Setting goals is something most of us do yet achieving them often proves elusive. Let's try and make our goals into SMARTER goals. Whether it's that New Year’s night fitness goal which faded away by February or the “I mean it this time” career aspiration that never quite materialised, the gap between setting goals and … Continue reading SMARTER Goals Are Smarter Goals
Personal Success Recipe
This is an article about achieving success with a simple yet highly effective and repeatable four-ingredient personal success recipe comprising goals, strategies, self-discipline, and motivation. Good recipes need good ingredients. Top-class chefs need practice to produce consistently good meals using those recipes. Invest the time and effort to become your own cordon bleu success chef … Continue reading Personal Success Recipe
Work Life Balance – Don’t Believe the Hype
Apparently work life balance is the thing that all modern workers should be striving for. We are led to believe that we should be constantly aiming to balance living as a healthily functioning, societally successful, well-adjusted, and self-actualised human on one end of the seesaw along with being an effective, efficient, and super-productive modern worker … Continue reading Work Life Balance – Don’t Believe the Hype
Personal Influence Defence System – PIDS
This well-known 17th century philosopher developed a Personal Influence Defence System. So should you. “De Omnibus Dubitandum” [Doubt everything] René Descartes My use of his quote may sound overly cynical to you but maintain full awareness that, on any given day, you will be subjected to myriad influencing attempts by others. Likewise, you will frequently … Continue reading Personal Influence Defence System – PIDS
Motivational Direction for More Effective Influencing
There are many elements in the influencing arena, but motivational direction is an important one to understand and apply early in the process. For a start, there’s your own motivational direction to consider. When you set goals and objectives for yourself, it makes sense to work with your inherent preferences rather than against them. Knowing your … Continue reading Motivational Direction for More Effective Influencing
Interpersonal Skills Are Your Edge
“Excellent interpersonal skills required.” That’s what the job description tells you. You just smile and think, “Yeah right. Just more word salad nonsense from the ‘Big Book of HR Buzzwords’ to pad out the advert.” You’ve got it covered. You didn’t get this far in the business without interpersonal skills – whatever they are. You’ll … Continue reading Interpersonal Skills Are Your Edge
Cognitive Filters
Cognitive filters (or mental filters) are a form of cognitive distortion. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines cognitive distortions as, “Faulty or inaccurate thinking, perception, or belief. Cognitive distortion is a normal psychological process that can occur in all people to a greater or lesser extent.” Cognitive filtering happens when we separate our positive thoughts, … Continue reading Cognitive Filters
Self-Discipline Drives Success
Self-discipline is the real power driving goal achievement, self-fulfilment, and success. Your goals might range anywhere from losing a bit of weight all the way up to a complete identity-level life transformation. I’ve done both. Self-discipline got me there. However, it takes a lot of self-discipline to develop a lot of self-discipline. … Continue reading Self-Discipline Drives Success
Luck and Rigging Your Own Game
Luck is either something you get or something you don’t get, right? You have no say at all in the luck stakes. It either happens or it doesn’t. It comes in two main flavours. Good luck and bad luck. We all hope for “good” luck of course, and we’re generally happy … Continue reading Luck and Rigging Your Own Game
“Stinking Thinking” Must Go!
“Stinking Thinking” is a great expression. It’s a super-memorable term and it’s also something you need to be continuously watchful for. Stinking thinking is like rust. It never sleeps. It creeps quietly and effectively under the surface and under the radar. Desperate to remain undetected, it will often flatter you to deceive you. Like rust, … Continue reading “Stinking Thinking” Must Go!