Archive for February 6th, 2010

Success Strategies : The Right Way To Deal With Change

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

The issue with change is not so much what we think of it, but rather how we respond to it. In all honesty, there are probably few words that can throw up such a kaleidoscope of emotions and differing interpretations for us.

On the one hand, we find change exciting. We all wish our lives to be ‘different’ in some way, after all, no positive progress can be made without change. However, the word also holds some very negative connotations.

Synonyms for the word ‘changeable’ include: ‘volatile’, ‘uncertain’, ‘unstable, ‘unsettled’. All of those can make us feel ‘vunerable’, ‘unsure’ and / or ‘insecure’.

There is a small corner in all of us which likes to feel safe and secure and change is not compatible with that. However, once change has occurred, we very often call it ‘evolution’, ‘progress’, ‘expansion’, ‘growth’ or ‘advancement’, and this throws up a far more positive set of emotions.

Therefore, it seems that it is not change itself which scares us so much as the transition process - that step into the unknown. We like the stability of things as they are ‘now’. Now is somehow comforting because we know what to expect.

Perhaps it is not change that we fear so much as the loss of control that we associate with change. Change inherently carries an element of risk. Sometimes that perceived risk is so big that it keeps us where we are now despite our unhappiness with our current situation.

Then, there are times when we have probably all been guilty of change for change’s sake. We change the color of our hair, we change the layout of our bedroom, we may even change where we work.

I used to change jobs every 3 or 4 months, as I couldn’t find the ‘right job’ for me. At some level, I believed that when I found the ‘right job’ all of my unhappiness would go away. However, someone once pointed out to me that you can move to the moon if you want but everything that really matters would still be the same, because you are still taking ‘you’ with you.

Why? We do it to avoid making the changes that really matter in our lives. In reality, it may be our choice of career which is the cause of our unhappiness, but we will change our hair color ‘just to cheer ourselves up’, because that is an easy and manageable change for us to cope with.

Seeing as change is inevitable, why not embrace it? Use change as an opportunity to evaluate what your life, and to get yourself back on track and focused. Use it as your key to success. How else are we going to grow?

I will leave you with a quote by Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
—
This article was edited and distributed by Mark Walters on behalf of Mandy Swift, who was the original author. Learn More : Secrets Of Success

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Self Improvement | No Comments »

The Relationship Between Leadership And Success

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

In our business, we have 5 fundamental strategies for success that we call: ‘The 5 Pillars Of Success’. These principles act as a sort of daily ’success checklist’ by which we run the business.

One of those ‘Pillars Of Success’ is ‘The Expectation Of Leadership In Yourself And Others’. Think about that statement for a moment. Our entire life, in all the various roles in which we find ourselves, we expect, and demand, leadership from those around us.

Now I know that there are many different definitions of leadership. Let me take a moment here to define what I mean by leadership. To lead, as far as I’m concerned, is to be in service for others. Leadership means service.

Leadership calls for respect, and has nothing at all to do with ‘like’. It took me a while to realize that ‘respect’ has nothing to do with ‘like’ and, likewise, ‘leadership’ has nothing to do with ‘telling people how to do something’. It has everything to do with empowering them to do things for themselves.

Leadership starts with respecting ourselves enough to be of service to ourselves. We need to show up every day in our lives and in our businesses and give both the level of respect that they deserve. Quite simply, we can not help other people before we help ourselves.

As a child, we don’t so much expect, we naturally assume, that our parents will be our leaders. At school, we look to our teachers to be leaders. As adults, in every single one of our daily transactions, there is an expectation of leadership from one person or another.

We expect our manager to make the right decisions and lead the company to success. We expect the shop assistant to lead us through our purchasing decisions. We expect the bank clerk to lead us through our financial transactions.

Wed expect leadership in others literally every day. But what of the leadership we expect from ourselves? If we expect those around us to be in leadership for us, shouldn’t we be expecting leadership in ourselves also? Shouldn’t we be demanding that we are also a role model?

So, the next time you find yourself getting frustrated whilst standing in line at the bank, or cussing the traffic warden for leaving a ticket on your car, ask yourself this: Do you stand in leadership for yourself and others in every area of your life?

If you are fulfilling your duty as a leader, then congratulations, I have no doubts that your life and your business are thriving at the moment. But if not, before you point the finger of blame at somebody else, remember that that you are no better than them, and people you know are pointing at and blaming you.
—
This article was edited and distributed by Mark Walters on behalf of Mandy Swift, who was the original author. Next : Success Strategies

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Self Improvement | No Comments »

Success Strategies : Have You Got What It Takes To Be A ‘Plan A’ Person?

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Of the many secrets to success, being a ‘Plan A’ person is one of the most fundamental. So then, what is a ‘Plan A’ person, and how can you tell if you are being one in every area of your life?

First, let me define what a ‘Plan A’ person is. A friend of mine, and one of the best examples of a ‘Plan A’ person that I know, put it like this: “A ‘Plan A’ person is a person who’s plan B is that plan A works”. Simple, right? No ‘if’s’, no ‘buts’, and definitely no plan B. Plan A works. Full stop.

If you want to be a ‘Plan A’ person, then important lesson number 1 is to create a plan A for yourself. You need to spend some time making sure that it is a good one too, as remember that will be no plan B in place.

Important lesson number 2 is to never give up on plan A. Every now and then life throws up barriers, and when you come face to face with obstacles, some of life’s little stumbling blocks, you need to be resolute.

Only having one plan is really to your benefit here as, when you have more than one choice, you stop to consider your choices and ponder on the best route to take going forwards. When that happens, you take your eyes off the prize, make the wrong choice, and your original intentions become diluted at best, but more probably lost forever.

Important lesson number 3 is to never change your plan A. Remember, that if you change your plan A, then it becomes plan B, which are no longer allowed!

Now you know what being a ‘Plan A’ person involves. The question now is how to become a ‘Plan A’ person if you currently are not. How do you step up to the mark if you’re currently a Plan B, C, D or even E person?

As they say, success breeds success and, similarly, ‘Plan A’ people breed ‘Plan A’ people. The alphabet only goes up to Z, so I don’t even think there is even a proper term that describes me before I made the conscious decision to become a ‘Plan A’ person i.e I was a ‘Plan Z+’ person.

However, by making making friends, and doing business, with ‘Plan A’ people, it didn’t take me long to become one too. It really is as simple as emulating the successful people that you admire.

If I can do it, then so can you. You’ve already taken a big step in the right direction, you now just need to keep going in that direction. Do that, and the success that you’ve always dreamed of will soon be yours!
—
This article was edited and distributed by Mark Walters on behalf of Mandy Swift, who was the original author. More : Success Strategies

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Self Improvement | No Comments »