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The
Mental Game of Personal Achievement: Reach Your Goals Like the Superachievers.
How would you rate yourself on
personal productivity? Top achievers have a systematic plan for
motivation, self-coaching and focusing on successful behaviors.
Learn the 10 special ways top producers are able to drive themselves
up the ladder of success.
782
words.
The Mental Game of Personal Achievement
Reach Your Goals Like the Superachievers
Bill Cole, MS, MA
Founder and CEO
William B. Cole Consultants
Silicon Valley, California
What rating would you give yourself on personal
productivity? Do you have a systematic plan for improving your effectiveness
in your daily work? Superachieving business people and athletes
know what it takes to motivate themselves, maintain focus in the
face of obstacles and drive forward to the completion of their vision
and dreams. They take charge of their work by being aware of their
personal patterns of behavior and by then adjusting and experimenting
with new ways of being.
Imagine if you could quickly recover from fatigue, mental setbacks,
surprise problems, overloaded task lists, not enough time and all
else that can stand in your way from working near optimum levels.
Top achievers begin the process by carefully noting what is and
what is not in their control. They then ONLY focus on those things
over which they have control and let go of those things which are
out of their control. If you list all the things you must do in
a day and all the roadblocks that might fall in your way, you will
quickly realize that the only thing you have true control over is...yourself.
So to improve productivity and effectiveness, begin by focusing
on yourself. Focus on your attitude, your thoughts, how you feel,
how you react to problems, how you prepare to succeed, how you review
your performance and how you set and go after realizing your goals.
Let's look at the superachiever's tips for improving personal effectiveness.
1. Review your major values and life goals daily. Use this
as a springboard for heightening motivation and for building focus
that can carry you through your day.
2. Plan your work and then work your plan. This is an old
bromide, but it contains simple wisdom. You have to know where you
want to go before you get there. Be clear about what you want to
accomplish the night before or in the morning and then execute your
plan.
3. Remember, "Mile by mile it's a trial, but inch by inch, it's
a cinch". If you look at everything you must do it can seem
overwhelming, but if you break down each project into tasks and
objectives and just focus on these bite-size portions, you will
be amazed at how quickly the little things combine to complete major
tasks. Take care of the little things and the big things will take
care of themselves.
4. Ask yourself, "A month or a year from now, will this matter?"
If you get mired in trivia, get distracted by surprises or get sidetracked
by things that "feel good to complete, but that are "off-task",
then ask if what you are doing now will have any impact on your
future goals. This will keep you focused on what is truly important.
5. Set deadlines and make timetables for executing each objective
that takes you closer to your goal. It is amazing how a future
due date drives current behavior. Keeping records of tasks completed
gives you proof that you are making progress. Having a deadline
creates some urgency to complete the task.
6. Post and consult your priority list multiple times every day.
This will keep you on track through those crazy, unpredictable days.
It is SO easy to lose site of what is important and to begin putting
out fires when you should remain focused.
7. Review your day and ask yourself "What were the top 3 things
I accomplished today?". This makes you accountable to yourself
and helps you measure how well you stayed focused on your priorities.
It will also help you set-up the next day.
8. Clean up the tasks and projects that annoy and frustrate you
the most. This might be office clutter, not being able to find
things, paper piles and messes, a sloppy hard-drive on your computer
or anything else that bothers you every time you look at it or think
about it. Conquer it and free your energy.
9. Celebrate your successes. We go through our days and weeks
barely congratulating ourselves for our good deeds and accomplishments.
We tend to only focus on what we lack or on what we still have yet
to complete. Give yourself credit for jobs well-done and for wading
through the many tasks you finish each day.
10. Continually reset new goals once you reach each goal.
This is one of the true secrets of the superachievers. They continually
readjust strategically as each goal is met. They endlessly create
new goals to fuel the fires of motivation and to take themselves
closer to their potential.
Maintain self awareness, make adjustments and execute like top business
and sports performers and you also can become a superachiever at
personal effectiveness.
Copyright ©
Bill Cole, MS, MA. All rights reserved.
Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority
on peak performance, mental toughness and coaching, is founder and
CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, a consulting firm that helps
organizations and professionals achieve more success in business,
life and sports. He is also the Founder and President of the International
Mental Game Coaching Association (www.mentalgamecoaching.com),
an organization dedicated to advancing the research, development,
professionalism and growth of mental game coaching worldwide. He
is a multiple Hall-Of-Fame honoree as an athlete, coach and school
alumnus, an award-winning scholar-athlete, published book author
and articles author, and has coached at the highest levels of major-league
pro sports, big-time college athletics and corporate America. For
a free, extensive article archive, or for questions and comments
visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com.
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