by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jan 21, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
When it comes to being successful, high achievers have a number of habits in common. But that doesn\’t mean you can\’t be right up there with them.
Here are three qualities all successful people share and how you can make them your own:
1. Say \’no\’ to distraction. Every. Single. Time. Successful people make better use of their time because they are disciplined goal-setters. I’m referring to those high performers who experience no down-time. Sure, there are vacations and time spent with the family, but that comes after success has been achieved.
Successful people have that same list of tasks to accomplish as anyone else, but the difference is they make time to get them all done with no excuses. They may not enjoy it, but that is irrelevant. What matters is that it gets done. They are disciplined in planning their work and sticking to their plan.
Even when you’ve achieved that level of success, the work doesn’t stop. I am always on the lookout for a great, profitable investment. I might be out with my family, but my brain is always aware of business opportunities around me. I don’t just shut it off when I’m not at work.
2. Read something new everyday. Successful people read constantly, find mentors who can teach them and value new information that can help push them forward. Whatever field you are in, you have to learn before you earn. Learn your product, customers and competition. And then: keep learning.
3. Flaunt your failures like a champ. Fail as many times as you can. Everyone fails. It’s part of life. Too many people take failure as a sign it\’s time for them to give up. Those people don’t get very far. What sets successful people apart is the ability to get up and give it another go with a better plan for how to be successful the next time around.
If you want to embrace the habits of successful people, you’ve got to make the change within yourself first.
Reblogged from Entrepreneur Online.
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by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jan 19, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
I don\’t know who you wound up hanging out with in high school, but it seemed to me that the Artists were heavy on imagination, vision, and dreaminess while the Jocks were about results, goals, and action. As I look at the people I work with now, I can see this classic high-school saga play out — the vast majority of either group rolling their eyes at the other. The Artists are weird. The Jocks are stupid.
Truth be told, I work with more artists than jocks. Artists tend to dream big and forget to wake up, get a cup of coffee, and take some action. Quite honestly, some artists get lost on the way to the coffee pot, never to be heard from again. When I start to talk goals or plans with them, all of a sudden they look at me like I\’m in an athletic uniform on the other side of that cafeteria — like I just don\’t get them or I am not one of them. In their mind, Artists do not work that way.
Jocks, on the other hand, might be very successful in their lives, but they feel empty on the inside. They got the job done, they scored the goal, and their team is giving them praise, but it just isn\’t giving them the same thrill it used to. When I start talking about vision, dreams and life purpose with them, they start noticing that I am dressed a bit funny and think that maybe I am a little too flaky to help them out.
However, what rarely happened in high school needs to happen in our lives. The Artists and Jocks need to hang out together — and even enjoy hanging out together. This needs to happen or we are not going to be able to bring our dreams into reality. If we have vision and no action, we eventually have frustration. If we have action with no vision, we also get frustration. When the Jock and the Artist figure out that they really make a great pair, we have some of our favorite high school movies — satisfaction.
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by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jan 16, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
OK, so I cannot spell. You must have noticed by now. That, and I have several other learning disabilities. I have heard my entire life how sloppy, stupid, or unprofessional I am because of these difficulties. I can\’t say it hasn’t stung from time to time but it has been a great teacher.
Which brings me to the idea of perfectionism, a topic that was repeated again during the last session of my Serious Success 2 Business program. We discussed the importance of moving forward rather than getting stuck in the idea with a false belief that things, at some point in time, will be perfect. They won\’t be.
There was a point in my life where a mistake like what I just mentioned would\’ve caused me physical pain. I would have cringed at the idea of people witnessing such an \”obvious\” oversight. However, at this point in time, a mistake like that only reminds me of my humanness — something I have to say I\’m becoming very good friends with. I have learned that compassion with myself is a vital part of my success.
I\’m going to recommend that you become friends with your own limitations, shortcomings, and oversights. Not because we want to devalue our work or lessen its impact but because, in order for the world to change — and in order for our lives to change — we need to move forward, take action, and make a difference. If we are doing that, the mistakes along the way will fade and our successes will become that much greater and more memorable.
I am grateful that I do not need to be perfect. I will, of course, try my best, but doing my best truly is good enough, and makes the work and the challenges faced that much more enjoyable and deeply fulfilling.
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by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jan 14, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
Being successful generally does not just happen, it requires taking action. As with many things in life, being focused can greatly increase your odds of achieving an important goal, or goals.
Success is no different. If you want to be successful there are actions you can take to help improve your odds. Here are seven secrets of success you can focus on to greatly increase your chances of being successful.
- Get serious: Being successful is not about taking it easy, it’s about getting serious and being committed to task. You should also be serious about seeking excellence. While focus and getting serious means you should not have to work every hour of every day, you do need to be serious about taking action every day in pursuit of your goals.
- Training: Archilochos, the Greek soldier and poet once said, “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” We can imagine all the success at an activity we want, but at the end of the day, we will execute only as well as we have trained. What skills do you need to tune and practice? It’s essential you train hard and your train often, if you want to achieve success. It’s also wise to use a coach that can provide feedback and help you achieve peak performance.
- Surround yourself with the right people: Success demands hard work, determination and the right support. You can only be as good as your team. You can have the best quarterback in the NFL, but if the rest of the team sucks, your team is not going to the Super Bowl. In another example closer to home, take a look at the “tiki bar” at the Snook Inn. When it’s busy during happy hour, lunch or dinner, the bartenders work really hard. More importantly, if you watch them closely, you can see they work as a team. They could never keep up with demand during these peak hours if they did not support each other. You want to surround yourself with competent, positive team members, who also are willing to give 110 percent toward being successful.
- Physical health: Your physical health is extremely helpful for business success. If you are working long hours, or a road warrior, being in good health allows you to keep going in the face of adversity and long days. Physical health also improves energy, speed and charisma. All of which are useful in achieving success.
- Be self-aware: This may be the most challenging of the seven for most of us. It’s not only important to understand others, we must be self-aware of our own behavior. This can be critical in assuring we bond with customers, partners and suppliers, as well as those that may be able to help us through the day. Smile when speaking on the phone, treat others with respect, and learn to listen. Practicing these skills will allow others to be more empathetic when you need help and support. Life is too short not to spread the good cheer.
- Take positive action every day in pursuit of your goals: Be proactive in reaching your goals. As an adult no one else can best do this other than you. Accept responsibility for the outcome you achieve and you will find that you will achieve more. If you lose a sale, instead of blaming someone or something else, look in the mirror and say, “What can I do better.” Ask yourself how you can work harder, learn new skills or help your team.
- Work harder than the rest: When you are in charge, there is no try, there is only do, or no do. By giving 110 percent you will find that over time your results are much greater than average, because most won’t give 110 percent. It takes time, preparation and commitment to task to be successful.
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Andy Singer is the president of Singer Executive Development, a professional training and development company that helps optimize business performance of employees and executives. They work with companies of all sizes optimizing performance and key skill sets in areas such as sales, marketing and operations. Singer is also on the board of directors for several organizations.
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by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jan 12, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
We hear over and over that we need to stay physically active to be healthy but we do not talk much about needing to be physically connected to be successful. Guess what, its just as important!
Think of it this way. The more that we take care of our selves, the more energy that we will have to do the things that we need to do for our business.
The less we connect with our body the less we have to give to our business. Think about a time when you were really run down and then you ran into an angry person in a store or something. It was probably challenging not to get angry back or even escalate things. Now imagine a day where you have exercised, eaten right, and meditated. Same situation and you are able to handle it totally differently. Maybe even help transform the situation into a positive one.
In business, we are dealing with problems, conflicts and challenges all the time. And, on top of it all, it is our livelihood. We need to be sharp to be successful. So here are some tips (You likely know them so just take a moment to see if you are doing them. If not, then what might you change):
- Sleep enough and on a regular schedule
- Eat healthy and especially stay away from sugar and allergens
Exercise regularly
- Drink enough water
- Do things that are pleasurable for your body: ie. massage, dancing, taking a bath
by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jan 5, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
Feeling stressed? Well, its common knowledge that you are not alone. Most of us these days have a high level of stress in our lives which is affecting the way we interact with others. In cases of chronic stress, the frontal lobe of the brain literally shuts down. This makes it virtually impossible for us to do anything besides react.
How do you think this affects your business and your life?
It may seem like that vacation or even day off is more than you can afford but what is the price for not taking time to slow down? We hear a lot about cleansing our bodies to create a healthier happier life but what about our minds and emotions?
How are they continuing to hold us back from what it is that we really want in life because (just like our bodies) they are overfed and under-nurtured?
What I talk to a lot of my clients about are their rhythms. Everyone has a rhythm to the way they live and a part of that needs to be rest and relaxation. For some people that might be on a daily basis. For me, about every 10-12 weeks, I need a chunk of time to myself. When I don’t do this, I am not functioning optimally by week 13 and starting to loose ground by week 15.
Regardless of whether you need time every few hours, every day, every week or every month, finding your rhythm and meeting your need to slow down will ultimately make you more fulfilled as well as more successful.
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