Getting Our Head Right
A lot of this website is devoted to the mechanics of setting and achieving goals. Things like selecting the right goal, being clear and specific about what your goal is and why you want to achieve it, providing you with forms for writing a good plan, how to stay motivated, etc.
These are useful, important subjects which were, in my case at least, very beneficial to my progress and things that definitely needed to be learned and understood.
But there’s another aspect to achieving goals that I don’t think I’ve given enough attention. It involves the issue of what and how we think – having the right attitude, belief in key principles, understanding how expectations affect performance, achievement and success in general.
There’s plenty of evidence that how we think determines much of what we get in life, and plenty of great people throughout history who have confirmed it, yet not everyone fully understands and works at it. That’s why I’ve littered this site with quotes of famous, successful people, to illustrate that certain ideas are consistent to those who realize success:
-
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.” – William James (1842 – 1910)
“Our life is what our thoughts make it.” – Marcus Aurelius Antonius (121 AD – 180 AD)
“They can conquer who believe they can.” Virgil (70 BC – 19 BC)
“High expectations are the key to everything.” – Sam Walton (1918 – 1992)
““High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.” – Charles Kettering (1876 – 1958)
Most of the process of getting our head right is enbodied in the acronym HABE (Habits, Attitudes, Beliefs and Expectations), which I wrote about here.
This is also why I’m such a proponent of loading your mp3 player, car CD player, iPod, etc. with audio of people like Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Jack Canfield or Tony Robbins and listening to them regularly. These guys have devoted their lives to studying, understanding and teaching achievement (realizing achievement is getting whatever you want) and passing that wisdom along. Learning these principles makes the journey not only easier, but more enjoyable as well.
My listening is not limited to those people, but also anyone with bright, insightful ideas. Seth Godin is a great example. He’s a successful entrepreneur, Stanford MBA, etc, but he’s also just a damn smart guy. He has something to say that clarifies my view of life nearly every day. Robin Sharma is another who has a create message; John Maxwell is another. Find someone who has a ‘voice’ you feel speaks to you.
Things like thinking right about persistence and focus.
Understanding, managing and using failure to move us closer to success.
Optimism, i.e. how important it is to our motivation to remain optimistic that continued effort will pay off.
Character. The idea that how we are, truly are, is far more important than reputation (how other people ‘think’ we are) and that strong character will enable you to hold yourself accountable, even though no one else knows what you’re holding yourself accountable to. Knowing you will do what is right whether someone is watching or not.
If the teachers I promote here don’t resonate with you that’s fine, but find someone who you have determined is a credible, knowledgeable teacher in the area you seek to conquer and get plugged into them.
Find great information, and listen to it as often as you can.
Time and effort invested in getting this kind of knowledge is huge, in my opinion. If we have the right attitudes and beliefs it seems our eventual success is virtually insured. Yet sometimes I’m afraid this kind of ‘soft skill’ emphasis might be viewed as less essential. In truth, I would say it’s quite essential. It seems successful people in all pursuits and walks of life have one thing in common – they think in ways that produce the results they want. It’s the same idea promoted by Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich”.
