick up a language or simply develop a habit. Pick one thing and put 100 per cent of your effort into that until you have succeeded. This brain works more effectively when focusing on one this at a time. Don’t spread yourself to thin.
2. After you have picked a skilled to work on, identify and use three strategies that will help you: For instance I have chosen to learn French. Three strategies I have identified are; study for at least 15 minutes a day… everyday, post sticky notes on every item I don’t know the name of in French and practice making sentences with them until I know the vocabulary and meet with a native French speaker once a week to practice verbal communication.
3. Choose a mentor: You should find someone who has confidence and skill in the area you are looking to develop. Ask that person if he/she would mind giving you feedback about your progress.
4. Expect success. Not perfection: You have to be realistic. I’m 24 years old. I haven’t learned another language. I can’t expect to pick up a French book read it and then read, write, speak and understand the language perfectly. When I say this people think, of course who would think that. You would be surprised. Many people are so hard on themselves. I am guilty of this too. People who are driven want to do it… now. I get that and hats off to you for the effort but if it isn’t coming easy, beating yourself up over it won’t make it happen any quicker. Chill out!
5. Practice. Practice. Practice: This biggest determinant in your success in developing a skill is how much time and effort you put in. Remember it take 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at something. We are looking to be the best… so get at it!
6. Be patient: I have zero patients… I’m working on it. Realizing that this won’t happen over night is hard, especially when you are working so diligently at it. It helps me to really think about the 10,000 hour bench mark which is backed my scientific analysis as the point where expertise in a field is acquired. There are only 24 hours in a day. If you did nothing else but work on this skills 24 hours a day it would still take you 416 days! For real though… most people take 10 years to reach this level so keep calm.
7. Measure your progress: Every skill has a way to be measured. Some are easier to measure than others. The important thing is that you create benchmarks along the way. Write down where you started. Monitor it in the beginning daily, then move to weekly, then monthly. As you develop better habits less time is required keeping yourself in check. This frees up more time for you to dedicate to your practice but it always helps to see how far you’ve come.
Those are 7 of my strategies to get you started. You can add to or take from as needed but they have definitely worked for me. In fact I’ve never been so sure of them as I am when I don’t use them… then nothing happens for me.
Do you have anything you do that helps you in being the best you can be? Share it with us.
The Art Of Adaptation: Strategy and hard work pay dividends.
