Building on Your Strengths
Everyone has both strengths and weaknesses. The difference between great achievers and those that aren't is that great achievers have learned to capitalize on their strengths and not be limited by their weaknesses.
In order to begin to experience success it is important to take personal inventory of your life. Make a list of your strengths (what you are good at) and of your weaknesses (what you aren't good at). By having a clear picture of your strengths you have an understanding of what you can build on.
While it is important to seek to improve your areas of weakness, it is more important to continue improving your strengths. Great athletes have learned this secret. One reason Tiger Woods is such a phenomenal golfer is because of his burning desire to continue to improve his skills. After winning the 2000 U. S. Open, by a record margin, he was talking about things that he needed to do to improve. This is what sets him apart from his peers.
Michael Jordan became the greatest basketball player of all-time by continually striving to strengthen his strengths. The reason he could pull off seemingly impossible feats on the basketball court are because in practice he worked on developing his strengths. While some viewed his accomplishments under pressure as being lucky, the truth is they were the results of much practice and preparation. If he was lucky it was because he created his own luck by doing the right things consistently.
You too can enjoy extraordinary results if you will begin to spend more time developing your strengths than your weaknesses. Take your strengths and begin to improve them until they are stronger. In doing so you will begin to accomplish greater things then you ever expected.
Practice, practice, practice!
By continually working on your strengths you are constantly improving what you are good at. Just like Tiger Woods you become great not because you are lucky but because you work hard at improving what you are already good at. By honing your skills in practice you are insuring peak performance when the pressure is on. In the heat of the battle you will naturally do what you perfected in practice.
Don't focus on your weaknesses.
You will always go in the direction of your dominant thoughts. If you focus on what you aren't good at you will insure failure or defeat. However, if you begin to focus on what your strengths are you will move towards success. Simply put, "accentuate the positive!"
Find a coach or mentor.
Gain the assistance of someone that's "been there, done that!" Allow them to teach and train you. Learn from their experience and expertise. Let them motivate, inform, and correct you as necessary. Make yourself accountable to them.
Determine to do your best.
Always give yourself 100% to what you are doing. Make the decision to do the right thing the right way consistently. Demand excellence of yourself. Don’t settle for anything less than your best. Constantly seek to improve. Keep raising the bar of what you expect of yourself. You will be amazed at the outcome.
Believe you are created for greatness.
You have incredible potential and possibilities. There is no reason why you can't excel in life. God has given you the abilities you need to work with in order to succeed in life. You are made in God's image and likeness; therefore you have the right to greatness. You have the right to be a success.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Are You Determined?
Nothing is more powerful than a made up mind. In order to achieve greatness, determination is required. Someone once said, “A determined person will do more with a rusty monkey wrench, than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools of a machine shop.”
You win or lose because of your determination or lack thereof. Determined people are able to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to win in life. Malcolm Forbes said, “Your degree of determination determines your outcome.”
Ten things about determined people:
Determined people don’t know how to take the word “no” for an answer. Their philosophy of life is, “Find a way or make one.”
Determined people refuse to quit until they win. Their philosophy of life is “Nothing can stop me or keep me from winning. Victory belongs to me.”
Determined people realize that success comes little by little. Their philosophy is “Inch by inch anything’s a cinch!”
Determined people are not moved by what they see around them. Their philosophy of life is, “We walk by faith not by sight.” They choose to see what can be, instead of what is.
Determined people choose to be positive. Their philosophy of life is, “Positive anything is better than negative nothing!”
Determined people expect a positive outcome. Their philosophy of life is, “You get what you expect.”
Determined people understand the value of goal setting. Their philosophy of life is, "You can’t hit it if you don’t aim at it!”
Determined people believe in the value of planning. Their philosophy of life is, “Plan your work and work your plan.”
Determined people believe that success comes in cans not cannots. Their philosophy of life is, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”
Determined people associate with winners. Their philosophy of life is, “Iron sharpens iron.” They recognize that you become better by being around better people.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Be A Person of Value
Albert Einstein wrote, “Try not to become a man of success, rather try to become a person of value.” In our society many are selling themselves short simply by trying to succeed at any cost. While success is the by-product of vision, goal-setting, planning, action and determination, it should not be your ultimate goal. You must not get caught up in the web of trying to be a success so others will think you are great.
Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” Your soul is your mind, your will and your emotions. I have met countless numbers of people in my life who have experienced mental breakdowns, a loss of proper desires and emotional breakdowns because they chased success instead of letting it follow them.
It is startling to finally reach the top of the ladder only to realize it’s leaned against the wrong wall. Your life does not consist of the abundance of things you possess. Malcomb Forbes was asked before he died how much money he was going to leave his heirs. His response was "All of it!" When you die you will not be remembered for what you owned as much as for who you were and what kind of positive difference you made in your world and the lives you came in contact with.
In order to leave a positive lasting legacy you must seek to be a person of character. Seek to live a life based on principles, values, and integrity. Be a person that makes the difference in the lives of others. Live a life that exemplifies the life of Christ in all you do.
Albert Einstein wrote, “Try not to become a man of success, rather try to become a person of value.” In our society many are selling themselves short simply by trying to succeed at any cost. While success is the by-product of vision, goal-setting, planning, action and determination, it should not be your ultimate goal. You must not get caught up in the web of trying to be a success so others will think you are great.
Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” Your soul is your mind, your will and your emotions. I have met countless numbers of people in my life who have experienced mental breakdowns, a loss of proper desires and emotional breakdowns because they chased success instead of letting it follow them.
It is startling to finally reach the top of the ladder only to realize it’s leaned against the wrong wall. Your life does not consist of the abundance of things you possess. Malcomb Forbes was asked before he died how much money he was going to leave his heirs. His response was "All of it!" When you die you will not be remembered for what you owned as much as for who you were and what kind of positive difference you made in your world and the lives you came in contact with.
In order to leave a positive lasting legacy you must seek to be a person of character. Seek to live a life based on principles, values, and integrity. Be a person that makes the difference in the lives of others. Live a life that exemplifies the life of Christ in all you do.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Persistence: The Key to Success
How many people do you know that have stopped just short of reaching their goal? How many times have you stopped short of what you desired to see become a reality? Unfortunately, the number is greater than it should be. Many times just one more try would have meant victory instead of defeat.
Persistence is defined as “continued effort or tenacity.” It is not accepting defeat and continuing on inspite of the obstacles in your path. It is doing the right thing, the right way consistently.
Throughout scripture we are admonished to be people of persistence. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “That you be not slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12) The word patience could also be translated persistence. In this particular scripture, the word patience does not imply putting up with or coping with the circumstances at hand. Rather it means to continue doing what you are doing until the desired results are yours.
Scripture gives us Abraham as our example of a man who through faithful persistence received the fulfillment of God’s promises to him. (Hebrews 6:13-15) Abraham, the father of the faithful, had to persist in faith for twenty-five years before he saw the physical manifestation of God’s promise to him.
We live in an instant society. We tend to want everything, and we want it right now. When we don’t see what we are praying and believing for in a short period of time, we are apt to become discouraged and give up. Many times we give up just short of what God promised us becoming a reality.
If you are going to be successful at whatever it is that God has called you to do, you must become a person of persistence. You need bulldog faith. Bulldog faith is “faith that won’t let go!” Winston Churchill is reported to have said, “The reason a bulldogs nose is slanted backwards, is so that he can breathe without letting go.”
Here are some keys for developing persistence:
Keep your eyes on the goal.
You cannot lose sight of where you are going. It is imperative that you remain focused. Do not allow yourself to be distracted. God told Joshua “do not turn to the right hand or to the left. that you may prosper wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7)
Believe that you will meet with success.
There is nothing more powerful that positive faith. Jesus said, “All things are possible to him that believes.” (Mark 9:23) The great motivator and trainer Dale Carnegie said, “Believe that you will succeed. Believe it firmly, and you will then do what is necessary to bring success about.”
Maintain a positive attitude.
When the going gets tough sometimes it is easy to lose perspective. Your attitude, which is your perspective or how you see things, must remain positive if you are going to succeed. You must look past the negative circumstances and see the victory that is yours if you will but persist. Paul wrote, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal and the things which are not seen are eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:18) In other words, don’t look at what is, but rather at what can be. Keep the right attitude.
How many people do you know that have stopped just short of reaching their goal? How many times have you stopped short of what you desired to see become a reality? Unfortunately, the number is greater than it should be. Many times just one more try would have meant victory instead of defeat.
Persistence is defined as “continued effort or tenacity.” It is not accepting defeat and continuing on inspite of the obstacles in your path. It is doing the right thing, the right way consistently.
Throughout scripture we are admonished to be people of persistence. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “That you be not slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12) The word patience could also be translated persistence. In this particular scripture, the word patience does not imply putting up with or coping with the circumstances at hand. Rather it means to continue doing what you are doing until the desired results are yours.
Scripture gives us Abraham as our example of a man who through faithful persistence received the fulfillment of God’s promises to him. (Hebrews 6:13-15) Abraham, the father of the faithful, had to persist in faith for twenty-five years before he saw the physical manifestation of God’s promise to him.
We live in an instant society. We tend to want everything, and we want it right now. When we don’t see what we are praying and believing for in a short period of time, we are apt to become discouraged and give up. Many times we give up just short of what God promised us becoming a reality.
If you are going to be successful at whatever it is that God has called you to do, you must become a person of persistence. You need bulldog faith. Bulldog faith is “faith that won’t let go!” Winston Churchill is reported to have said, “The reason a bulldogs nose is slanted backwards, is so that he can breathe without letting go.”
Here are some keys for developing persistence:
Keep your eyes on the goal.
You cannot lose sight of where you are going. It is imperative that you remain focused. Do not allow yourself to be distracted. God told Joshua “do not turn to the right hand or to the left. that you may prosper wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7)
Believe that you will meet with success.
There is nothing more powerful that positive faith. Jesus said, “All things are possible to him that believes.” (Mark 9:23) The great motivator and trainer Dale Carnegie said, “Believe that you will succeed. Believe it firmly, and you will then do what is necessary to bring success about.”
Maintain a positive attitude.
When the going gets tough sometimes it is easy to lose perspective. Your attitude, which is your perspective or how you see things, must remain positive if you are going to succeed. You must look past the negative circumstances and see the victory that is yours if you will but persist. Paul wrote, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal and the things which are not seen are eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:18) In other words, don’t look at what is, but rather at what can be. Keep the right attitude.
Have a made up mind.
You must be determined. Determined people win in life because they don’t allow anything to break their focus. The great baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.” Someone else said, “It was through persistence that the snail got to the ark!”
You must be determined. Determined people win in life because they don’t allow anything to break their focus. The great baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.” Someone else said, “It was through persistence that the snail got to the ark!”
Find someone to stand in agreement with you.
“Two are better than one, and a threefold cord is not easily broke.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12) There is something powerful when you have others to stand with you on the path to success. There is strength in unity. You must understand that you cannot make it without the assistance of others. Successful people, regardless of their position in life, understand the value of teamwork. Together we stand, divided we fall.
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