I read a lot, every day actually.
Either a book in my hand, or kindle, or iPad, or audible in the car.
Amongst the three books I currently have on the go, this week I’ve been reading:
‘The Asbestos Lie. The past and present of an industrial catastrophe’ by Maria Roselli.
So it’s industry-related as I need to maintain my level of expertise, to top up my knowledge bank. It’s 180 pages but a good informative read.
I read it last Saturday afternoon. Part of me didn’t want to, it was the weekend, but I believe that to excel in your chosen field you must do what others aren’t prepared to do.
That’s success in a nutshell.
Successful people do what most other people aren’t prepared to do.
To be successful takes commitment.
And discipline.
And effort.
And patience.
And the right mind-set.
I have successfully given up drinking alcohol.
My last drink was on the 12th of December 2009.
Prior to then, I’d failed often.
I’d last a few weeks then hit the booze again.
5 weeks was my longest dry stint.
You see, my mindset was all wrong.
I was focussed on what I had to LOSE, not what I had to GAIN.
Once I’d shifted my thoughts to all I had to gain, then it made the harder times easier to get through.
Forever thinking about the losing out on the social life, the good times, the banter, the thrills, the danger, the endless laughs and becoming a sober bore, didn’t help me one bit.
But to think about increasing my levels of calm, confidence, presence, physical & mental strength, better relationships, the success of Omega – this all helped keep me on track.
And after a while, a new habit becomes just that, a new healthy habit, one you just do without thinking about anymore.
Apparently, on average it takes 66 days to form a new habit.
Some say if you can do something for 21 days straight then you’re well on the way.
With others, it can take up to 200 days to form a new habit.
But you just have to start and do it one day at a time.
Another thing,
usually, when we talk about ‘being successful’ it’s in relation to ‘good’ things.
But I think reversing this logic can help you change.
Consider this and fill in the blank.
To be successful in ____________________ you have to commit to meet certain conditions and do certain things.
The blank could be: being fit, being wealthy, your career, finding love etc
But what if the blank was: being obese, being poor, being angry, being in a terrible relationship; being alcohol dependent; feeling trapped; being unpleasant etc etc
By considering your success in things you don’t actually want to be successful in – that’s an eyeopener!
It changes your perspective and may just provide the motivation you need?
But remember, motivation doesn’t last.
When it runs out, you need good old fashioned commitment and discipline to get the results you want.
So there’s your question to frequently ask yourself:
What am I successful in that I’m not actually that proud of?
And once you’ve recognised this, what will you commit to doing about it?
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