Your Strengths Start Out as Weaknesses

2018-06-252018-06-25 ~ adminlife

Do you ever look back on something you thought was difficult, only to now believe it’s easy? The point is, we don’t start out in life with strengths set in stone. We start with an empty slate. Many people have natural abilities to some degree, but they still need to improve their weaknesses. It just doesn’t take them as long as others.

When you look at your strengths as something that was a weakness, you can take comfort in knowing your current weaknesses will someday be strengths. Of course, this is if you want to turn them into strengths. There may be reasons why you don’t want to put in the effort. There are only 365 days in a year, after all. We have other situations happening in our lives that cause us to put certain things on the back burner.

You should ask yourself how important are some of your weaknesses? Are they preventing you from obtaining your goals? If not, then ask if improving them would be nice to do, but not necessary. You can still live your life without getting better with those weak areas.

For instance, maybe you love the game of softball and have joined a league. But, you don’t have much time to practice, other than the two days per week the team meets up for that purpose. You are not a good player but enjoy the game. If you could become a stronger player that would be wonderful, but it isn’t something that’s going to change your life much.

On the other hand, if not having a certain skill is preventing you from getting a promotion, and that is important to you (it’s not for everybody), then you may want to focus on getting better at that skill.

This is when you use the strengths-once-were-weaknesses mindset. It helps you to figure out what steps you need to take to improve the current stage of your weakness. It can help you to determine the time needed to get it done. You will also need to understand what it will take to improve the weaknesses so that you can accurately measure your success. That’s not always as straightforward as we would like.

Talk to people who already have accomplished what you are trying to do. Ask questions about what they did to overcome those weaknesses, and see if they have any resources for you to take advantage of. This can get you where you want to be much quicker than going it alone.

To your success

Michael W

P.S. If you are looking for a confidence program that can help you with your self development. Send me an email at michael@youaresuccesslifecoach.com to request a copy of my “Maximum Confidence Transformation Package”. Afterwards we can arrange a discovery telephone call to discuss the package and how you can benefit further from developing your confidence level.

Feature image used under CCO and available at https://pixabay.com/en/lion-majestic-felline-king-1209289/

Are Your Closest Relationships Supporting Your Personal Satisfaction?

2018-06-132018-06-17 ~ adminlife

Sometimes, we’re held back from achieving our goals by the people we least suspect: those closest to us. Although it might be hard to accept, the people you’re the most well acquainted with might be working against you, whether they realize it or not.

They act as obstacles, preventing you from doing the things you love or pursuing your dream job. They might say things that make you rethink the path you want to go down, or make you feel as if you won’t be good enough to make it to your goals – especially if you’re trying to launch a new career path for something like online entrepreneurial efforts.

However, it’s not always that clear. Your friends and family will have different ways of interfering with your personal satisfaction. Some might be very straightforward and blunt, telling you that your goals are unrealistic or that you’re not good enough to achieve them.

The most dangerous kind are the ones who disguise their blocking as an attempt to help you. They might tell you to not pursue your dreams in the name of job security or some other excuse.

They could try to steer you in another direction, assuring you it’s the best path for you. In reality, only you know what’s best for you. Even if your closest relationships are acting as obstacles, you can’t just cut out everyone who’s important in your life.

If you just started seeing someone and they wanted you to stop pursuing your dreams, then perhaps it’d be a good idea to stop seeing them. However, how could you cut out your own parents if they tried to steer you towards a different career?

You have to be able to set a certain boundary in which you consider their advice if they give it to you, and respectfully decline it if you don’t agree with it. However, if they began to insult your career choice or goals, then they would be crossing the boundary you set.

Once people cross your boundaries, you have to make the decision of whether or not you should keep them in your life or distance yourself from them. You should weigh their positive and negative benefits, and if they’re an overall drag on your happiness, there’s no reason to keep them around – at least not on a continual basis.

Let them know that they’re bringing you down, and you’re not going to associate with them until they change their ways. If you let these people stick around in your life and tell you how to live it, you’ll end up unhappy and dissatisfied.

To your success

Michael W

Feature photo used under CCO and available at https://pixabay.com/en/woman-job-task-move-monitor-pose-2685460/

Are You Going After Your Dreams – 5 Excuses We Make

2016-09-242016-09-22 ~ adminlife

Top 5 Excuses for Not Going After Your Dreams

What are you waiting for? You have plans and aspirations that you’ve been putting off for years. We’re great at putting things off and convincing ourselves that we’ll get them done someday soon. Eventually, we all run out of somedays and our options become more limited. If you’re not enthusiastically pursuing your goals, there’s a reason. And it might not be the reason you think.

Most excuses are actually a form of fear camouflaged as another challenge.

Identify your excuses and take action today:

A perceived lack of resources. Perhaps you need additional knowledge, education, money, or time. This is the most common excuse for not taking action. These excuses might be accurate. You might not have enough time. However, it’s up to you to make the time. It’s up to you to find the money you need.

A lack of resources can’t stop you if you’re determined. Using the lack of resources as an excuse suggests another underlying issue.
Find a way around your lack of resources. There’s a solution available to you right now if you want to find it.

Your belief that you’ll fail. Maybe you’re not afraid of failing, but you anticipate failure. No one would waste their time taking action if they expected a negative outcome. Use every tool at your disposal to change your belief. Try using logic or convince yourself that you’ll give it a try anyway. Meditation, self-hypnosis, and visualization are other possible options.

Get expert advice or consider changing your objective to one that’s more believable.

Fear. The is the most accurate answer most of the time. Doing something significant involves change, both the change that results from success and the chance necessary to create success.

The most effective way to combat fear is to jump in with both feet. The apprehension that results from thinking about taking the first step is more severe than the apprehension that accompanies real action. Once you get started, the fear subsides considerably.
Fear has been around since the beginning of man. It’s not going away, so it’s important to build your ability to manage it.

A lack of motivation. Why aren’t you motivated? Is it due to fear or something else? A little success can create motivation. Starting a diet can be challenging, but your motivation grows after you’ve successfully lost 10 pounds.

The solution to a lack of motivation is the same as the solution to fear: take the leap. Get started and hang in there until you’ve experienced some success. At that point, you’ll find that your lack of motivation is no longer an issue.

The need for perfection. This could be the need to have ideal conditions before getting started or the need to accomplish your goal without experiencing any failure along the way. Perfectionism is just another manifestation of fear masquerading as a socially acceptable excuse.

There is no failure, provided you don’t give up. Expect that things won’t work out 100% according to plan. Accept this fact and move ahead.
Take action. Taking action is the best way to reduce your fear. You don’t need to be perfect. You only need to be “good enough.”

If you’ve been finding reasons to put off your plans to some unidentified point in the future, it’s time to examine the reasons. Fear is the biggest reason for chronic procrastination. It’s your responsibility to determine why you’ve been waiting. By finding an explanation, you can begin to take motivated action and see your dreams come true.

To your success

Michael W

How to Achieve Greatness

2016-06-272016-07-02 ~ adminlife

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” ― Albert Einstein

Can You Achieve Greatness?

Everyone has a different vision of success in life. Your greatness can be defined as anything you wish; you simply need to do some self-reflection to decide what is most important to you.

Here are some questions you might ask yourself:

* How important is financial wealth to me?
* Is having a happy or large family the most important thing in my life?
* Are there certain skills or gifts that I would like to master?
* When I die, what will be the most important goal I achieved?

How To Achieve Your Goals

It doesn’t really matter what you’ve set as your true calling, maybe it’s becoming a millionaire, living on the beach, or having a large family. The most important thing is that you have found your definition of greatness that personally applies to you.

Your next step is to form an action plan on how to achieve this goal. It may take a lifetime, but the only way you’re going to get there is with a plan!

Think Less Do More

It’s easy to get lost in your thoughts and plans, but you won’t achieve greatness by daydreaming alone. You need to take some powerful action to get there! Greatness won’t just fall into your lap – you need to work hard in order to get there.

Small Steps

Your definition of greatness is probably a lofty, multi-year goal, which can be a very intimidating and daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be so bad when you plan things out day by day in small, manageable steps.

It’s vital to take life day by day and, at the same time, keep the bigger picture in mind. When you set and achieve your small daily goals, you’ll build momentum without getting too overwhelmed.

Surrounded Yourself With Good People

It’s always great to be in the company of good, positive people. When you have someone you can look up to and model, you’re bringing yourself one step closer to greatness.

It’s also a good idea to be surrounded by people who can inspire, motivate, and encourage you. My biggest advice to you is to keep the negative, complaining type out of your life. Those people won’t bring you anywhere good!

Setbacks

It’s common to run into setbacks on your way to greatness. Things are not always going to turn out like you expect, but that is part of the journey to your success! When you hit a snag in the road, you need to pick yourself up, change course, and forge on.

Of course, you’ll want to maintain a high level of enthusiasm toward your goal. If a setback has got you down in the dumps, take a short break, then trudge along again! Don’t allow anything to get in the way of your goals.

You Are Already There

Every once in awhile it’s important to take a step back and reflect at your life. Are you enjoying your life and your journey? If so, then you’re actually already living your dream.

Remember: All you’ll ever have is the present moment. If you like where you are and where you’re going, greatness is already yours!

To your success

Michael W