What do you think of when I say the word “ordinary?” These are the words that come to my mind: Common. Usual. Normal. Boring. Average. Something you see everyday.
What about “extraordinary?” I think of: Amazing. Incredible. Uncommon. Unusual. Special. Above average. New.
In the English language, only five little letters separate “ordinary” from “extraordinary:” extra. And while “extra” can be defined as “outside,” in English it also means “just a little bit more.”
The word we use is not as important as the idea: the distance between ordinary and extraordinary is shorter than you think. For too long, people have thought there was a huge gap between normal and special. They’ve assumed that “above average” was far above “average.” Unfortunately, once you believe that, it’s easy to conclude that since you’re “average,” you’ll never be anything else; that there’s no way to claw your way up to “above average.”
I’m here to tell you that you’ve made the gap too wide. In life, an extraordinary performance is often separated from an ordinary one by the slightest of margins. What if your ordinary life could become extraordinary with only the smallest of changes? Would it be worth trying?
Here are some “extras” that can help you close the gap between ordinary and extraordinary:
A little extra effort. There is a price to be paid for achievement. Sometimes it’s a large price. But sometimes just a little extra effort can yield significant results. What price are you willing to pay for success?
A little extra time. To give something time, we need something other than perseverance. We need patience with the process of growth. I believe that many of us overestimate events and underestimate the process. But we’ve got it all wrong. As I wrote in the Law of Process in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, leaders develop daily, not in a day.
A little extra help. I love this saying: “If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he had help getting there!” Why do I love it? Because I’m a turtle on a fencepost. I know that I didn’t get to where I am in life on my own. I’m just not that smart, gifted, or fast. The truth is that those who reached “extraordinary” had help getting there. And many types of success can only be achieved with help. If you refuse to ask for – or accept – it, you limit yourself and your work to a lower level of achievement.
Remember that ordinary and extraordinary are not far apart. If you accomplish just one of the above “extras,” your work will begin to be above average in that area.
If Ordinary People …
Gave a Little Extra Effort,
Spent a Little Extra Time,
Sought a Little Extra Help …
They Would Become Extraordinary.
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Thursday, 22 August 2013
4 REASONS WHY LOSSES HURT SO MUCH
4 Reasons Why Losses Hurt So Much
By John C. Maxwell
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s about that time of year again: In just two short months, my new book, Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn, will be released. I can’t wait for this book to come out, because while winning is fun and easy, losing can be challenging. Yet how we deal with loss has a huge effect on our personal growth. We need to learn something from every loss if we want to reach our potential and eventually win in life. That’s the goal of the new book: to change our perspective on winning and losing, so we can make loss a learning experience and achieve more wins.
Let’s talk about why we tend to react badly to losses. Think of some of the losses in your life and how they made you feel. Not good. And it’s not just the pain of the moment that affects us. Our losses also cause us other difficulties. Here are just a few:
1. Losses Cause Us to Be Mentally Defeated
Life is a succession of losses, beginning in childhood. We lose the warmth and comfort of the womb that nurtured us for the first nine months of our existence. We lose our favorite toys. We lose the privilege of pursuing the irresponsible pleasures of youth as adults, we lose jobs and positions. Our self-esteem may take a beating. We lose money. We miss opportunities. Friends and family die. And I don’t even want to talk about some of the physical losses we experience with advancing age! We lose all these things and more, until we finally face the final loss—that of life itself. It cannot be denied that our lives are filled with loss. Some losses are great; some are small. And the losses we face affect our mental health. Some people handle it well, while others don’t.
The quality that distinguishes a successful person from an unsuccessful one who is otherwise like him is the capacity to manage disappointment and loss. This is a challenge because losses can often defeat us mentally. I know I’ve had to fight that battle. When that happens, our thinking becomes like that of Harry Neale, the coach of the Vancouver Canucks in the 1980s. He said, “Last year we couldn’t win on the road and this year we can’t win at home. I don’t know where else to play!”
Too often losing goes to our heads. It defeats us, and we have trouble coming up with solutions to our challenges. As the losses build up, they become more of a burden. We regret the losses of yesterday. We fear the losses of tomorrow. Regret saps our energy. We can’t build on regret. Fear for the future distracts us and fills us with apprehension.
2. Losses Create a Gap between I Should and I Did
Winning creates a positive cycle in our lives. When we win, we gain confidence. The more confidence we have, the more likely we are to take action when it’s needed. That inclination to move from knowing to acting often brings success.
However, losing can also create a cycle in our lives—a negative one. Losses, especially when they pile up, can lead to insecurity. When we are insecure, we doubt ourselves. It causes us to hesitate when making decisions. Even if we know what we should do, we are reluctant to do it. When such a gap is created and isn’t overcome, success becomes nearly impossible.
3. The First Loss Often Isn’t the Biggest Loss
When we experience a loss, we have a choice. If we immediately respond to it the right way, the loss becomes smaller to us. However if we respond the wrong way, or we fail to respond at all, that loss becomes greater. And it often leads to other losses. As the subsequent losses come at us, they seem to be bigger and bigger, crashing over us like waves in a violent storm. As the number of losses goes up, our self-confidence goes down.
Yoga teacher and writer Kripalvananda said, “My beloved child, break your heart no longer. Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart.” I believe that in times of loss, it’s easy to get caught up in thinking about how we could have or should have done things differently. Our self-talk can become very negative. The more negative it becomes, the larger our losses appear to be to us. If our self-talk is angry, destructive, or guilt producing, we become even less capable of breaking free of the negative cycle.
4. Losses Never Leave Us the Same
Coaches of sports teams live in a world of wins and losses. Legendary football coach Knute Rockne quipped, “One loss is good for the soul. Too many losses are not good for the coach.” And longtime major league manager Paul Richards said, “If you can say the morale of your club is good after losing ten out of twelve games, then your intelligence is a little low.” But you don’t have to be a coach or play on a sports team to feel the impact of a loss.
The number or severity of your losses isn’t as important as how you experience those losses. Yes, all losses hurt. And they make an impact on us, an impact that is rarely positive. Losses change us. But we must not allow them to control us. We can’t let the fear of looking silly or incompetent paralyze us. We can’t let the fear of negative consequences keep us from taking risks. Allowing negative experiences of the past to warp your future is like living in a coffin. It puts a lid on you and can end your life.
How does one minimize the negative damage of debilitating losses? First, by letting them go emotionally. In 1995 when Jerry Stackhouse was a rookie with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, he was asked about his take on life now that he was playing professional basketball. His answer: “Win and forget. Lose and forget.” If we want to overcome adversity and keep from being defeated by our losses, we need to get past them. And then we need to learn from them!
What losses are you allowing to get you “stuck”? List some ways you can change your perspective and learn from them. Life may contain a succession of losses, but it doesn’t have to be defined by them. Learning is what makes the difference.
By John C. Maxwell
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s about that time of year again: In just two short months, my new book, Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn, will be released. I can’t wait for this book to come out, because while winning is fun and easy, losing can be challenging. Yet how we deal with loss has a huge effect on our personal growth. We need to learn something from every loss if we want to reach our potential and eventually win in life. That’s the goal of the new book: to change our perspective on winning and losing, so we can make loss a learning experience and achieve more wins.
Let’s talk about why we tend to react badly to losses. Think of some of the losses in your life and how they made you feel. Not good. And it’s not just the pain of the moment that affects us. Our losses also cause us other difficulties. Here are just a few:
1. Losses Cause Us to Be Mentally Defeated
Life is a succession of losses, beginning in childhood. We lose the warmth and comfort of the womb that nurtured us for the first nine months of our existence. We lose our favorite toys. We lose the privilege of pursuing the irresponsible pleasures of youth as adults, we lose jobs and positions. Our self-esteem may take a beating. We lose money. We miss opportunities. Friends and family die. And I don’t even want to talk about some of the physical losses we experience with advancing age! We lose all these things and more, until we finally face the final loss—that of life itself. It cannot be denied that our lives are filled with loss. Some losses are great; some are small. And the losses we face affect our mental health. Some people handle it well, while others don’t.
The quality that distinguishes a successful person from an unsuccessful one who is otherwise like him is the capacity to manage disappointment and loss. This is a challenge because losses can often defeat us mentally. I know I’ve had to fight that battle. When that happens, our thinking becomes like that of Harry Neale, the coach of the Vancouver Canucks in the 1980s. He said, “Last year we couldn’t win on the road and this year we can’t win at home. I don’t know where else to play!”
Too often losing goes to our heads. It defeats us, and we have trouble coming up with solutions to our challenges. As the losses build up, they become more of a burden. We regret the losses of yesterday. We fear the losses of tomorrow. Regret saps our energy. We can’t build on regret. Fear for the future distracts us and fills us with apprehension.
2. Losses Create a Gap between I Should and I Did
Winning creates a positive cycle in our lives. When we win, we gain confidence. The more confidence we have, the more likely we are to take action when it’s needed. That inclination to move from knowing to acting often brings success.
However, losing can also create a cycle in our lives—a negative one. Losses, especially when they pile up, can lead to insecurity. When we are insecure, we doubt ourselves. It causes us to hesitate when making decisions. Even if we know what we should do, we are reluctant to do it. When such a gap is created and isn’t overcome, success becomes nearly impossible.
3. The First Loss Often Isn’t the Biggest Loss
When we experience a loss, we have a choice. If we immediately respond to it the right way, the loss becomes smaller to us. However if we respond the wrong way, or we fail to respond at all, that loss becomes greater. And it often leads to other losses. As the subsequent losses come at us, they seem to be bigger and bigger, crashing over us like waves in a violent storm. As the number of losses goes up, our self-confidence goes down.
Yoga teacher and writer Kripalvananda said, “My beloved child, break your heart no longer. Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart.” I believe that in times of loss, it’s easy to get caught up in thinking about how we could have or should have done things differently. Our self-talk can become very negative. The more negative it becomes, the larger our losses appear to be to us. If our self-talk is angry, destructive, or guilt producing, we become even less capable of breaking free of the negative cycle.
4. Losses Never Leave Us the Same
Coaches of sports teams live in a world of wins and losses. Legendary football coach Knute Rockne quipped, “One loss is good for the soul. Too many losses are not good for the coach.” And longtime major league manager Paul Richards said, “If you can say the morale of your club is good after losing ten out of twelve games, then your intelligence is a little low.” But you don’t have to be a coach or play on a sports team to feel the impact of a loss.
The number or severity of your losses isn’t as important as how you experience those losses. Yes, all losses hurt. And they make an impact on us, an impact that is rarely positive. Losses change us. But we must not allow them to control us. We can’t let the fear of looking silly or incompetent paralyze us. We can’t let the fear of negative consequences keep us from taking risks. Allowing negative experiences of the past to warp your future is like living in a coffin. It puts a lid on you and can end your life.
How does one minimize the negative damage of debilitating losses? First, by letting them go emotionally. In 1995 when Jerry Stackhouse was a rookie with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, he was asked about his take on life now that he was playing professional basketball. His answer: “Win and forget. Lose and forget.” If we want to overcome adversity and keep from being defeated by our losses, we need to get past them. And then we need to learn from them!
What losses are you allowing to get you “stuck”? List some ways you can change your perspective and learn from them. Life may contain a succession of losses, but it doesn’t have to be defined by them. Learning is what makes the difference.
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
7 QUALITIES OF AN EXCELLENT DRIVEN LIFE
7 QUALITIES OF AN EXCELLENT DRIVEN LIFE
1. Know and believe that you can achieve excellence.
2. Desire to excel, be determined and you will be unstoppable on your part to excellence.
3. Be diligent, go the extra mile.
4. Be consistent, it is easy to start but hard to finish if you do not persevere.
5. Don't procrastinate, whatever you can do today don't postpone till tomorrow, have a daily to-do list.
6. Recreation; exercise, refresh and keep fit.
7. Have visions, dreams and be focused.
1. Know and believe that you can achieve excellence.
2. Desire to excel, be determined and you will be unstoppable on your part to excellence.
3. Be diligent, go the extra mile.
4. Be consistent, it is easy to start but hard to finish if you do not persevere.
5. Don't procrastinate, whatever you can do today don't postpone till tomorrow, have a daily to-do list.
6. Recreation; exercise, refresh and keep fit.
7. Have visions, dreams and be focused.
Sunday, 9 June 2013
PATIENCE
Patience is power. Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is "timing;" it waits on the right time to act, for the right principles and in the right way." - Fulton J. Sheen
I learned that we can do anything, but we can't do everything... at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything. - Dan Millman
You know, sometimes, when they say you're ahead of your time, it's just a polite way of saying you have a real bad sense of timing. - George McGovern
Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor. - Hesiod
There is no road too long to the man who advances deliberately and without undue haste; there are no honors too distant to the man who prepares himself for them with patience. - Jean de la Bruyere
I learned that we can do anything, but we can't do everything... at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything. - Dan Millman
You know, sometimes, when they say you're ahead of your time, it's just a polite way of saying you have a real bad sense of timing. - George McGovern
Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor. - Hesiod
There is no road too long to the man who advances deliberately and without undue haste; there are no honors too distant to the man who prepares himself for them with patience. - Jean de la Bruyere
5 WAYS TO BUILD YOUR LIFE
#5WAYSTOBUILDYOURLIFE.
1. Realize that you are better than who you think you are. Never feel inferior & have a positive believe in yourself.
2. Examine your life and write your history in advance.
3. Realize that God has tied the quality of your life to the quality of your work. Your life depends on the quality of your work. You can never be paid highly for a job of low quality.
4. Understand that your decisions will build or destroy your life quicker than any other qualities. Ponder on your decisions and nullify the negative ones.
And finally, make GOD your priority. (Mt.6:33).
#5WAYSTOBUILDYOURLIFE.
1. Realize that you are better than who you think you are. Never feel inferior & have a positive believe in yourself.
2. Examine your life and write your history in advance.
3. Realize that God has tied the quality of your life to the quality of your work. Your life depends on the quality of your work. You can never be paid highly for a job of low quality.
4. Understand that your decisions will build or destroy your life quicker than any other qualities. Ponder on your decisions and nullify the negative ones.
And finally, make GOD your priority. (Mt.6:33).
#5WAYSTOBUILDYOURLIFE.
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