HAND-BOOK FOR SURVIVAL
A collection of writings on various subjects to help the everyman or woman survive in a rapidly changing un-certain world. An introductory look at the concepts of success, motivation, attitude,
goal setting and stress.
1. SUCCESS
What is success? Who do you want to be in the future? What are your values? Write them down. What are your GOALS (short and long-term)? WRITE them down. Dream big - have a VISION.
THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS IN WORK (AND IN LIFE):
1. A clear-cut Vision or Goal. 2. Commitment to and Belief in the Goal. 3. Use of innovation and imagination to achieve the Goal. Use the immense powers of your mind to reach your full potential in life. 4. Effective use of Resources (people, money, technology
to effect innovation). 5. Optomism, positive thinking and a Willingness
to Take Risks.
6. Faith in God and a strong belief in yourself and what you are trying to do. Pray to God for inspiration and direction. 7. Enjoyment in pursuing the Goal. 8. The Provision of Value for Money to the people you serve. 9. A Willingness to build a foundation for Long Term Bene-fits. Take a long term view of success,
because it usually doesn't happen overnight. 10.Have faith in yourself (or your higher self) and especially in a Higher Power far greater than
oneself, God, Supreme Being, the Universe, Life, who cares about you and loves you for your unique individuality.
HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL:
Dream big dreams. Have a goal and plan to achieve. Love doing what you do. Listen to the advice of your spouse/partner (who knows you better than anybody else). Seek help from those whose skills you don't have.
Believe you are a winner, or one who CAN be. Work smarter, not necessarily harder. Fly with the eagles, don't scratch with the turkeys.
Be prepared to take calculated risks. Be aware that opportunities are always around; because problems are opportunities in disguise. Promote your product well. Satisfy customers needs completely. Be decisive, determined and self-disciplined. Encourage others constantly. A strong belief in yourself. A stronger belief in God, a Higher Power, the Ultimate
Source.
and finally,
and most importantly, # Be honest, with the absolutely highest integrity at all times. For success in any endeavour it is essential to have a POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE (P.M.A.). You can change your negative attitudes. Have optomism + be willing to take calculated risks. N.B: Say to yourself daily, "If it's to be,
it's up to me" and you approach life with that ATTITUDE you WILL be successful. *
Ask yourself what are your interests, your passions? If you can make your job from your interests you will love doing it. Work smarter not harder. Look for opportunities; they are always around - problems are just oppor- tunities in disguise.
GOAL
ACTIVITIES
TIME
ACTION PLAN
SELF DISCIPLINE
= SUCCESS
______________
2. MOTIVATION
You can't buy it - it has to come from within. We are all different with diverse influences on us, eg. environment, biology. REWARDS. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside, eg. fame, recognition, power money. Intrinsic motivation is satisfying,interesting to you.
Three main theories: 1. Desire for ACHIEVEMENT 2. Desire for POWER 3. Desire for AFFILIATION (Sense of belonging)
Also "PAIN vs GAIN" theory or FEAR vs DESIRE MOTIVATION (what if I do - what if I don't, eg doctor advises you to give up smoking. Both are equally powerful. The behav-iour gets REINFORCED).A prime source of motivation is the
opportunity to feel competent or achieve.
Understanding motivation gives us the power to accept our behaviour and to change what we think and do.
ELEMENTS OF MOTIVATION: * Desire
* Decision
* Determination
* Discipline
* Focus
* Direction
"The buck starts and stops with you". The clearer the goal the more powerful the motivation.
WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK ABOUT.
Motivation comes from a challenge, so be open to new
challenges.
What motivates you NOW. (this can be very different from two years ago). Refer Maslow's hierarchy of needs:
EGO
SOCIAL
SAFETY
BASIC
(food,safety)
How do we maintain motivation?
1. You must want to grow personally. This requires CHARACTER. 2. You should be open to new challenges, ie. be willing
to break out of your secure comfort zone. 3.You must have a P.M.A. and be willing to change your thinking. (Dawn Fraser:"I won more races in the locker room than in the pool") 4.Do it with ENTHUSIASM.
5.Be willing to unlock your hidden potential (99%of the people in the world use less than 10% of their brain capacity)
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3. WHERE ARE YOU COMING FROM?
Assess where you are now and how you got there. Are you happy? What is important to you (what are your deepest values)? Am I happy now with a balanced life? If not, what can I do about it? What can I change ...and I must accept what I can't (however you can change a lot more than you think)?
Write down your short term, medium-term and long-
term goals. How are you going to get there?
Assess your strengths and weaknesses. Are your goals realistic? Do you need to obtain further qualifications or skills to obtain them?
What other obstacles could stand in my way. Will this really make me happy?
Is my life balanced or do I need to allocate more time/energy in to other areas?
HEALTH WORK
FAMILY
LEISURE SOCIAL
CHALLENGES and CRISES: Are the current goals in your life challenging enough? List those
areas in your life, which need new challenges: personal, family, work, spiritual, community.
__________
4.SELF IMAGE
How do you see yourself - positively or negatively?
1. What do you like most about yourself? List the five qualities you like most. 2. Briefly describe your current career situation and how you feel about it - positive or negative?
What do you do well? Think constantly about your strengths.
3. What results/achievements are you most proud of. Celebrate past sucesses, rather than remembering past failures. 4.Write a short note to yourself: who do you want to be and what do you want to achieve by the year 2005. Use your IMAGINATION. Serendipity.Accept CHANGE as a fact of life. Make change work for you. PLAN ahead.
How to achieve career satisfaction?: 1. get to know yourself. 2. learn what you have to offer others. 3. know what you want 4. find out how to get it (eg. acquire study skills). "AS I THINK I BEHAVE"
As the Nike ad says, just
GO FOR IT.
Craig Lock
In Part Two we'll have a brief look at the concepts of goalsetting, attitude and how we can overcome the effects of stress on our busy modern lives.
Craig Lock has written extensively in the field of self help. This extract is from his first published book HANDBOOK TO SURVIVE - a collection of writings on various subjects to help every man or woman survive in a rapidly changing, uncertain world. This book is available from:
http://www.novelty-gift.com/
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