“Try not to become a person of success,
but rather try to become a person of value.”
–Albert Einstein
Chase significance rather than success by adding value to others. Here are 7 ways how.
Tag: success
Success is about making small adjustments.
In 1983 Korean Airliner 007 took off from from New York City headed to Anchorage Alaska and then on to Seoul Korea. When the plane took off from Anchorage, there was an error of about 1 degree in the flight plan, and that 1 degree difference had a huge impact on that flight and the fate of the 269 people on board.
Have you been talking about what you are going to do, rather than just doing it?
Do you talk about getting in shape? Do you talk about saving money? Do you talk about finishing your degree? Do you talk about that book you are going to write?
If so, isn’t it time to stop talking and start taking action?
| Attitude check! Your attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference. |
I don’t think anything has ever been written that better describes the importance of attitude than these words from Chuck Swindoll.
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
Mental toughness is something often talked about in sports. If an athlete wants to be successful he must master the mental game as much as the physical game. The mentally weak may have some success, but it will not last. Lasting success only comes to those who have a high level of mental toughness.
This is true in sports and in life.
2016 is only a few days away!
Have you written down your goals for the coming year?
Don’t just make a “new year’s resolution”, but take some time to write down your goals for 2016. Mark McCormack tells of a study in which 3% of Harvard MBA’s made 10 times the amount of money of the other 97%. What did the 3% have in common? They wrote down their goals!
Make sure you write down your goals this year. Take some time to get clear on what it is you want. Too many people focus on what they don’t want, rather than spending their time and energy on what they DO want.
What do you want this year? What do you want in your business? In your family? In your personal life? In your health? Determine what it is you want, and then wake up every day in 2016 going for it!
Many people short change their success because they simply don’t have clarity on what they truly want.
When you look back on 2015 you will probably find you had some wins and you had some losses. Reflecting on the good and the bad of the previous year can help you determine where you are, and where you want to go. In one year from today, when you reflect back on 2016, what will you have done that will have made 2016 your best year yet?
Determine what you want, and how you will get there.
Make this the year you dream more, you do more, you become more!
Success doesn’t happen by accident. 2016 won’t be your best year unless you determine to make it so.
This is YOUR year!
#newyear #goals #finish #decide #thisisyouryear #bestyearyet
How cool would it be if I told you I was going to give you $86,400? And you could do whatever you wanted to do with it. And then the next day you’re going to get another $86,400, and each day after that as well. And you could use that money however you wanted. You could blow it, you could save it, you could use it for yourself, or you could use it on others; you could use it however you wanted, no strings attached!
Well, as nice as that would be, you’re not going to get $86,400. But you are going to get something even better. Every day you are given 86,400 seconds! And you get to decide how you will spend it. You can waste it, you can invest it, use it on yourself, or on others. We are all given the same amount of time, 86,400 seconds every day. It’s up to you as to how you spend that time.
Today, think about what you are doing with your time. Are you spending it wisely? Are you investing your time for a bigger payoff down the road or do you end up having regrets about time you have wasted?
Make the most out of every day by being purposeful about what you do, and how you do it. Each day is a gift and we don’t know when a day will be our last day, so seize the day and seize every opportunity!
Be intentional about your success. Structure your life around the things that really matter. Using your time wisely means you are focusing on the things that will give you the biggest payoff down the road.
You get 86,400 seconds each day to use however you want. You get to choose what you do with this gift. Choose wisely!
-Gary
How do you define success?
When I was in college I began my life long journey of studying great leaders and winners in life. As a young, aspiring basketball coach, one of the people I spent a lot of time studying was the great former UCLA basketball coach, John R. Wooden. I read his books many times over, “They Call Me Coach”, and “Practical Modern Basketball”. Both made a profound impact on me as I read about his work ethic, his principles he lived by, including the the 7 point creed his dad gave him which he kept in his wallet:
- Be true to yourself
- Make each day your masterpiece
- Help others
- Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible
- Make friendship a fine art
- Build a shelter against a rainy day
- Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day
I had a few personal conversations with Coach Wooden before he passed away, and each time I was around him, I understood why he was such a great man; someone who lived out what I read about in his books. One of the first times I met him was when I was in my early 20’s and just starting out as a coach. I was with about 20 other coaches in a room on the campus of UCLA for for a Q & A session. At the time, Dennis Rodman was often in the news for his antics in the NBA, and I raised my hand and asked coach, “How would you handle a player like Dennis Rodman?” He immediately looked right at me, pointed his finger and said, “Young man, you handle things; you work with people.” I’ll never forget how he went on to explain how you work together with people to achieve a common goal.
The thing that has always stood out to me the most, however, was his definition of success. He felt it was extremely important to know what success looks like. Is it always the final score of a game that determines success or failure? I have adopted Coach Wooden’s definition of success as my own:
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your absolute best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
This is success. Giving your absolute best! How many times do we want success in some area such as our job, our marriage, our family, our time-management, our finances…yet we don’t truly give our best effort to become the best we are capable of becoming in those areas.
The final outcome doesn’t always determine success or failure; knowing you gave your best does. It is the one thing you can control. When you give your best, that’s really all you can do; there is simply nothing more you can do than this, because if there was then it wasn’t your best in the first place.
Coach designed the “pyramid of success”, originally for his high school English class that he taught, so they would understand success and have something to shoot for. It as since been broken down, analyzed, and talked about by coaches and leaders all over the world. Of course, I have it posted in my own classroom, and give out to my players from time to time to help them understand what true success is.
What is YOUR definition of success? And most importantly are you living by it every single day?
I hope that you give your best today! Don’t be phased by the outcome when it’s not favorable. Pick yourself up, figure out your next move, and get more determined, not more discouraged! You were definitely meant for greatness, so give it everything you’ve got to get there!
Here’s to your success!
-Gary
Do you ever feel like giving up? Remember, some of the most successful people had failure, depression, and rejection. They felt like giving up….but they didn’t!
I don’t want you to give up either!
Author J.K. Rowling had just gotten a divorce, was on welfare, clinically depressed and contemplating suicide when she wrote the manuscript for her first Harry Potter book. She couldn’t afford a computer so she manually typed out each manuscript she sent to publishers. She was rejected dozens of times, until finally a small publisher in London gave her a chance. She didn’t give up!
Stephen Spielberg was rejected from the University of California School of Theater and Television three times! He finally got accepted at another location, but then dropped out to become a director. 35 years after starting his degree he returned to school to finally complete his work and earn his degree. He never gave up!
Oprah was fired and told she was unfit for TV. She didn’t let that stop her, and she never gave up!
Walt Disney was fired from the newspaper he worked for, because he “lacked imagination”. He didn’t listen and he did not give up!
The Beatles were rejected by Decca Recording studios who said they “didn’t like their sound and they would never have a future in show business”. They just kept on playing and they never gave up!
20th Century Fox fired Marilyn Monroe after one year because her producer told her she wasn’t pretty or talented enough to be an actress. She didn’t give up!
Thomas Edison failed over 1000 times at inventing the light bulb. He said, “I haven’t failed. I have discovered 1000 ways the light bulb won’t work!”
Each of these individuals have something in common! THEY DIDN’T GIVE UP! They had a dream, they had a vision, and they were not going to let anyone or anything stop them from reaching their dreams!
Let that be true with you as well! You have a dream. You have a vision of what you want, and goals you want to reach.
When you’re tired, when you’re facing major obstacles, don’t give up. When you lack resources, don’t give up. When you’ve got bills to pay, mouths to feed, and your feeling like you’re not going to make it, don’t give up! When you’re told you’ll never succeed, you’re not good enough, don’t give up!
Keep fighting and keep believing! Your breakthrough may be just around the corner.
So, whatever you do, don’t ever, ever, ever give up!!
Your friend,
Gary