6 Things To Do To Increase Your Success Rate

We humans (that means me included) often get stuck in a hamster wheel of habit. We do things that aren’t good for us, remain where we shouldn’t and put ourselves through voluntary suffering all in the name of comfort. We don’t know these things are damaging, because it’s normal to us.

Here are six things you should quit doing today, before it’s too late.

Quit Stopping – I’ve completed six half marathons (13.1 miles) over the past few years and each one has been an emotional experience for me.

They say that at the very moment you want to quit, you’re actually almost there. It’s the stupid human in us…we go so far and then our brains take over and tell us it’s too hard. When did we get the memo that life was supposed to be easy all the time?

Think right now about something you keep stopping. You committed to it, but then you suddenly quit because it started to require a little extra elbow grease. A project at work, a relationship, a fitness goal. Remember why you started it, then push onward. Because the more you stop and think about quitting, the longer it’ll take to get to your desired result. Or worse, you’ll never know what it feels like to reach the finish line.

Quit Saying Tomorrow – You know the saying, “Yesterday you said tomorrow?” Seriously, stop that! Delaying or procrastinating around something that you think is important means one of two things. You’re either scared to start because it means your life will change or you want it for the wrong reasons (i.e. someone else is encouraging you to do it).

So yes, that new healthy eating thing you want to do will be very difficult and possibly unpleasant. But every day you wait to start is another day you’re not helping yourself. And you keep telling yourself that you’ll wait until the kids are a certain age before you finish your degree, but is that really the main reason you’re waiting? Or is it because studying is not nearly as exciting as all the other options you have right now? And while you’re at it, why are you donating free money to the gym? They haven’t seen you in months.

Quit Being A Victim – When people tell me they’re doing something or making certain choices because they have “no choice,” it makes me want to bang my head on the table…and then put that on repeat. You have a choice in everything you do. Barring a few really crazy exceptions, no one holds your hand to the fire on anything. And if you’re choosing to remain in a place that isn’t positive, you’re victimizing yourself.

You are not so worthless that you have to keep dating that person. There are other places you could live. And it’s not your schedule that prevents you from being healthy.

Our social groups are great for complaining. We all discuss our problems with our friends and that’s ok. But there are limits. Everyone gets a few opportunities to complain about a particular hardship, but if you seek advice and respond with “but I can’t” (said in whiny voice) too many times, you officially become a victim. Eventually, you’ll have to ask yourself whether you even want to fix the problem.

Quit Saying Yes – Anytime we say yes to something, we’re saying no to something else. So when you say yes to a happy hour, you’re saying no to . When you say yes to a crappy review from your boss, you’re saying no to getting acknowledged for the great work that was overlooked. When you say yes to watching pointless reality TV shows, you’re saying no to doing the dishes. Or if you say yes to staying late at the office, you’re saying no to your relationship.

It could be you don’t need to entirely quit saying yes. You may just need to analyze when you’re saying yes and what you’re trading for it. You might find yourself saying yes to things you don’t even care about and no to things that could make your life better in some way.

Quit Expecting – I got an email the other night from someone looking for advice after reading this article. He told me that he’s been working for the same company for his entire career, rising through the ranks and loving it. But recently he realized he’s hit a wall – he’s had many reviews and each time he meets with management, they’re not giving him the promotion he knows he’s ready for. My question to him was, “Have you asked for it?”

It’s very rare for a company to proactively promote someone at a fast pace. Especially true in older organizations, if you expect your company to promote you when they feel you’re ready for it, you’ll be sitting around waiting for about 10 years to reach the next level.

Your boss is like your significant other. Don’t expect them to read your mind. They’ll only know what you need when you tell them. If you really have your heart set on something (like a promotion), you must be vocal about it. If you don’t speak up, you’re leaving the translation up to them. Expect at your own risk.

Quit Avoiding – Suck it up. We all have things we don’t want to do, but we have to do them because we’re adults. (Should I have started the paragraph with, “Dear Congress”?)

I once managed a team responsible for a corporate-wide project with a lot of moving pieces. There were some majorly miserable elements to that project and there were some really sexy parts (i.e. things you put on your resume) too. As I sat with my boss reviewing progress one day, she asked why I hadn’t finished one particular task (a task that couldn’t be delegated). I responded with, “It’s boring me!” Her response was, “Your point?”

Yeah, life doesn’t work that way. You can’t pluck the fun parts out and leave the tough parts on the table. You take all or none.

If we didn’t have to work hard to reach success, we wouldn’t appreciate it. If there’s something you’re putting off because it’s boring you, it’s hard, physically demanding or tiring…just get up and get it done. Quit avoiding it. There will be rewards along the way and there will be a great sense of accomplishment at the end.

Source: Forbes

Molly is a co-founder and Executive Producer of Haul Studios, the founder of GlassHeel.com and a freelance writer covering business, leadership and innovation. 

Lessons from Bill Gates

Bill Gates, Microsoft Founder and Philanthropist

When questioned about his incredible success, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, now turned Philanthropist with Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, offered these ten insights to anyone starting out and desiring success. They are worth considering:

1. Life isn't fair, get used to it;

2. The world doesn't care about your self-esteem; it expects you to accomplish something before feeling good about yourself;

3. You won't make $60k (about N9m) a year out of school, or be a vice president with a cell phone. You have to earn it!

4. Do you think your teachers/lecturers are tough? Wait till you have a boss; he is not tenured!

5. Flipping burgers isn't beneath you; your grandparents called it opportunity

6. Your parents weren't always boring; it came from feeding you, cleaning your clothes and paying your bills. So before you rush out to save the rain forest from the 'parasites' of your parents' generation, try delousing your own closet

7. Some schools may have abolished winners and losers, but life hasn't. They may have eradicated 'failing grades' and given you as long as you want to get the right answer. This bears no resemblance to reality;

8. Life isn't divided into semesters. You don't get summers off! Employers aren't interested in helping you 'finding yourself'; you do that on your own time!

9. Unlike television, real people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to work

10. Be nice to nerds; chances are, you'll end up working for one someday!

Think deep about how you want your life. Plan and prepare towards IT!
If you enjoyed this article, please share and comment below.

Take A Step

It's always frightening when we want to do something new; get a new job, start a business, join a group/community. There's no best way to avoid such circumstances in life, except we don't really want to move forward.
Accomplishing new things demands sacrifices. It demands patience in the planning process, endurance in the delivery process. But in the long run, we experience a fresh breath of satisfaction when the goal is met.
Look before you leap is a common saying in our world. But how much do we really practice this?
In the course of life, some leap before they look. While some look, look and look and never leap. Both courses are not good. The proverb must be practiced: look then leap.
For a child growing up, the parents will tell him/her when crossing the streets that look right, look left and then right before you cross the road. The same is applicable to taking practical steps in life's journey. The road needs to be crossed.
Everyday we are faced with choices to make; either voluntarily or involuntarily. There's no middle ground. Indecision is in itself a decision not to make a decision.
How are you sure that the decision you are about to make is a good one?
Simply calculate with all resources at your disposal; researching, planning, preparation,
interactions and then pray. There are no guarantees.
But a step forward is better than being stagnant. Pool water stinks over time, and that's why they are constantly piped out and re-filled.
Sit down, plan and take that positive step today!