We’ve all thought about the things we would like to improve about ourselves… A successful person, man or woman, knows themselves well. They are confident in who they are and in their abilities. They, too, are not afraid to make changes in order to reflect their greatest self. With these 7 secrets of success, you too can become a successful person… like a masterpiece, we are all fine works in progress.
- Believe in Yourself: It takes a whole lot of self confidence to believe that you can achieve anything and that you’re good at the things you do. Believing in yourself means knowing that you can handle any situation that life throws at you, because we all know that it does, and having the self assurance that you’ll handle it well, no matter what it is, good or bad. Belief in yourself builds your self confidence, and this shines through. Confidence is sexy. Believing in your self is the single biggest asset one can have to succeed in life, personally or professionally.
- Acknowledge Your Strengths: It’s quite alright to pat yourself on the back for your own achievements. In fact, it’s encouraged. When you acknowledge your strongest traits, it can allow you to best utilize them in personal and professional circumstances. Knowing what your strengths are give you an advantage, because you can implement these strengths to accomplish goals, win at a sports game, handle personal relationships well, or effectively manage your business. In all situations acknowledging your strengths is vital to your success and effectiveness in everything that you do.
- Nurture Your Weaknesses: Everybody has both strengths and weaknesses. The key is to know what yours are. Nurturing your weaknesses will only cause them to become your strengths too. The old adage, “Practice makes perfect,” is true in this regard. Don’t be afraid to face your weaknesses and confront them. Challenge yourself. Nurture your weaknesses. Know what they are and turn them into strengths.
- Eliminate Bad Habits: You know what they are. The things you do that you know you shouldn’t. Maybe it’s smoking, drinking too much, working too much, not working out enough…the list goes on and on. It takes self discipline to be able to make constructive changes in your own life, and by taking control over your bad habits by eliminating them; you will increase your self confidence, improve your level of happiness, and live a healthier lifestyle.
- Take Care of Your Body: Your body is the temple that houses that wonderful person called YOU. It is crucial to take care of your body. Eating a well balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetable, proteins, and healthy carbohydrates will boost your metabolism and increase your energy levels. Exercising on a regular consistent basis will literally change your life. This includes cardiovascular routines, like running, racquetball, squash, or spin. Anything that gets you sweating and your heart pumping. You will notice a significant improvement in your appearance, both in weight and skin, due to the increase in oxygen flow through your body. Drink lots of water daily. Think about drinking a lot of water each day…And drink more than that. Water makes up 60 % of our body chemistry, so staying hydrated is the key to staying healthy.
- Improve Your Mind: Read…A lot. Read self help books that allow you to delve into the deeper part of your emotional self to better understand your emotional needs and how they may or may not be being met (This is important for anyone’s development of Self.) I recommend “Emotional Intelligence,” by Daniel Goleman. Reading expands the mind and is a fountain of knowledge if appreciated. Read interesting magazines, good books, and diverse web blogs and sites. Read and improve your mind. The greater you broaden your knowledge base, the more interesting you will become.
- Set Goals and Achieve Them: Being the master of your own Destiny is a priceless treasure awaiting all those who seek it. This can be achieved by setting small and big, short and long term goals, and establishing a distinct course of action to be able to achieve them one by one, in consecutive order of importance. It’s up to you. To be more effective in achieving your goals, I suggest writing them down and referring back to them daily or at the very least, weekly. This will allow you to gauge your progress, make changes in direction or action plans if necessary, and confirm your success in achievement of your goals. Someone once said, “If you fail to plan, you must plan to fail.” The same theory applies to your life. So make some solid plans, create goals, and be determined to achieve them. With this new you, you will have become a truly unstoppable success.