Articles
Believe in Yourself
October 1, 2007
© 2007, Anthony Fisher. May not be duplicated without written permission.
In order for you to achieve great things you must believe in yourself. Your success begins and ends with you. When pursuing a goal, (whatever it may be) it requires that you become a self-motivated individual. Self motivators don't need much of anything to get them excited about pursuing their goal and taking action. They simply are that way because the desire of achieving outweighs the thought of failure.
Belief in yourself requires that you stay focused on the task at hand but it also requires that you focus on your strengths. We are all born with different gifts and talents and it's much easier to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves when we operate in our abilities. Finding success in what you do well begins to build confidence within you. It is this confidence that catapults you to another level of appreciation and success.
Belief in yourself is about attitude. Attitude is like a muscle. It needs to be developed over and over again and there is always room for growth. Your attitude determines your altitude. It also determines how others perceive you to be. Don't you realize that your attitude is also like a magnet? A positive attitude will cause people to want to be around you because they sense something is different about you. Your attitude and how you react to situations is what sets you apart. Your attitude has the power to win
friends and influence people.
Belief in yourself is about perspective. Individuals who believe in themselves are a different kind of breed. These are the type of individuals who have found success before and enjoy the feeling, outcome and response they may receive from others admiring them. A believer's perspective is about self-confidence and making the decision that they want the best for themselves. They've put aside the negative talk and lackluster environment and instead surround themselves with people of like-mindness.
Believe in yourself today. Make the decision to make a difference in your life. Become the best "brand" that you can and surround yourself only with individuals who help you in the process.
Plant the Vision
Our ideas, dreams, aspirations live in our mind and eventually take form into our vision. Vision is the ability to see that which is in our mind and give it life. In your mind you begin to formulate your vision and begin to create it as if it was a living entity.
Your vision is the source and hope of life and it is one of the greatest gifts given to mankind. Nothing noteworthy was ever accomplished without vision. Vision is a matter of the heart; not your eyes. Your eyes can actually get you in trouble and can provide a perception that causes your vision to become supplanted. Your vision is a matter of making it real in your mind and heart.
Just like a plant that needs sun, water and good soil, the same remains with your vision. Your vision requires nurture. Your vision requires constant care and protection. Once these elements are in place, the planting of your vision begins to take root and begins to grow. The hardest part for many leaders, entreprenuers and independent business owners is that their environment crushes their vision or they feel inadequate about moving forward to the next step in growth because of their lack of knowledge of how to do it effectively.
Vision, perception, growth, planting, nurture, protection all plays a vital role in your success. If you take the time to give your vision an opportunity for growth, you will begin to experience awesome changes not only in your endeavor but also within you as well.
Embrace the Steps
Any worthwhile endeavor you seek after requires you to have strong roots. Your roots serve a purpose. Just like a tree, the roots system is what gives a tree its strength. When the winds, rain and snow constantly challenge the tree, a tree with strong roots stands its ground and is not defeated by it's obstacles. Obstacles are the life situations, predicaments that may impede you moving forward for a short while. We all have them. It doesn't matter if you are a leader, entrepreneur or someone working a 9-5 job, we all experience obstacles.
Obstacles in many ways are a blessing in disguise. Why you ask? Without obstacles how can you expect to grow. Please understand that the obstacles you face build character and reveal it at the same time. Also realize that the obstacles you face in life are not just for you but also for others. You see, you are always on display. People are watching you to see if you are serious about accomplishing your vision. It's through your attitude and taking the next step that inspires people to not only partner with you but they too become excited about pursuing their vision.
Like it or not, as leaders, we must come to the realization that we must "embrace the steps". Embrace the obstacles that challenge us. Embrace the hard times, setbacks, struggles, lack and emotional up and downs. It's only through your embrace that you become a better individual but it also builds up within you a deeper sense of appreciation for what you have, will have and ultimately builds the platform for you achieving your dreams, goals and aspirations.
Achieve Success
You've done it! You've accomplished the task set before you and it's so rewarding. Employees are in place, vendors are serving, you're traveling, speaking, making money to support your family and future endeavors. All is wonderful.
You believed in yourself, planted the vision and embraced the steps and now you've achieved success. Congratulations!
Achieving success is different for everybody. For some, it may be the fact that you now have more time and freedom on your hand. For others it may the fact that you hold your financial future in your own hands rather than an employer. For others, it may be the fact that you can bring your wife or husband home from work and now you don't need to hire a baby-sitter to raise your kids. Maybe you want to birth a ministry or support a non-profit organization with your time and money. Whatever the case may be, you now have options.
Now don't get me wrong. Accomplishing your goal is wonderful, but you still must nurture and care for it. It's not about you anymore. You have others involved. This requires a whole set of other issues and obstacles that you must face. Be sure to prepare for another transition in your life and business. As leader, it is your responsibility to maintain your brand in everything you do. If you haven't thought about your personal or company brand, now is a good time to consider and make headway with establishing it. Your brand will speak volumes for the rest of your life. Your brand will identity who you are and what people think about you or your business. That is why it's so important to share your vision and expectations with those involved with you.
Are you delivering the most effective message to your audience? If you don’t create your own brand, someone will do it for you.
In my opinion, that's never a good thing.
Encourage Others
Now that you've been through 5 steps of vision planning, I encourage you to share your experience with others who once were like you. As a matter of fact, I believe it is your responsibility to be a mentor to someone who has the desire and talent in the hope of reaching their own dreams. Our society is desperately seeking capable role models and mentors from champions like you.
By encouraging others, brand feedback is positive and you will never be out of people who want to assist in helping you succeed.