How to Develop Your Strengths

2021-07-25 ~ adminlife

Everyone has unique talents and strengths, but whether we’ve discovered and actively developed them is the real question! Maybe we’ve been told that we’re good at something, but we let our skills go untapped while we wait for the confidence and courage to take action.

There are even some people whose self-esteem is suffering to the point that they truly believe they don’t possess any talents at all! If this is you, please believe that your talents are there, just waiting to be revealed to you!

These tried and true strategies will help you develop your strengths to their full potential:

Perhaps you think that you’re strong in one area, but you aren’t completely sure. This is where you need to look into things that interest you or that you believe you might be good at. See what resources are available and what it would take to make the commitment to strengthen your strengths.

Patience. Developing your strengths to their full potential won’t occur overnight. To fully develop a talent, you must be patient. Patience is not easy and many of us tend to struggle with it. But if you can be patient, you’ll definitely reap the benefits at the end of the process.

- A useful way to think of developing your talents is to consider it as a journey. It may take a while, but you’ll learn a lot along the way.
- You’ll make mistakes and celebrate milestones, and by the time you’re done, your strength will be fully developed to the peak of your abilities.

Set goals. People are more successful when they set goals. Write down what you’d like to accomplish and what date you’d like to achieve this by. Remember to be realistic and review your goals frequently to keep yourself on track.

- Post your goals in places where you’ll see them throughout the day. The refrigerator, bathroom mirror, and your computer monitor are a few ideas. This will not only keep you on track, but it’ll also motivate you to reach these goals as quickly as possible.

Believe you can do it. Confidence can be one of your greatest strengths and assets. When trying to improve yourself in any capacity, if you truly believe that you’re able to accomplish anything, you’ve won half the battle.

- The battle with your mind is often greater than any challenge you face in reality.
- You may have tough days when you’re unsure of yourself, but as long as you get back on track quickly, you’ll build momentum. Remember, you can do this!

Final Thoughts on Developing Your Strengths

Strengthening your strengths may be a daunting and overwhelming journey at times. And, yes, it will take some work. But everything worth anything involves hard work!

It’s important to focus on the big picture and remember the rewards you’ll enjoy once this process is over. Also, ensure that you have the unwavering belief that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. By possessing these two attributes, you’ll be on the road to success in no time!

Book a 15-minute “Get to know you” call by clicking on the blue button below

and we can talk about how you can develop your existing strengths to be more successful

To your success

Michael

P.S. if you have always thought that you should have a Life Coach on your personal team to help you create the best year of your life but were put off by the cost and the time requirement, I have created a Self-paced course that covers what we would do when working together.

While not the same as working one-on-one with a Life Coach, this self-paced course can help you to understand your present situation, how you got there and how to set goals that will move you forwards to success.

Click on the logo below to find out more about the course

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

Discipline: A Simple Plan for Cultivating a Crucial Habit

2021-07-11 ~ adminlife

We all want more discipline than we have. Discipline requires dealing with discomfort, which is something we all instinctively avoid. However, all the amazing things you want to have and achieve will require at least a little discipline.

Without discipline, luck is your only other option. Luck is great when it happens, but it is a poor strategy. Discipline is a tremendous advantage to have.

Use these techniques to create the life you desire with discipline:

Practice dealing with discomfort. Discipline is uncomfortable because you’re either doing something that you don’t want to do right now or you’re avoiding doing something that you want to do right now. Neither one is as enjoyable in the moment as following your impulses.
- When you feel discomfort, notice where you feel it in your body. Describe it to yourself. What does it feel like? Continue objectively observing it until it goes away. It will go away.
Examine your excuses. What are the excuses you give yourself for eating that ice cream, staying up late, skipping the gym, or not getting your work done? How do you justify your lack of discipline?
Choose your goal wisely. A highly meaningful goal is much more motivating than one you feel lukewarm about. You’ll do more and endure more to achieve a goal that means a lot to you. Life is too short to spend your time on anything less than goals that are spectacular to you.
Do it every day. Practice discipline each and every day. You can make yourself stare at the wall for 10 minutes. Make yourself sit up straight at work. See if you can actually work for 30 minutes without checking your email or phone.
- There are plenty of opportunities to build your discipline muscles!
Reward your successes. When you successfully show a new level of discipline, give yourself a reward that doesn’t break the bank.
Do it earlier in the day. Discipline tends to be higher in the morning. Use that to your advantage if possible.
Have a plan for when you falter. What will you do when you start to slip? What is your plan when you have the urge to order a pizza, call your ex, or buy something you know you shouldn’t?
- Will you call someone?
- Go for a run?
- Eat a carrot?
- Take a nap?
- Listen to your favourite song?
- What are you going to do?
Slow progress is acceptable. A little progress each day is more than enough. Big changes rarely stick unless life and limb are at risk. Be thrilled with making consistent slow progress.
Focus on the action rather than the desired outcome. If you want to lose weight, the scale matters. However, it’s even more important to follow your diet day in and day out. It’s more important to keep saving part of your paycheck than to have a specific bank balance.
- Keep doing the right things and the results are guaranteed.

We admire those people with high levels of discipline. We often associate discipline with elite soldiers or Buddhist monks, but most people can train to have just as much discipline as either of these groups. Remember that discipline simply means choosing the future you desire over the thing you desire in this moment.

Your level of discipline impacts the quality of your future. Are you willing to give up meaningless short-term pleasures for a great future? If so, you can have the future you desire.

A lack of discipline may mean that you have beliefs that are holding you back. These beliefs may limit your success by stopping you from achieving your goals.

Book a 15-minute “Get to know you” call by clicking on the blue button below

and we can talk about your limiting beliefs and habits and how you can change them to be more successful.

To your success

Michael

Click on the logo below to find out more about the course

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Set A Life-Changing Goal

2021-06-06 ~ adminlife

If we sit down and think about it, most of us have goals. The problem is, they are often undefined thoughts just sitting in our subconscious. In reality, these are more daydreams than goals. If you are ready to actually set a goal that can change your life, then follow these tips:

Figure Out What You Want to Change

If you could change one aspect of your life, what would it be? Would you focus on your career, family or health? It doesn’t matter what you choose, you simply need to figure out what area of your life you need to change.

Know Why You Want to Change

Why do you want to change that area of your life? Think about this …a lot. This is essentially your motivation. Take some time to brainstorm all the benefits of changing this area of your life. Go back to the list often, especially when motivation starts to wane.

Dare to Dream Big

SMART goals are important. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals should make up the majority of our goals. That said, don’t fear dreaming big. Sometimes it takes a big goal to really motivate us. What may seem unrealistic now, might not be as far out of your reach as you think.

Write Your Goal Down

Keeping your goal in your head, is only worth the paper it is printed on. You can’t set proper goals without writing them down. Simply writing your goals down will differentiate you from the vast majority of people. Choose your goal and write it down. It is simple as that.

Break Your Goal Down into Smaller Goals

If you took the above advice, you dared to dream big. That has probably left you with a big goal that may overwhelm you. The best way to deal with this is to break this larger goal down into smaller, more achievable goals. These smaller goals can be considered your action plan.

Set Deadlines

Every goal you set should have a deadline. You don’t need to be cutthroat here, but you should be aggressive. If you struggle with hitting deadlines, then consider building in a reward system. If you meet a goal by the deadline, reward yourself in some way.

Take Action

At the end of the day, achieving your goals comes down to you. Are you ready to not only set goals, but take action upon them? Taking action is the only way you will ever achieve a goal. If you are struggling on where to start, choose the easiest task and start there

Reflect and Adjust

There is real value in taking time to reflect on your goals. Setting goals should be considered a fluid undertaking. Every once in a while you need to stop and think about what is working, and what isn’t working. You also need to check in with yourself to see if your wants/needs are still the same. Taking some time to reflect on your goals, and adjusting where needed will make sure you stay on course

Don’t Stop

Did you reach your goal? Perhaps, you reached an obstacle or impasse? Whatever the case – you keep going. Once you reach a goal, you set another one! If you get stuck on your goals, you either deal with the obstacle, or you move on to a new one. You can’t change your life overnight, it takes persistence and dedication.

Goals are important if you want to be successful in your life, but setting the right goal is important. If you set the wrong goal as your Primary Life Goal, you could spend time pursuing a goal that really doesn’t matter that much right now.

Book a 15-minute “Get to know you” call by clicking on the blue button belowAnd we can discuss how you can set your Primary Life Goal and develop the plan on how you can achieve it.

To your success

Michael

P.S. if you have always thought that you should have a Life Coach on your personal team to help you create the best year of your life but were put off by the cost and the time requirement, I have created a Self-paced course that covers what we would do when working together.

Click on the logo below to find out more about the course

Image by kirillslov from Pixabay

4 Powerful Ways to Imagine Your Success into Reality

2021-05-30 ~ adminlife

Everyone has big dreams. Everyone wants to be successful. Maybe you see yourself making an Oscars acceptance speech or winning the Nobel Prize. Perhaps you want to be a successful entrepreneur or an elite athlete.

Whether you want to be winning an Olympic medal or making your first million, you can use the power of visualization to make your dreams of success a reality.

Picture Yourself Winning

Just wanting to be successful isn’t enough. You have to be able to taste your success. Picture yourself being offered that promotion, being congratulated by friends and family, seeing your new business cards.

Make your success as real and detailed as you can. How good does it feel?

Find Your Trigger

Finding your own personal success trigger can be a powerful way to keep the momentum going and your energy high. Write down your big goal, whether it’s winning an Oscar or scholarship, or running your own business. Make it a positive statement that is straightforward and concise. For example, “I will be promoted to Vice President next year.”

Look at your trigger statement every day. Maybe make it your computer wallpaper or your smartphone’s lock screen. When Jim Carrey was a young actor trying to make it big, he famously wrote himself a $10million check dated far into the future. When that day came, he was offered $10million for his role in Dumb and Dumber.

Remember that story when you see your trigger statement and think of how good it will feel to achieve your goal.

Create A Vision Board

Vision boards help to make your dreams concrete. You can use pictures, photos, affirmations, and quotes to create a picture of the life you want.

A vision board can be a poster, a Pinterest board, a whiteboard, or a journal. Make you sure you keep your vision board where you can see it every day and add to it when you need to or when you find a new photo or quote that really speaks to you.

Feed Your Dream

You can make your visualization even more potent by nourishing it with positivity. Don’t put all the good feelings in the future but feed your dream with happy memories. Think of times when you felt happy, successful, and content with your life.

These positive images reinforce to your mind that you have already proven you can have a happy, fulfilled life. Keep negativity at bay by reminding yourself that you have done it, you are doing it, you can do it!

Finding success involves keeping your mind positive that your goals are achievable. If you set your goals properly, this will be less of an issue. There is still the possibility that you may be less than successful because you really can’t picture your success vividly.

When you set S.M.A.R.T. goals, and use visualization, success is almost guaranteed.

Book a 15-minute “Get to know you” call by clicking the blue button below

and we can start the process of setting your goals and moving you towards the best year of your life.

To your success

Michael

Photo by Erin Song on Unsplash

Behaviour vs. Outcome-Based Goals

2021-05-02 ~ adminlife

We all know that goal-oriented people are more successful, happier, and more productive. But setting and keeping goals is a skill, and like any skill, there’s a right way to do it. One thing you might find helpful is separating your goals into behaviour-based and outcome-based models. There are a few differences between the two, and knowing which is which can be key.

Behaviour-Based Goals

Behaviour-based goals are typically changes you make to how you act. For instance, handling stress better, being nicer to others, and spending less time procrastinating are all examples of behaviour-based goals. They focus on how you personally feel and behave, rather than just looking purely at the outcome of your actions.

Behaviour-based goals play into outcome-based goals, but they aren’t the same. When you change how you think and feel, often you’ll notice a change in results. But that’s not the focus, it’s just a pleasant side-effect.

In order to make behaviour-based goals, you’ll need to reflect on how you feel when you’re completing a certain task. Do you get snippy with coworkers in the mornings, or feel tired when you’re trying to meet a deadline? Focusing on the way you feel when you aren’t performing well, then making a concrete effort to change can help to make you more pleasant and productive.

Outcome-Based Goals

Outcome-based goals are changes you make to your performance. For instance, answering your emails faster, reducing the number of errors you make, and getting projects done on time are all outcome-based goals. They focus on the outcome of your actions, rather than how you feel about performing your tasks.

Outcome-based goals tend to be easier to quantify. You can count the number of emails you respond to before lunch, and you can keep track of the amount of time you spend on a certain project. For this reason, most people focus on making outcome-based goals. After all, your progress is so much simpler to quantify.

Making Them Work Together

The real key to success is melding behaviour-based goals with outcome-based goals. Often you can get to the root of a problem by changing your behaviour, and then watch as your outcomes change. Sometimes it’s hard to separate the two, and that’s okay. Just don’t lose sight of the fact that your performance is a mix of both. Having the right mindset is just as important as working hard if you want to succeed.

Goals need to be set and you have to believe fully in them. Whether they are behaviour based or outcome based, you can’t achieve them if you don’t believe in them.

Book a 15-minute “Get to know you” call now

and start discussing what goals you want to set and how to set goals them as well as other areas of success.

To your success

Michael

Photo by Ronnie Overgoor on Unsplash