by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jun 17, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
Have you ever wondered what makes the difference between successful people and people that are still struggling?
Have you ever wondered what makes the difference between professionals and amateurs?
There is only one skill that makes the difference!
There is only one skill that is so valuable that it would make you standout in any area of life, no matter what kind of competition you face.
I realized that amateurs do remarkable projects on an inconsistent basis, while professionals do a great job on a consistent basis!
Do you tell yourself you can only do great work when you are excited and motivated and that you cannot do it every day and all the time?
That’s the difference between a professional and an amateur:
Professionals CHOOSE to be excited and motivated every single day in life.
It doesn’t matter what you are trying to become better at, if you only do the work when you’re motivated, then you’ll never be consistent enough to become a professional.
The ability to show up everyday, stick to the schedule, and do the work — especially when you don’t feel like it — is so valuable that it is literally all you need to become better 99% of the time.
The main difference between professional and amateurs is their attitude towards how they approach their goals and plans.
A-Schedule-for-Those-Who-Cant-Stick-to-a-Schedule
Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way. Professionals know what is important to them and work towards it with purpose; amateurs get pulled off course by the emergencies of life.
Being a pro is about having the discipline to commit to what is important to you instead of merely saying something is important to you.
It’s about starting when you feel like stopping, not because you want to work more, but because your goal is important enough to you that you don’t simply work on it when it’s convenient.
Becoming a pro is about making your priorities a reality.
Make no mistakes – becoming a pro doesn’t mean you’re a workaholic. It means that you’re good at making time for what matters to you — especially when you don’t feel like it!
It’s taking charge of your life and NOT playing the role of a victim and letting life happen to you.
Here are 3 steps in becoming a Professional:
1. Decide what you want to be good at.
Purpose is everything. If you know what you want, then getting it is much easier. This sounds simple, but in my experience even people who are smart, creative, and talented rarely know exactly what they are working for and why.
2. Set a schedule for your actions.
Once you know what you want, set a schedule for actually doing it.
Beware: Don’t make the same mistake I have made, which is setting a schedule based on results.
Don’t map out how much weight you want to lose each week or how much money you want to make. “Lose 5 kilo” is not an action you can perform. “Go to the gym twice a week” is an action you can perform.
You want to set a schedule based on actions you can do, not results that you want.
3. Don\’t break the chain
Stick to your schedule for one week. Stop thinking about how hard it will be to follow a schedule for a month or a year. Just follow it for this week. For the next 7 days, don’t let distractions get in the way.
Setting a schedule doesn’t make you a professional, following it does.
Don’t be a writer, be writing. Don’t be a business owner, do business. For one week, do the things you want to do without letting life get in the way.
Next week, start again.
Now I’m curious…
What schedule would you commit to, in the coming 7 days, that would put you on the track in becoming a pro?
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by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jun 15, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
I love nice things. Especially, hand-crafted, beautiful, unique things. Whether I own them or not, I love being around them. I get bothered by paying a lot of money for something soulless because it is supposed to be a luxury brand. That is not my version of luxury.
Things that are luxurious to me are significant, that have weight, or depth or a certain feel. Some things clearly do have more value and pretending materialism is shallow and surrounding yourself with crap is no better than spending a lot of money on crap. Alan Watts said that we don’t live in a materialistic culture, actually it is the opposite, we horribly mistreat the material. I have to say I agree with him.
So what is this all about? Why do we work hard and try to keep up with the Jones’? Or why do we run away from it all and sneer at the the passersby headed to work while we clutch our poverty? Why is it that every last person I talk with is in some way conflicted about making a good living?
What is it that we are all looking for?
I belong to an industry that is selling the dream. The dream of the perfect life, the perfect work, unlimited happiness and money.
No matter what you are desiring for your work or personal life, something is driving you. Sometimes we can see something in ourselves or our life that we want to change. Sometimes we want to right an apparent wrong in the world. Sometimes we want to feel successful or be more comfortable. But no matter how you slice it, it is a \’more\’ or \’better\’ version that we are looking for.
The problem is that this drive is often so unconscious that we are compelled by it with out knowing what is compelling us. It guides our entire life and we don’t even know how it came to be inside of us. Next thing we know, we are taking another self help class. Or, dreaming of the next big step in our business. Or, or, or.
In and of itself this is not bad – wanting more for ourselves can be great. The problem is that when we live from dissatisfaction with what is, we never end up being satisfied. This means no matter what we get its not enough. This is definitely something to avoid.
The solution to this problem is not to avoid what is, or put it down for something better but rather to develop things out of love –to craft them, make them beautiful or poignant, or unique. This means that we strive for change because of deep love rather than a fear or dislike.
Being motivated by love rather than dissatisfaction changes the quality of our world for the better. It does not get rid of the quest for growth, but it allows us to embrace and appreciate ourselves and our lives in the present moment as well.
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by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jun 12, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
- Be Present – Whatever you are doing, wherever you are, be all there. Be present. In the moment. Eliminate distractions.
- Show Up Early – Take the necessary action steps to map out your route and arrive to places early. Lead by example and respect other people’s time.
- Look Sharp – First impressions are very important. Take good care of yourself and dress sharp.
- Be Prepared and Proactive – You have to be quick on your feet. Be prepared and always be ready to over-deliver. Because you never know what is going to come at you.
- The Quality of Your Words is Key – It is not how much you say, but the quality of what you say that counts.
- Confidence is Key – A humble but confident person is an extraordinary person. Take great pride in what you do and be proud of who you are.
- Keep your Integrity – Make the decision in life to always go with what is best for your life. Always keep your integrity in life.
- Give to others – Whatever you do in life, look at how you can contribute to other’s success and happiness.
- Celebrate your Uniqueness – Your differences to others is what makes you extraordinary. Don’t try to blend in. Celebrate who you are. Your imperfections and all.
- Own Your Life. – You’ve got one life. So own it. Take responsibility for it. Create it how you want it. Really Live It.
- Always Be a Student of Life -Always strive to learn and grow through life. You can never learn enough in life.
- Respect Others – Don’t judge. Respect others. Be always acutely aware of where you came from. As quickly as you can rise, you can fall down.
- Be a Mentor – Be that person that people learn from. Be an inspiration to others. Be there for them.
- Have Balance. – Establish a life that has a healthy balance that works for your life.
- Walk the Talk – Lead by example. Don’t just talk about things. Get busy and take action on things!
reblogged from smartchic.com
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by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jun 8, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
The Truth
Yup! The truth is an often-overlooked key to success. Here are three reasons why:
Reason #1: The Truth Keeps You in Integrity
Oh, what tangled webs we weave! If the purpose of personal growth is to see ourselves and others clearly, then lies definitely get in the way. When we lie, we get out of integrity with ourselves. We could almost say that we lose a piece of ourselves in the process of lying.
Reason #2: The Truth Connects You
Some people like to convince themselves that small lies don\’t really hurt anyone. But what is the real price of being dishonest? Distance. When we are dishonest with others it is like saying we don\’t want to see a part of someone or we don\’t want them to see a part of us. It is a judgment that the other person is not strong enough to deal with the reality of things — or that we aren\’t, either.
Reason #3: The Truth Makes You Money
I think it is safe to say we are all sick of hype and distortions of the truth that are in our face every single day. The bottom line is that, no matter what you do for a living, being truthful earns you big points with others. If you tell the truth, people can count on you — not to be sold to — but to help them make the choices they need to make to get what they want.
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by Dr. Heléna Kate | Jun 5, 2014 | Dr. Heléna Kate's Blog
I just want to take a moment to have gratitude for all the great dogs that are or have been in my life and the lives of people I know. I am writing this from outside a vet office where a dog I love very much is being tested for Leukemia. If she has it again, at this point there is no treatment and this brings me to my topic for the week.
Spring can be a weird time to talk about loss but loss happens regardless of the time of year. What I think is even more weird is when we pretend that loss is not supposed to happen. That somehow we are justified in feeling betrayed by life itself if we are confronted with loss. This is actually the source of more pain than the original loss.
Unfortunately, when we grow we not only gain we also loose. It needs to be like this. We heal ourselves and what we created no longer serves is. It no longer fits. Sometimes it falls away gracefully and easily and other times it is dramatic or painful.
It is easy in all of the transformation to pay attention to the wrong things. It is easy to get consumed with emotions. But there is an alternative.
In everything that is going on there is a place of calm. A place of truth. If we can anchor our attention in this place then the situations around us are simply that – situations around us. We are connected to what is deeper and more meaningful, what is leading us and pulling us to our greatness because this never leaves us.
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