The Reason Why You Should Let Toxic Leaders Win

Have you ever had to suffer under a toxic leader in a business setting? You know, the one who puts their individual interests ahead of the company or organization they serve? Of course, toxic leaders don’t come equipped with a warning label. They are usually hidden under smiles and friendliness. But it rarely takes long for that feeling in your gut that something isn’t right to be justified.

Oftentimes, you figure this out when what you thought was straightforward turns out not to be, or when you’re told something you later learn was a lie. The problem with toxic leaders isn’t just that they are poisonous to the culture around them, it’s that they are typically very good strategists. Toxic leaders might be bullies, but schoolyard strategies don’t work.

When I was in grade school, I was a scrawny kid. I learned to deal with bullies at an early age. Once, our local newspaper snapped a photo of me in karate class. It was a great photo of a small, skinny kid in full kick. But when the paper ran it, suddenly all the school bullies decided to test their skills on me. At that time, my best strategy was to be fast. I vividly remember a particularly large kid yelling, “Hold still so I can hit you!” Really?

“Don’t let bad people turn you anti-social. Just become anti-jerks.” – Karen Salmansohn

As an adult, it isn’t in me to give in to bullies. When someone is misrepresenting themselves or lying at the expense of others, it ignites every feeling of wanting to create justice in an unjust situation. Initially, when dealing with toxic leaders in my career, I followed the same strategy that has worked as a kid. I worked fast to out-maneuver them.

They lied, I told the truth. They did backdoor campaigning, I immediately spoke openly. They misrepresented facts, my fact checks were rapid and came with backup. They got rid of impediments to their rule, I stood up for people who were being ousted unfairly. The thing is, it’s exhausting. There is great personal cost because it takes all of your energy.

And often when everything was finished, the results were exactly the same as if I had done nothing. Toxic people get to leadership roles because they are good at strategy. And I found that I often underestimated just how far they were willing to go to get what they wanted.

Will you cross your own personal lines to win the game?

Stephen Covey shared in his book, The Speed of Trust: “When keeping your commitment becomes hard, you have two choices: You can change your behavior to match your commitment, or you can lower your values to match your behavior.”

I found that in dealing with toxic leadership, the question I had to ask myself wasn’t: “What happens if they win?” Instead, it was “Who do I want to be?” I could be someone who became consumed with winning, or I could drop the rope and end the game of tug of war.

This willingness to let go is one of the hardest things to do, because you don’t know what will happen to the company, group, or organization you love. Toxic is a synonym for poison, and make no mistake, poison has one function. Perhaps, you stay in too long and get consumed with angst trying to patch up the collateral damage that toxic leaders create in their wake.

So, how do you know when it’s time to drop the rope?

The timing gets clear, when you look inside. There is always a moment when staying will require you to cross a personal line. When you get to the point where the only move is one that will compromise your integrity, you’ll know you’re done.

You wave the white flag and pack your bags. You leave, giving up whatever it is that you’ve built that you’ve been so afraid to lose. It’s the counter-intuitive move to let the toxic leader win that is the very thing which creates positive motion.

And often, there is great personal cost to make that move. But here’s the thing, that’s only in the short term. Toxic leaders always make the same mistake that costs them in the end; and it’s inherent in the nature of the toxicity itself.

Healthy leadership focuses on the people they are leading. They look at the impact of their decisions on others. They build people up, and engender loyalty which results in influence. The focus of toxic leadership is on themselves. They go for ego-based wins not realizing that those short-term wins lose them followers. Leverage gets mistaken for loyalty.

The myopia causes toxic leaders to miss that they don’t have a following. In fact, it often produces deep frustration for them because they don’t understand why their actions don’t create momentum. The surprising reality is that toxic people don’t think they are toxic. Most are genuinely astounded—not to mention defensive—when confronted with their toxicity.

“Over time, you start noticing that some people just aren’t worth it anymore.”

The win you get from letting go

You can’t win the “you’re toxic” argument. Evidence doesn’t work because they won’t believe it. Not only that, but they enjoy the fight because they believe they are fighting a just cause in protecting themselves. You can’t bank on their empathy for those they are leading. It doesn’t exist.

Toxic leaders enjoy the fight, and no amount of strategy will allow you to protect yourself (or your reputation) against someone who doesn’t act with integrity. So don’t. Let the toxic leader win. If you stay too long, your creative energy is drained in the conflict—and often the results are the same as if you’d left earlier. Go use that energy to build something life-giving somewhere else. Besides, you can afford the short-term loss. The win is in protecting your integrity by not playing the game.

How do you deal with toxic people? Share your advice in the comments below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-reason-why-you-should-let-toxic-leaders-win/

It’s What You Do On A ‘Bad Day’ That Matters.

3 Ways the Dalai Lama Inspires Radical Self Care in His Daily Routine

The Dalai Lama is best known for his spiritual teachings on peace, joy, mindfulness and serenity. While these teachings are rooted in spirituality, they are also applicable and beneficial to anyone no matter their faith system or beliefs.

There is a common understanding, as a result of studying the western leadership gurus and mentors, that calls for leaders to give focused attention to their daily schedule and more specifically their morning routines. The idea is that when there is a morning routine, with deliberate actions, the day becomes more intentional and increases the likelihood of achieving the desired outcomes.

There are examples of successful leaders throughout the business world maintaining a morning ritual or routine and linking it to their success. Leaders like Jeff Bezos, Arianna Huffington, Bill Gates, Tim Cook and Barack Obama all have one thing in common; they all stick mindfully to a schedule each morning.

The most common activities among these great leaders each morning include: exercising, eating breakfast, praying and meditating, or learning something new and setting the intentions and actions for the day. This mindfulness, as they start the day, will support them as they navigate whatever comes their way on any given day.

The link between a morning routine and self care becomes clear when people accept the intentionality of being proactive in charting the new day. Self care is most often focused on the mind, body and spirit. When all three are a priority in a morning routine they will likely produce a well balanced perspective on the new day.

“Every day as you wake up, think that I am fortunate to be alive. I have a precious human life, and I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand myself out to others; to achieve enlightenment for all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” – Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama’s Routine

It is important to look at the similarities between the Dalai Lama’s morning routine and the routines outlined by the western leaders. In both routines, there is time set aside for prayer and meditation. Upon waking up in the morning, the first activity for the Dalai Lama is to go into prayer and meditation. He will pray and meditate at least two more times before he retires in the early evening.

The Dalai Lama takes a walk each morning around the grounds of his residence in India or outdoors when he’s traveling and visiting other places. In the event of rain or inclement weather at his residence, he has a treadmill to walk on. It conjures up a unique image to think of the Dalai Lama on a treadmill at 4:00 AM in the morning. While initially it might create some cognitive dissonance to think of the Dalai Lama on a treadmill, in time the idea makes sense when you think of having a contingency plan in place to avoid losing momentum and focus.

The Dalai Lama eats breakfast before another round of prayers and meditation. He is now ready to study and learn more about what is going on in the world by watching the BBC News or reading some books or articles.

After lunch, the Dalai Lama is ready to meet with others to discuss his upcoming events and schedule, or he might even meet with some visitors for a spiritual conversation. In either case, he is always present in the moment with those he is sharing his time with during these meetings.

When the day comes to an end for the Dalai Lama at 7:00PM, he makes sure to pray and meditate before he retires for the evening. He is almost always assured of getting enough rest and sleep before he starts the next day at 3:00AM.

What you can learn when studying The Dalai Lama’s daily routine

There are three key teachings that stand out when studying the Dalai Lama and his daily routine which includes a focus on self care. He is clear about what he says no to when asked a question or a request for his time is made by others. He knows what to stop doing in his life to preserve his routine and self care. He does this because he’s committed to sustaining his lifestyle for the long term.

Saying no to the things that do not feel right nor align with someone’s vision for their life, is a profound way to experience self care. When people listen to what is going on around them, there are many messages that tell them to say no. They also have their observations to rely on when deciding to say no to others. The most important aspect for this is to have the self trust needed to follow the intuitive and sensory messages that prompt a no response.

When people can say no and remain mindful and peaceful, they have demonstrated a high proficiency with self care. Keeping the focus on themselves and avoiding the shame and guilt will enable them to sustain self care for the long term. Organizational cultures will almost always test saying no to things that don’t align with a person’s self care.

“Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health.” – Dalai Lama

Many people do things on autopilot and are often not mindful of their own actions. Some people can relate to driving home after a long day only to realize that they blocked out anything that happened while they were en route. This happens when they are in autopilot mode and it’s also a trigger to stop doing things that do not promote self care. There are many other examples of being on autopilot that can unfortunately also bring with them devastating consequences. The key is to do things mindfully.

Sustaining a long term lifestyle that is grounded in self care will bring with it countless benefits for the mind, body and spirit. The daily focus and discipline for the routine that ensures self care must be followed without a cheat day or day off in order to bring about the most beneficial outcomes.

The Dalai Lama shares his spiritual messages with others in an effort to inspire them to live a more mindful life; self care is rooted in mindfulness. The Dalai Lama’s messages and teachings are as applicable and impactful to a spiritual journey as they are to a career path. Self care is universal and everyone can be inspired to sustain their own daily routine to live with it.

Which one of the ways in which the Dalai Lama lives inspires you to be better? Let us know in the comments below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/3-ways-the-dalai-lama-inspires-radical-self-care-in-his-daily-routine/

How to Properly Manage Your Time So You Can Fit More Into Your Day

Time is the only actual resource that matters. Yet, as with the majority of things that people should take care of, most of us run short on time. No matter if you’re a busy entrepreneur trying to get your business tasks organized, programmist who’s working 9-to-5 and tries to get the most out of after-work time or even a university student who strives to harness his schedule.

We all need to organize our work to get things done on time. Without planning, we get lost, which leads to further panicking over our helplessness.

Below, you’ll learn how to properly manage your schedule so you can fit more into your day and be efficient with your time:

Materialize it

First, you have to make it all visible regardless of if it’s creating to-do lists or writing down a simple tasks list. Studies show that you’re much more likely to finish the task when you write it down.

Begin with whatever comes to your mind such as: laundry, grocery shopping, a programming class, or reading a new book. Then, group tasks into appropriate categories. I prefer to use three time-wise categories and five sub-categories for each of the tasks.

The three time-wise categories are: Before work, during work and after work.

Of course, this approach assumes that you’re working 9-to-5 but let’s be honest, most of the people who struggle to organize their time are the people who work standard eight hours a day.

After you’re done with the above, proceed to the next five subcategories: Low-result, manager, creative and learning, fun and health and exercise.

Low-result tasks – Everything that needs to be done but would gladly be outsourced. Things like commuting, shopping, cleaning, etc. Strive to limit the number of low-result tasks to the bare minimum.

Manager tasks – Everything related to planning, organizing, sending, or responding to people. You’ll want to fill it with meetings, replying to emails, and browsing through the inbox.

Creative and learning tasks – All creative, so-called “new tasks” like writing an article or coding. It can be anything from trying to learn a new language as well as doing courses, attending webinars, and reading books.

Fun tasks – What I also tend to call social tasks. It can be anything from a date to going out with friends and watching movies. Treat this time as a moment to relax and – yes – actually have fun.

Health and exercise – Everything from running, gym, eating. Group here everything that directly corresponds to your physical state of being.

At this point, you might be asking “Is it necessary to do all of that listing and grouping?” It might seem like overkill or a futile task, but believe me, there is no reason to plan things out if you’re planning to lose. Always plan to win and put necessary work upfront.

“Make use of time, let not advantage slip.” – William Shakespeare

Materializing and grouping what you want to do is the first step to harness your schedule and get things done on time. The next step, shown below, is to put them in the right place and order:

Map it out

After you’re done with listing your tasks and grouping them into appropriate categories and subcategories, go ahead and proceed to map them out. Here, it’ll be handy to use a task-planning tool like Google Calendar. The main purpose of using such a solution is to get all of the tasks in one place, sorted, and well-arranged.

Also, you’ll get push and email notifications that will help you stay on track with everything you’ve planned. Let’s proceed to the doing part. Start from the top to the bottom, whereas the top is the beginning of the day and bottom is its end.

Grab your “before work” tasks and put them into certain timeframes. At first, it will be a guessing game as you may not know how long  your morning bathroom fun takes. The first week or even a month will be all about tweaking and adjusting your schedule until it will reach its final form.

Now, to visually get a hint of which tasks relate to which subcategory you have to color code them. If you’re using Google Calendar you can right click on a certain event and choose the color.

Of course, you can use any color pattern you want. Just remember which color relates to which category. To save time you can use my framework which goes as follows:

• Low-result – Tomato
• Manager – Tangerine
• Creative and learning – Basil
• Fun tasks – Lavender
• Health and exercise – Grape

No, I’m not making it up. All of the colors in Google Calendar are described as veggies, fruits, and herbs. Thanks to color coding you’ll see how much time you spend on particular tasks. Your goal will be to lower the amount of tomato-red and tangerine-orange. Strive to have a grape-violet time each day as well as the basil-green as the most frequent events.

When you’re done with before work tasks, go ahead and fill the calendar with during work and after work activities. Some of you won’t be able to map out the entire work time due to the character of your job. In such a case, don’t try to come up with imaginary tasks, just plan what you can. Put placeholders if you’re not sure and fill in the gaps when you know what you’re about to do.

Next, focus on what you’d like to do during your after-work time. Be realistic, but fill it with tasks that you’d really want to do. Use this time to read a new book you’ve wanted to read or to start the course that would accelerate your career.

“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year – and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!” – Tony Robbins

Adjust and upgrade

Equipped with a calendar full of color-coded events is just the beginning of the road to getting things done on time. Now that the hard part is done, you can focus on adjusting the calendar to your actual needs.

As time goes by, you’ll see how much time certain things take you, what can be optimized, and what can be outsourced. Use that feedback to optimize the way you spend your time and upgrade your calendar every week and every month.

Remember that the hardest thing is always to start. Most people avoid doing these two things: Planning their time and goals and taking care of their money.

People simply fear to look into how they actually spend their time and money while these are one of the most important aspects of their lives! Don’t be that guy who doesn’t know where his last three hours had vanished. Take care of your time and use it to achieve your dreams.

How do you make sure you’re managing your time correctly? Do you have any tips for not wasting time? Let us know in the comments below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/how-to-properly-manage-your-time-so-you-can-fit-more-into-your-day/

Why You Need to Push Yourself and Aim High in Everything You Do

You’ve heard of S.M.A.R.T goals, correct? In order not to set yourself up for failure, experts tell us we need to pick goals that are smart, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-oriented. This makes sense, of course. But here is the wrinkle— S.M.A.R.T goals were created as a managerial tool in organizations. On a personal level, easily achievable aspirations are demotivating. “Easy” doesn’t equal “fulfilling.” Often, it doesn’t even give you a temporary burst of happiness.

There is just something about working hard to achieve what you aim for and getting it. Oh, the high you feel. One of the most important (but perhaps somewhat neglected) ingredients for the successful completion of anything we set our minds on is what is known as the Pygmalion effect, or the power of positive expectations.

As the story from Greek mythology goes, a legendary sculptor from Cyprus—Pygmalion— carved a statue of the ideal woman. He worshiping his creation, and he ended up falling in love with her. Then, at a festival for Aphrodite—the Greek Goddess of Love, he prayed that she sends his way a wife exactly like the statue. The Goddess heard his prayers and instead—she brought the sculpture to life. Pygmalion and her lived happily ever after.

The moral of the story is this: Positive reinforcement can lead to favorable outcomes.

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” – Willie Nelson

Fast forward a few hundred centuries—to 1963, social psychologist Robert Rosenthal created a test where he told a group of student lab workers that certain rats in the lab were “maze bright” while others were “maze dull,” when in fact the rats were separated between the groups randomly.

The results confirmed the hypothesis of the test. The students subconsciously treated the smart rats differently. That is, they expected them to behave more intelligently, and guess what they did! They learned the mazes much faster than the “dull” rats.

Similar results were later done with school children. Rather amazingly, teachers’ higher expectations of some students (after being told they had exceptional potential for growth) made the students perform better on tests, when in fact, the test groups were formed at random.

The take-home idea here is this: Expectations can alter reality.

Let’s take this a bit further and on a personal level. Setting big goals and expecting of yourself to achieve them, can give you a much better chance of actually getting there. It’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy—by anticipating a certain positive or negative outcome, we may engage in behaviors to either improve or sabotage our chances to get there.

This idea runs contrary to what we’ve been often advised by gurus and such—to not set big goals as we increase our odds of failing. Hairy goals are scary when we think about them in the absolute. They’re even a bit stressful.

But at the same time, in order to do better, we need the scary and we need the discomfort. If all is great and rosy, then why change, right?

The moral of the story is this: You must aim high and set big Empire-state goals.

“Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.” – Brian Tracy

How you plan for achieving these is a different matter. This is where the common advice comes in—break The Goal into smaller ones—so small that you can’t say “No” to doing it. As in “taking a 5-minute walk, eat one apple a day, write one sentence”—depending on what you set out for yourself.

But here is another catch. Not every tall mountain you want to conquer should be out of reach. You need the tall ones and you need the medium ones too, just so that you can practice and move forward.

So, ideally, you want to have on your list a few Everests or K2s (number one and two highest mountains in the world). That is, the “I-must-be-crazy-dreaming-it’s-possible” kind of goals. But you must also keep some Muztagh Atas or Ismoil Somoni Peaks (number forty-nine and fifty highest mountain)—still challenging but S.M.A.R.T too.

And if something is too effortless, know that it’s not a proper goal. Find a better one. It goes down to this—when you go to the gym, do you want to have a great workout or just a good one? Do you think you will lose weight by having it easy or by breaking a sweat?

You must always remember: The magic happens when you push yourself.

In the end, remember that when you strive for high and you don’t get there, you are still in a good place. You have a better chance to get the closest alternative. Always remember how to be ready for the ups and downs that come with every success trajectory. It’s as simple as the saying: Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

How do you push yourself when you’re feeling down? Let us know how you get out of the slump. Comment below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/why-you-need-to-push-yourself-and-aim-high-in-everything-you-do/

How Mindfulness Can Improve Your Productivity in 3 Easy Steps

How many times a day do you look at your phone? How much would someone have to pay you to quit Facebook? Has your attention span increased over the last few years or has it decreased? Chances are, you probably looked at your phone less than 10 minutes ago, someone would have to pay you over $100 to quit Facebook right now, and your attention span has likely decreased over the last 2 years.

Today, we live in a world in which technology seems to have seeped into every nook and cranny of our lives. From the time we wake up in the morning to the time we go to bed at night, we’re very rarely more than 2 feet from our phones, and we regularly spend 5+ hours of screen time per day. We are constantly connected, and interconnected to our friends, families, bosses, and colleagues.

Online we can make friends with strangers, build successful businesses, even fall in love, all with a few swipes in the time it might have taken our ancestors to carry water from the nearest well back home for a cold bath. We live in a wonderfully connected and convenient world, and we have fallen in love with it.

But it comes at a cost. The amount of effort that it takes to switch off from Netflix, to turn away from Facebook, and to stop swiping on Tinder means that our ability to stay focused on any one task for longer than a short period of time has been severely diminished. Today, young adults are said to have attention spans slightly less than 7 seconds long, which is less than that of a goldfish!

“Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think.” – Buddha

That’s where mindfulness comes in. While mindfulness continues to carry many hippie and spiritual associations with Buddhism and meditation, it is quickly gaining mainstream acceptance as a practical way to reduce anxiety, develop self confidence, and even get better sleep. Apps like Headspace and Calm have done much to help promote this space as well.

In the spirit of being more productive in your day to day activities and reducing the amount of time you spend being distracted by things like streaming video and Facebook, here’s a 3-step mindfulness practice you can use to deepen your sense of focus. Like any form of exercise, repetition is the best way to see powerful results. A muscle won’t grow unless it is stretched and exerted. So, here we go.

This exercise can be done in 5, 10, or 15 minutes depending on how much free time you have. It should be done in a sitting position with your feet on the ground and your arms at your side or on your lap. You can close your eyes or leave them open, but most people find that by closing their eyes they’re much better able to concentrate.

Here is the 3 step mindfulness exercise you should start doing today:

1. Develop a clear intention

Define your intention in the moment. Consider what it is you want to accomplish from this exercise. What is the purpose of this activity? Do you have a task you need to be productive for? Is there something you’re putting off that you really should be doing but simply can’t? Consider these thoughts and then carefully choose a clear intention to focus on.

2. Focus on one thing, and one thing alone

This is a very hard request for people not used to focusing their minds very often. Choose what it is you will focus on and stick to it. Remember, this step is distinct from the “Intention” step because it requires focus, rather than intention. During the intention phase your mind may wander while you consider what your intention actually should be, but during the focus phase you must make a concerted effort to stay focused wholeheartedly on one specific thing. This is one of the hardest things to do in meditation and mindfulness, and will most definitely take practice before you get to a point where you can comfortably focus on one thing for more than a few minutes at a time.

“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

3. Practice sustained effort

As previously mentioned in step 2, focusing on one thing, and one thing alone, can be incredibly challenging. Your mind has been trained over the years to look for distractions. In fact, your primitive brain has become incredibly good at finding and focusing on distractions, as they may represent opportunities for an easy meal or existential threats to one’s safety.

Now, most distractions are opportunities to like someone’s instagram pic or threats of missing out on the latest Amazon flash sale. Seemingly important to our primitive brains, but not important in reality. In step 3, practice holding sustained effort on that one focus area for as long as possible, but don’t beat yourself up if your mind gets pulled in other directions. Just remember to take a step back and realize that that is what’s happening before you bring the mind back into focus.

If you develop this into a regular practice, you will soon notice your ability to concentrate on your tasks becoming easier. Projects will become more enjoyable and you will be more fulfilled in the work that you do. Let me know if this is working for you, and any tips you might have to share with others.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/how-mindfulness-can-improve-your-productivity-in-3-easy-steps/

Here’s How to Achieve the Success You So Desperately Crave

Have you ever wondered what separates successful and unsuccessful people? Many people say success is relative. It may mean one thing to you and something else to the next person. Getting a hold of what defines success for you is an important step toward achieving it. Nobody wants to go through life having not achieved anything they truly desired.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking about how to establish a business, level up in your current career or even build more effective relationships. The most important thing to note is that you are central to what you want to achieve. Success begins with you. You need to possess a sense of purpose, whether that’s in business or your personal life.

If you’re going to succeed in business or other aspects of your life, you have to be intentional. You need to set clear and concise goals. More importantly, you truly have to be committed to achieving them. Even if it means starting from nothing. I can remember just 4 years ago, I had to fight my way to success without a house, a job or income. I was so determined to succeed and feel my family no one could stop me from hitting my goals.

Time is our most valuable asset and life waits for no one. You have to match the desire to succeed with a proper use of your time. Make every moment count.

What Makes You Tick?

What are you passionate about? Knowing the answer to this question is a giant leap to success. It is your passion that gives you an adrenaline rush. It makes you feel so pumped-up and ready to achieve anything. Identifying and understanding your passion creates opportunities for you and others to benefit.

You can have a passion for real estate, investing, acting or sport. Your passion becomes the avenue to achieve that success you crave. Think Serena and tennis, Beethoven and music or Bill Gates and computers. Everyone, including you, possess an innate skill or passion to explore. It’s quite simple to be a success when you love what you do.

If you have many interests, learn your strongest point and give it your best. Also, interests can be developed. You can actively learn valuable lessons from things that interest you. No one was born perfect. Even the best entrepreneurs had to learn a few more skills. Don’t let society put you in a box or define who you are. Spend some time thinking about your passions. As an entrepreneur, you have to be willing to acquire knowledge and new skills.

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah

Start and Stay Positive

Often described as the hardest part for entrepreneurs, beginning takes a lot of courage. You’re never going to know until you try. And until you make an effort to begin, success will remain a pipe dream. Your intentions are just that until you put them in motion. In other words, get moving. While it’s okay to feel apprehensive, you can’t let fear of the unknown hold you back.

Nothing good comes easy. The business empires and flamboyant lifestyles you admire took a beating to get there. Failing is part of the process. You must view it as a learning curve; a fact of life. But in your race to success, you can’t just accept it, it’s only a brick wall. What do you do with brick walls? You either run through them or go around them. Begin your business with a positive mindset. Remember, the end justifies the means.

Get Out of the Mind Trap

It’s okay to think and dream big. What’s not okay is becoming a perpetual dreamer. You’d build finer castles than the Buckingham Palace. Only this time, it’s all in your head. Picture this scenario, you want that house, a car, that business and that firm. You can almost smell the paint and feel the lush lawns.

You imagine your kids playing with their toys and your buzzer blaring as more clients want you. The portfolio is stacking up. You love it all. The good life. Just when it’s getting so much better, you wake up. Again, it’s all in your head.

Nothing kills faster than a regret of what might have been. I got out of this trap, so can you. I refused to stay stuck on thoughts of having it big. I literally picked myself up, focused on a growth mindset and went all in. If you don’t want to keep wishing, ‘I just want to be successful’, double down and apply your dreams.

Work Extra Hard

You’ve probably heard the phrase that says, ‘hard work doesn’t kill’. If you’re looking to attain success in life and business, work hard. It’s that simple. Roll up your sleeves, grab a positive outlook and get to work. Embedded in every success story is a grueling experience of sweat and grind. You’d be amazed at the number of hours entrepreneurs put in to achieve that elusive dream. Success has many factors including opportunity and luck. Working hard is the best way to prepare for that one opportunity that can change your life.

Hardwork is the bedrock of success. There’s no other way I’d be able to hit over 40 real estate deals in my first year as a real estate agent. Neither would I have earned the rookie of the year award in a brand new city with no family, friends, or network. Develop a mindset for hard work and persevere through all the challenges. You need a thick skin and a huge disdain for negativity. Whether that’s from you, life situations or people.

“There is no subsitute for hard work.” – Thomas A. Edison

Consistency is Vital

Some people reach a level of success and stop growing. Like hardwork and perseverance, consistency reflects progress which can only lead to results. As an entrepreneur, you want to keep moving and achieving your business goals. If that takes a giant evolution, embrace it with both hands. Never stop growing or in most cases, looking to grow and expand.

Consistency involves habit and practice. You have to constantly aim to master what sets you apart from the competition. Sometimes our passion for what we love in life and business wear off. That’s not to say we hate it or want to give up. The fact is, we keep going not for the sake of it, but because more often than not, success is just a mile off.

Consistency means value. Value means you’re able to cater to more needs because people trust you to deliver. Again, you have to be committed to the cause. Whether that’s short-term or for the long run. Once you’ve nurtured this mindset, things will fall into place. As an investor and businessman, I’m still interested in habits that made me a success and branching out to other spheres of life keep me grounded and consistent.

Live, eat and breath success. Let everything you imagine spur you to greater heights and achievements. Don’t grab a chair to watch your life play out, take charge.

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/heres-how-to-achieve-the-success-you-so-desperately-crave/