Back Don't let being good stand in the way of being great!
JUST as there are certain laws that govern nature, there are laws that govern performance and achievement, writes T. J. Hoisington in If You Think You Can! from Anthem (www.manjulindia.com). The book speaks of 13 laws that high achievers know.
It is easy to find reasons why things won't work, acknowledges the author. "The entire world is full of rationales as to why you can't be great. Achievers, however, find the reasons why things will work... There's a time when you need to tune out the critics."
Do you know the 18/40/60 rule of Dr Daniel Amen? "When you are 18, you worry about what others are thinking of you; when you are 40 you don't give a darn what others think of you; when you are 60 you realise that nobody has been thinking of you at all."
Belief in yourself is `the embryo of possibility', according to the author. He exhorts you to realise that limiting factors are not external but "your negative thoughts, comfort zones, self-defeating habits, poor strategies, blame lists, or even your failure to continuously educate yourself and grow". Age is not a prerequisite for success, he declares.
Law 1 is `the power of decisions'. Unfortunately, we don't always recognise the impact of our decisions, rues TJ. "Most of the time, the effect doesn't reveal itself until months or even years down the road. In fact, we all make decisions that at times seem inconsequential, yet have far-reaching outcomes."
Start, therefore, right now by making a decision to stop defending your habits, urges TJ. "When a true decision is made, you cut yourself off from all other options except those to which you are committed." Don't wallow in indecision because "any decision is better than no decision". Achievers too may not always make perfect decisions; they know it, and they also know "they can grow from the wrong ones".
The second law is demand the best from yourself. "It is easier to lower your standards than it is to raise them. It is easier to go along with the masses than it is to separate yourself from them. My advice is that whenever there is doubt between the easier path and the one that requires you to stretch, get in the habit of stretching," advises TJ.
The next law is to take the time to work on you, because "if you want more, then you must become more". The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement! Be-Do-Have, and not Have-Do-Be, writes TJ on why it is wrong to want interest before making the investment. Take also time to think. "Most people don't develop talents that come easy to them. The easier it is to be good at something the harder it is to be great. Don't let being good stand in the way of being great!"
Law #4 reads `Master your thinking'. That `can't never could,' is a valuable insight that the author shares. "Using the word `can't', or any other negative phrase, systematically shuts off any possibility to succeed... Our low performance cycles around, confirming and stimulating our self-talk. It is an endless loop of reinforcing behaviour."
A trick that TJ suggests is to recognise destructive thinking as it arises and then cut off its nourishment! "If negative or self-defeating thoughts persist, then evaluate their accuracy. Start looking for evidence that will make the negative thought inaccurate. Often our negative thoughts are unsupported in reality."
The fifth law is a simple question, "What do you want?" because most people are, as Zig Ziglar calls, `wandering generalities'.
Achievers know exactly what they want and consistently move toward it, notes TJ. "If you are unclear about what you want out of life, then even if opportunities arise, they will simply go unnoticed. You will unknowingly filter them out."
A common pitfall is `analysis-paralysis' — that is, spending so much energy worrying about `how' to do something. The preoccupation becomes overwhelming and ultimately you'd decide not to go after the goal.
Instead, know that "once you decide what you want and why you want something, the `how' will make itself known at the appropriate time," as TJ assures.
There are eight more laws, which I'm sure you know where to look for, if you've decided what you want!
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