How To Be A Top Achiever

10 Attitudes of Top Achievers 

If you believe/feel/think the same way as the top achievers believe/feel/think, you will begin to get the same results they do. Here are 10 psychological and practical ways to mirror the attitudes of top achiever, time to get to work and make any necessary changes needed:

1. Don’t see yourself as a “salesperson”, rather see yourself as a consultant. Believe/feel/think you are a problem-solver with regard to your product/service and how the client can best use it.

2. Become a doctor of relationships & consulting with your clients, customers and prospects. Act in the best interests of your “patients” and have a high code of ethics.

3. See yourself as the president of your own relationship “sales”/consulting corporation. Accept 100 percent responsibility for your results.

4. Commit yourself to being the best in your field. Dedicate yourself to lifelong learning. A little personal development every day goes a long way to making yourself better!

5. Be ambitious, hungry, and determined to use your business as a steppingstone to the success you want in life…do something different, GO ABOVE & BEYOND THE NORM!

6. Have integrity. Be honest with yourself and others.

7. Engage in thorough preparation prior to every call.

8. Be an excellent listener; be extremely client/customer/prospect-focused. If you build/cultivate a more personal relationship with them, they’ll tell you what they want/need.

9. Have tremendous courage. Be willing to face your fears of rejection and failure, and overcome them. Go for no; the more No’s you get the more Yes’s you’ll get as well!

10. Be highly persistent. Start your workday earlier, work harder, and stay longer.

To make these changes work for you consistently; you must walk, talk and behave consistently with them every hour of every day.

The Best Gift to Give Yourself and Others by Jim Rohn

I’m often asked the question, "How can I best help my children, spouse, family member, staff member, friend, etc., improve/change?" In fact, that might be the most frequently asked question I receive, "How can I help change someone else?"

My answer often comes as a surprise and here it is. The key to helping others is to help yourself first. In other words, the best contribution I can make to someone else is my own personal development. If I become 10 times wiser, 10 times stronger, think of what that will do for my adventure as a father... as a grandfather... as a business colleague.

The best gift I can give to you, really, is my ongoing personal development. Getting better, getting stronger, becoming wiser. I think parents should pick this valuable philosophy up. If the parents are okay, the kids have an excellent chance of being okay. Work on your personal development as parents—that’s the best gift you can give to your children.

If you have ever ridden in an airplane, then you might have noticed the oxygen compartment located above every seat. There are explicit instructions that say, "In case of an emergency, first secure your own oxygen mask and then if you have children with you secure their masks." Take care of yourself first... then assist your children. If we use that same philosophy throughout our whole parental life, it would be so valuable.

If I learn to create happiness for myself, my children now have an excellent chance to be happy. If I create a unique lifestyle for myself and my spouse, that will be a great example to serve my children.

Self-development enables you to serve, to be more valuable to those around you; for your child... your business... your colleague... your community... your church.

That’s why I teach development skills. If you keep refining all the parts of your character (yourself, your health, etc.) so that you become an attractive person to the marketplace, you’ll attract opportunity. Opportunity will then begin to seek you out. Your reputation will begin to precede you and people will want to do business with you. All of that possibility is created by working on the philosophy that success is something you attract by continually working on your own personal development.

3 Things to A Better Attitude

You know this is true...3 simple things to do to change your attitude and outlook on life!

I am extremely leery of any quick fix solution or overnight formula for success. In my opinion, they just don't exist. With that said, the following formula is one that I have shared with close friends and members of my family to encourage them to break through the rut they have been in and begin to experience success. Therefore, if I would share it with my family and close friends, I must believe in the principles. I suggested they begin to regularly do these three things:

1. Friends/Acquaintances: Surround themselves with positive people who believe this life is not all that there is. Even though this message goes out all over the world I know people don't all share the same faith in all cases. This message is not about my faith or your faith, it is about finding a group of of positive people and have a belief that there is more to life than what we can actually see...and I feel this is the the first step to a positive outlook on life!

2. Personal Fitness/Exercise: Yes, exercise weekly in order to stimulate endorphins and maintain an energetic life. Let's face it walking to the kitchen or curling 12 ounces does not count as exercise. It's easier than one would think; running 1 mile a couple of times a week and maybe 2-3 days a week of strength training. This is not difficult, but it does make a major difference in attitude.

3. Education/Reading: Educate through reading. Did you know the average CEO or business leader reads 4-5 books per month?  Did you know the average American reads 1 BOOK per year and 60% don't get past the first chapter?  Alarming to say the least!  Make a promise to yourself to read at least 1 book per month, whether it's 20-30 minutes a day in the morning or before you go to bed, just read anything because it does make a difference in your brain building and brain strengthening!

Regardless of what you decide to read, develop a passion for reading and learning, and you will see your attitude and outlook on life begin to change for the better. Any person who faithfully invested their time in these areas may not break world records in levels of success. However, everything in me believes they would see dramatic improvements and because I believe in these 3 things so much, I encourage my family to invest their time in these areas...DO IT, IT CAN'T HURT!

Are You Persevering? It Will Lead to Your Success!

Perseverance is not an issue of talent. It is not an issue of time. It is about finishing. Talent provides hope for accomplishment, but perseverance guarantees it.

Here is a great story on perseverance as written by Dr. John C. Maxwell:

Running Past Failure:

As a small child, Vonetta (Jeffrey) Flowers dreamed about being in the Olympics. She ran everywhere she went, and gained a reputation among her school friends for being quick. At age nine, Vonetta learned she had special talent. While trying out for an inner-city track club in her hometown of Birmingham, she shocked coaches by posting the best sprint time for Jonesboro Elementary School, running faster than boys two years older than she was!

Vonetta's immense talent carried her to the University of Alabama-Birmingham on a track-and-field scholarship. While at the university, she continued to pursue her goal of gaining a spot on the Olympic team. She practiced meticulously to perfect her stride, spent hours in the weight room adding strength, and ran grueling intervals to shave seconds off her sprint times. Thanks to her combination of talent and discipline, Vonetta ended her college career as a seven-time All-American, competing in the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints, long jump, triple jump, heptathlon, and relays.

With her college career finished, Vonetta set her sights on the 1996 Olympics. Unfortunately, she failed to qualify for the team, running slightly behind the leaders. The failure stung, but Vonetta was determined not to give up. She found a job as an assistant coach and continued her regimen of training.

For the next four years, Vonetta put her body through punishing workouts with an eye on the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In her words, "I devoted countless hours to lifting weights, eating right, and staying mentally tough. I knew that my time as an athlete was coming to an end, and I'd hoped that the 2000 Olympic trials would prove to be my year to finally find out what it's like to be an Olympian."

In June 2000, Vonetta lined up again to run at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Unfortunately, Vonetta placed 13th, and she failed to make the Olympic squad. Although one of the fastest women in America, she wasn't in the select group to represent the United States in Sydney. After 17 years of training, she had come up empty in her quest for the Olympics.

Two days after her second painful failure in the Olympic Trials, Vonetta's husband spotted an advertisement for tryouts for the United States Olympic bobsled team. He convinced her to go to the tryouts. Growing up in the South, Vonetta was not accustomed to cold and snow, and she knew next to nothing about bobsledding. However, at the tryouts her unusual blend of speed and strength proved to be ideal qualities for a brakewoman (the person who pushes the bobsled to give it initial momentum and then hops in with the driver). Vonetta was chosen for the team.

Vonetta's decision to join the bobsled team came with a price—two more years of a strict diet, sore muscles, and countless hours dedicated to attaining peak physical fitness. It also meant delaying her dream to be a mom. However, her years of perseverance paid off. Not only did Vonetta achieve her lifelong goal of competing in the Olympics, but she also became the first African-American to win a gold medal in the winter Olympics!

Perseverance punctuates talent:

 
Vonetta's talent seemed almost limitless, but it wouldn't have carried her to the Olympics without an admirable measure of perseverance. Life seems designed to make a person quit. For even the most talented individual, obstacles abound, and failures are commonplace. Only when a person matches talent with perseverance do opportunities become avenues of success.

Perseverance means succeeding because you are determined to, not destined to:

If Vonetta had seen her Olympic dream as a matter of destiny, then she likely would have given up after her second failure to make the track and field team. After 17 years of training, the results signaled that her dream wasn't meant to be. She had no natural reason to be hopeful about her prospects. However, she pressed on, determined to find a way to take hold of her goals, and in the end, she was rewarded with success.

Perseverance means stopping, not because you're tired, but because the task is done:

Perseverance doesn't come into play until a person is tired. A year or two after college, Vonetta still was riding the excitement of her collegiate track and field championships. She was young, energetic, and optimistic about the future. Nothing was telling her to stop, and consequently she needed nothing extra to keep going.

However, after a taste of disappointment at the Olympic Trials, fatigue and discouragement crept up on Vonetta. The mountain of work in front of her began to look more and more daunting, and her dream began to be a little harder to imagine. Nonetheless, Vonetta persevered. She kept believing, she kept training, and she kept running until she finally caught up with success.

Success Is Everything

Yea, I know it’s been over a month since my last blog post, so here goes; this is something I actually came across this morning and it is a GREAT one.  One that I feel it is terribly appropriate as we approach the end of the calendar year.  Now, before you read it…take a moment to ask yourself, have you done and are you doing everything you can to improve all phases of your life and become a success in those phases?  If not, why not?  Remember there are opportunities out there to assist you in achieving the success that you desire...don't let them pass you by, just GO DO IT!

 

By Jim Rohn

Someone once said to me that success isn't everything, and I think I know what they really meant. I believe they really meant that money wasn't everything, and I certainly agree with that. But I do believe that success IS everything.

First you need to succeed to survive. We must take the seasons and learn how to use them with the seed, the soil and the rain of opportunity to learn how to sustain ourselves and our family.

But then second is to then succeed to flourish in every part of your life. Good question to ask mature people: "If you could do better, should you?" And I think almost everybody would answer the question in the positive. If you could improve your health, shouldn't you do that? If you can learn more, shouldn't you do that? If you could earn more and share more, shouldn't you do that? If you can improve your relationships and spirituality, shouldn't you do that? And I think that is what success is really all about. It is not just a destination that is set for everybody to try and go for.

It is like Zig Ziglar said, "Improving in every area of your life to see if you can with satisfaction at the end of the day, week, month and year, say ‘I have made excellent progress this year, for myself, for my family, for my business, my career and my health.'" I think that kind of success everybody recognizes is legitimate and something we should all strive for.

Interesting phrase in the Bible that says strive for perfection—not that we can ever reach it. But it is in the striving, to be a little bit better today than yesterday, in our speech, our language, our health, everything we can possibility think of.

So yes, in my opinion, success is everything!

Harness Your Brainpower

How many times have you heard this short, yet, powerful statement? “Knowledge is power.”

Personally, I know I have heard it hundreds, OK maybe thousands of times. The first and many times thereafter from my father beginning at early age (can’t quite remember when exactly), so I guess he was on to something and I must thank him for it (I’m going to send him a thank you card right now just to let him know how much I appreciate him). Because, believe it or not I actually did indeed heed his advice and listened to what he had to say!

Funny how that is…now the realization didn’t happen over night because as we all know for the most part as teenagers we don’t want to listen to our parents; especially about educational, financial or philosophical stuff, at that age we are “all-knowing” and can’t be told anything. Moreover, over time I guess I matured (did I just say that?) and found that I do love to gain more and more knowledge each and every day, and started doing the things needed to make it happen. It all started with personal development…How about you? What are you doing to increase your knowledge?

With that in mind, I came across this provided by Harvey Mackay and it “hits the nail on the head”, much of which my father told me many years ago…so check it out!

Harness Your Brainpower - by Harvey Mackay

Knowledge is Power!

How much do you know about everything? How much do you know about a lot of things? Okay, how much do you know about a few things?

If these seem like odd questions, stop and ponder what you know versus what you don’t. Then consider how you would get along if you needed good information on topics that were outside your comfort zone.

As former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson said, “I not only use all the brains I have but all that I can borrow.”

I would add this: and all that I can buy, if necessary.

I rely on experts for all kinds of information. I preach the importance of building a network of experts before you need them so that they are there when you do. Whether it’s a surgeon, realtor, auto mechanic or a master salesperson, I want the best. And I will return the favor whenever I can, whether it’s business advice, a reference, or tickets to a sporting event, concert or the theatre.

But let me make this very clear: I also rely on my own instincts, because, eventually, it all comes back to me. I weigh the information I receive from others, and make the best judgment I can. For instance, I am the first to admit that most technology baffles me. But show me how a new gizmo can make my life easier, make my business more successful, save me time, or just add to my fun, and I’m sold. That’s why I use a BlackBerry.

I try to absorb and retain as much information from my experts as I can. You never know when it will come in handy, or when you will find another application for it.

Carl Ally, founder of Ally & Gargano, one of the 20th century’s most successful advertising agencies, had an interesting take on knowledge: “The creative person wants to be a know-it-all. He wants to know about all kinds of things: ancient history, nineteenth century mathematics, current manufacturing techniques, flower arranging and hog futures, because he never knows when these ideas might come together to form a new idea. It may happen six minutes later or six months or six years down the road. But he has faith that it will happen.”

All of us have the ability to gain more knowledge. The brain is amazing. While the old theory that we use only 10 percent of our brains has been widely debunked, there’s plenty of evidence that we can increase our brainpower, retention and focus. Plenty of books and websites offer all kinds of help. I’m not endorsing any specific method, but I would encourage you to check out ways to expand your horizons.

In the meantime, you can take some basic steps to improve your knowledge:

1. Read. Pick out books, newspapers, websites, encyclopedias, anything with information that teaches you something you didn’t already know. Play Trivial Pursuit or watch Jeopardy. Learn something new every day. In my opinion, there are no such things as useless facts. If it’s part of our world, it’s worth knowing. I will get on my soapbox here again: embrace lifelong learning.

2. Listen. Sounds simple enough, but it’s so easy to be distracted. Focus on the speaker. If you don’t hear it the first time, ask the person to repeat it. Make sure you understand what’s been said. You will be surprised what you can learn.

3. Pay attention to what’s happening around you. According to MENSA, the organization for people with high IQs, current research shows that at least 52 percent of our intelligence is based on our environment.

4. Exercise and eat healthy. What’s good for the body is also good for the brain. Another reason not to put off taking care of yourself!

5. Get some sleep. Our country is chronically sleep-deprived, which negatively affects our thought processes. So along with “beauty sleep,” go for the “smart sleep.”

You will soon learn that you are capable of more than you imagined. You will also learn to recognize your limitations. If you know that you don’t know something, or don’t know how to find an answer, you’ll know it’s time to ask for help. Tap into all the brains you need—they just might not all be housed in your head.

Mackay’s Moral: Sometimes being smart means recognizing when you’re not.

How to Gain the Upper Hand in Any Situation

Benjamin Franklin knew the value of preparation. “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail,” the influential author, inventor and Founding Father once said. Planning and preparation will give you a 10-times greater chance to achieve your goals. It will reduce wasted time and effort, while improving and maximizing results.

Here are four ways to out-prepare your competition:

1. Study: While others are filling their time with entertainment and escapism, superachievers are studying and improving their craft. Having more knowledge, data, background and intelligence will always give you the upper hand in any situation.

2. Develop: Develop the skills necessary to achieve excellence in your game. Brian Tracy explains that every skill you need to succeed is learnable. There is nothing you cannot learn and master to achieve anything you want in business and in life.

3. Practice: Sporting teams practice for games. Musicians practice for concerts. Busy professionals and entrepreneurs should practice the skills they need for success—public speaking, impactful writing and interpersonal communication. After all, practice makes perfect.

4. Play the Game in Your Head First: Before making a presentation, an important phone call or having an important meeting, play the event out in your head exactly as you want it to happen first. It is amazing how your posture, energy and expectation will change, and your performance will rise to meet it. Try it.

The Parable of Talents by Brian Tracy

The Parable of the Talents is the primary reason for wealth or poverty throughout history.

Reasons for Rich or Poor

Why do some people retire rich and most people retire poor?

This subject has fascinated philosophers, thinkers, mystics and teachers throughout the ages. There have been many cases of hundreds or thousands, and even millions, of men and women starting with nothing and going on to become financially independent. So, naturally, people are curious to know how their successes happened and what the common rules or principles are so that they, too, can apply them and become wealthy.

Why People Become Rich
One illustration of this key principle is called the Parable of the Talents. In the Bible, it says, "To him that hath, shall more be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away."

Accumulation Leads to More Accumulation
What does that mean? In the modern world, we say the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The fact is, though, people who accumulate money tend to accumulate more and more. People who don't accumulate money seem to lose even that little bit of money they have. Why should this happen? The great success principle, the single idea that explains human destiny is simple. It says that you become what you think about most of the time.

Control Your Thoughts
And whatever you dwell upon grows in your reality. You create your entire world based on the things you choose to think about and how you choose to think about them.

It just so happens that wealthy, successful people fill their minds with thoughts, words, pictures and images of wealth, affluence, success, productivity and solutions to problems in the marketplace most of the time. These thoughts trigger the reticular activating cortex, the part of the brain that makes you more alert and sensitive to things that you have decided are important to you.

Activate Your Reticular Cortex
For example, if you decide to invest in a mutual fund, you will start to see news and information about mutual funds everywhere. Mentions in newspapers and magazines will jump out at you. These notices have always been there, but now you have sensitized your brain to pick them up and draw them to your attention with far greater frequency and vividness. This is the function and power of your reticular cortex.

Avoid Poverty Thinking
On the other hand, what do poor people think about most of the time? Unfortunately, poor people fill their minds with thoughts of scarcity, lack, poverty and being unable to afford things. They are always thinking and talking about how little money they have, how much things cost and how they wish things could be better financially. What they think about most of the time is how little money they have.

Think Like Wealthy People Think
Wealthy people from an early age think about how much they have, how much they want and all the different things they can do to acquire and earn the money and things they desire.

Find Out How Rich People Think
Here's a rule for you. If you want to become successful, find out what failures do and don't do it. If you want to be wealthy, find out what poor people think about, and avoid thinking in those ways. Instead, find out how wealthy people think. Find out what they read. Find out how they spend their time. Study their lives, read their stories and autobiographies, and listen to their words when they are interviewed and on tape. The more you find out what financially successful people think and talk about most of the time, and then do the same things, the more rapidly you will enjoy the same rewards.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put this parable of the talents into action:

First, make a decision today that from now on you will think and talk only about the financial success that you desire. At the same time, you will refuse to talk about or dwell upon your financial problems.

Second, instead of saying, "I can't afford it," instead, ask the question, "How can I afford it?" When you think of something that you want or need but don't have the money for at the time, the only question you ask is, "How?" How can you get it? What can you do to achieve it? What are your options? How can you get from where you are to where you want to go? This type of attitude will change your life.

Whatever It Takes - Just Do It

The Keys to Unlocking a Can-Do Attitude

by Dr. John C. Maxwell

A faint but discernable dividing line separates achievers from dreamers. At first glance this line may be difficult to distinguish. You may be tricked into believing that talents, titles, or resources draw the line between the doers and dreamers. However, if you spent a significant length of time with a group of leaders, the line splitting the achievers from the dreamers would become crystal clear.

What makes the difference? Attitude: Achievers have a can-do attitude that sets them apart from mere dreamers. Achievers are sold out to success—no matter the obstacles—and they are willing to put forth the effort and pay the price of success.

In my days observing leaders, I have identified four main groups.

1. Cop-outs
 These people set no goals and make no decisions.

2. Holdouts 
 These people have beautiful dreams, but they are afraid to respond to challenges because they lack the self-confidence to overcome difficulties.

3. Dropouts 
 These individuals clearly define their goals, and, in the beginning, they work hard to make their dreams come true. However, when the going gets tough, they quit.

4. All-Outs 
 These are the stars. They want to shine out as an inspiration to others. Once all-outs have set their goals, they never quit. Even when the price gets high and the challenges mount, they're dedicated. Their can-do attitudes carry them to greatness.

Which of Those Are You?

Which of Those Do You Want To Be?

If You’re Not a “STAR”, Why Not?

It’s not too late to change if you don’t like where you are!!!

***Here Are 10 Keys to Cultivating a Can-Do Attitude***

Key #1: Disown Your Helplessness
 Can-do people aggressively pursue solutions, and in the process, uncover creative solutions others never even try to find. Can-do leaders take responsibility for the future, whereas lesser leaders blame circumstances or other people when facing roadblocks. Rather than wallowing in helplessness, can-do leaders search diligently to overcome the obstacles in front of them.

Key #2: Take the Bull by the Horns
 Can-do people are fearless. They go straight to the source of their solution. Their every effort commands attention as they wrestle a problem to the ground with expediency. I have discovered that people with a can-do attitude have an aggressiveness about them. They take the bull by the horns. When they enter into the arena of action, they don't wait, they initiate.

Key #3: Enter the No Whining Zone
 Can-do people abstain from complaining. They recognize its futility and guard their minds and mouths against indulging in this time-wasting activity. As George Washington Carver observed, "Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses."

Key #4: Put On Another's Pair of Shoes 
 Can-do people empathize with others. They attempt to see any predicament from the other person's perspective in order to make the best decisions. In my book Winning with People, one of the 25 People Principles is the Exchange Principle, which says that instead of putting others in their place, we must put ourselves in their place.

Leaders see the world from their perspective and others' perspectives. They use their own perspective to give direction, and they use others' perspectives to forge relational connection. Both direction and connection are indispensable to taking the team on a successful journey.

Key #5: Nurture Your Passion
 Can-do people are immune to burnout. They love what they do because they've learned how to fuel the fire that keeps them moving. In leadership, the prize is not given to the person who's the smartest, nor to the person with the advantages in resources and position, but to the person with passion.

Key #6: Walk the Second Mile
 Can-do people exceed expectations. While others settle for an acceptable solution, they aren't satisfied until they have achieved the unimagined. They set expectations for themselves higher than what is dictated by the people or situations around them.

Key #7: Quit Stewing and Start Doing
 Can-do people take action. While others are crippled by worry, fear, and anxiety, they have the fortitude to press forward. The perfect moment when all is safe and assured may never arrive, so why wait for it? Can-do leaders take risks.

Key #8: Go With the Flow
 Can-do people can adjust to change. They don't get caught griping about an unexpected curve in the road. They accept transition with an optimistic outlook. They realize it's less important what happens TO them, than it is what happens IN them.

Key #9: Follow Through to the End
 Can-do people not only initiate, they finish. They are self-starters with the capacity to close the deal.

Key #10: Expect a Return as a Result of Your Commitment
 If you make an all-out commitment with a can-do attitude, expect a return. Passionate commitment is contagious, and resources follow resolve. Committed leaders will reap rewards and find open doors as others are drawn to the excitement and energy emanating from them.

Are You On The Right Path…Going In The Direction You Want To Go?

OK, so you’ve created your Goals & Dreams and yet, you still don’t seem to be getting anywhere; now what?  Well, sometimes you need to take it to another level and reinvent YOU; in a way “starting over” and then staying the course to achieve.  We must keep in mind, although Goals & Dreams are the starting point and are DEFINITELY needed in our personal and business lives, we need to realize sometimes it does take more than just writing down your Goals & Dreams to get you rolling in the path or direction YOU want to go.


So now, it’s time to sit back and take a moment to actually take a look at yourself and your life, and to see if it’s TRULY going down the “right” track in the actual direction you want it to; Use these 3 steps to either get IT back on the “right” track or on a new track.

3 Steps to Reinvent Yourself & Your Life

 

1. Define Your Values 2. Know What Works

3. Get Out Of Your Own Way

1. Define your values: Get real about your values. You can say, ‘My family is really important to me,’ but if you’re traveling two weeks a month and working 60 or 70 hours a week…well, let's just say; actions speak louder than words. So get real! What truly are your priorities, and what would you like for your life?

2. Know what works: Figure out what works and what doesn’t. If something’s not working, don’t hold onto it. Find a way to do what you want to do by figuring out what strategy you need to employ to make it work. Always keep in mind a little personal development goes a long way!

3. Get out of your own way: We watch lots of people chase their own tail. They’re fearful, they make excuses, there’s a lot of ‘I can’t because….’ You have to go for it and believe in yourself. Remember sometimes a little sacrifice now pays big dividends later on. If you can’t do that, then stay where you’re at and be miserable, and if that's the case stop complaining about it because nobody wants to hear it.