Peak Pathway Magazine's Blog : career development forum

1.   Examine your thoughts. There are two parts to this.   Look at whom you spend your time with.   Whom do you talk to? Whom do you listen to? People often surround themselves with people who drain their battery, who are negative and who don’t build them up. They become kind of a mutual tear down society. Surround yourself with people who are positive, who build you up and who help you create belief in yourself. Surround yourself with people who build you up. The power of association and disassociation is a very important power for you to exercise in your life. Get away from people who make you feel like crap and get around people who give you belief. The second part is what you read and watch.   What are you reading?   Is it about achievement? I like to read biographies about people who do things and accomplish things in life. By doing that, I realize they go through self-doubt, struggles and wanting to quit—everything that I go through—but they find ways to persevere throug

1. Make a list. Jot down all your best personal qualities. Don’t be too modest! If needed, spend days or weeks to make the list, but don’t stop until you’ve said every positive thing you can about yourself. Now think harder and find more. This should be comprehensive. This exercise will inform part two of this step: If it took you a long time to create your list, then you need to take time out of every day to review the list and let all these positive qualities sink in, reminding yourself of your value. Remember, if you don’t value yourself, you will have a hard time adding value to others. Once you are deeply familiar with all these positive qualities you have, choose the one that best represents you. Make it the North Star of your character as you begin to build on it. 2. Speak kindly to yourself. Few things impact a person’s self-esteem more than the way they talk to themselves on a daily basis. Are you aware of how you talk to yourself? Keep track of your self-talk in your

1. They anticipate the joy in life. When I was a child, I used to love the anticipation of Christmas. On November 1, I would make construction paper rings that had the number of days until Christmas on them, and I’d tear one off each day. Christmas itself was fun, but I enjoyed the days leading up to it more. I’m the same way now. I’m always relishing the anticipation of joyous occasions. Great leaders don’t dwell on the challenges their organizations face, but rather anticipate the exciting opportunities to come. 2. They let gratitude guide them. Life is short, and we need to   be grateful   for it. My father, who I was very close to, passed away recently at 92. I was an only child, and my mother died many years ago. My father lived an amazing life. He was healthy up until the very end. I remember talking to him in his last weeks of life, and he said, “I just can’t believe I’m this old.” Life flies by, and we need to be grateful for each passing moment. Exceptional leader

1. Stop trying to be someone else. If you are funny, be funny. If you are informal, be informal. There is no one right way to be a great speaker. Rather than a performance, think of it as sharing your ideas and experiences to help others. I’ve seen so many interesting people put on a mask when they walk in front of a room. If you communicate very differently as a speaker than when talking with your co-workers, you may have on your “speaker disguise.” Let yourself shine through and the audience will connect with you—flaws and all. 2. Don’t look for approval. Focus on contributing. This was a big one for me. If you have your mind on   I want to be good , then you will stay inwardly focused. Instead, think about helping even one audience member see a familiar topic differently, hear a great idea they can use or receive needed encouragement. So ask,   Did I have an impact?   This outlook is counter to   I hope they like me , which makes it all about you—not them. 3. Practic

1. Open the floor. At your next big meeting, make sure to create time for everyone to speak, regardless of their roles or tenures. Bias can be subconscious and not intentional, but should be taken seriously. 2. Make it purposeful. This weekend, take some time to consider the closest relationships in your life, both at home and at work. Jot down three ways to help each person along their own journey. 3. Think long-term. Trust the process. If you aren’t getting the results you want just yet, don’t be discouraged. Take some time instead to analyze your methods and adjust if necessary. Patience is a virtue. 4. Make reservations. Ensure that you are setting occasions to spend quality time with your family that promotes everyone’s health—that could mean a nutritious dinner or a weekly appointment for outdoor exercise. 5. Have faith. A difficult step for leaders is learning to let go and trust your team to carry the load farther than you can on your own. Make some time to

1)   Imagination, often turns into reality. Imagine a certain situation over and again, with love and joy, and sooner or later you will attract it into your life, provided you don’t let contradictory thoughts enter your mind. Start with simple situations first, to gain faith and experience with this process. 2)   What you do every day will turn into a habit. Choose habits that will lead you to success and repeat them every day. In time, they will become automatic, not requiring thought, attention or effort. There are many new habits you can adopt, such as positive thinking, being on time, being more considerate, getting a stronger willpower or staying calm in difficult situations. 3)   Letting moods control your life is like sitting in a boat and letting the waves and currents take you wherever they please. Developing inner strength and self-discipline is like attaching a powerful engine to your boat. With this powerful engine, you will be able to navigate the boat of your mind w

1. They remind themselves that they’ve had successful days. They know they’ve had accomplishments before, so they can get through a challenge again. 2. They are not waiting for some flash-of-lightning moment. They are not waiting for big leaps of effort either. It’s the daily plodding ahead with determination and grit that makes the difference. 3. They actually come to love practicing They keep on keeping on, over and over. 4. They know that the pain of discipline is greater than the pain of failure. And they keep this in the forefront of their mind when the going gets tough. 5. They are not afraid to ask for help. They have a mentor or coach to motivate them when challenged and keep them accountable, reminding them why they’re doing it. 6. They reward themselves. And they celebrate their successes, both large and small. 7. They are not afraid to change course. If the challenge they are facing feels like the wrong path for them at the time, they redirect.

1. Focus on what you’re doing well Some people can’t seem to help themselves from obsessing almost exclusively about what they’ve done wrong. Trying to be modest, they minimize their successes, if they acknowledge them at all, and often over-reference their   mistakes or failures. That’s because many people were raised to think that it’s a sin to boast or brag, and were groomed to be humble and self-effacing about their achievements. Maybe they had a braggart parent and vowed early on not to be like him or her. Or perhaps they were taught that “pride cometh before the fall” and never learned that feeling pride in a job well done is a great motivator. Successful people   know the difference between boasting and feeling or expressing pride. They feel pleasure (not shame) thinking about what they’re doing well, focus on it, and enjoy the glow they experience from their achievements.They may feel enormous pride in their accomplishments, but appear humble about them with others. Th