- Part One
Author's Note:
This extract (in point form) is from Craig Lock's first published book HANDBOOK TO SURVIVE THE NINETIES* - a collection of writings on various subjects to help every man or woman survive in a rapidly changing, uncertain world. An introductory look at the concepts of success,
motivation, attitude, goal setting and stress.
* This title has now been updated to HOW TO SURVIVE LIFE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
*
CHAPTER ONE: 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.
For success 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.
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 opportunities in disguise.
GOALS
ACTIVITIES
TIME
ACTION PLAN
SELF DISCIPLINE
= SUCCESS
*
CHAPTER TWO: 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 - satisfying, interesting to you.
Three main theories of motivation: 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. Behaviour 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:
The "four D's":
* Desire
* Decision
* Determination
* Discipline
"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 always be open to new challenges.
What motivates you NOW (this can be very different from what
motivated you two years ago). Refer Abraham Maslow's hierarchy
of needs: Maslow said that we humans satisfy our basic needs from the bottom up (ie. in ascending order), as per the following
diagram:
EGO
SOCIAL
SAFETY
BASIC (food, shelter, 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. (posive mental attitude) and be willing to change your thinking. (Champion Australian swimmer, 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).
*
CHAPTER THREE: WHERE ARE YOU COMING FROM?
Assess where you are now and how you got there. Are you happy? What is important to you (your 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 may 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.
*
CHAPTER FOUR: YOUR 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. Everything???
2. Briefly describe your current career situation and how you feel about it - positive or negative? "Oh S"! 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! Nearly up as I write this!
Use your IMAGINATION. The power of serendipity (positive experiences coming to you by chance). That is one Law of the Universe, the law of ATTRACTION at work. A positive attitude attracts positive happenings = results.
Accept CHANGE as a fact of life. Make change work for you. PLAN ahead carefully. People don't plan to fail, but FAIL TO PLAN.
"If you don't know where you're going, you're sure to get there."
How to achieve career satisfaction:
1. get to know yourself.
2. learn what you have to offer others: your unique skills and abilities.
3. know what you want out of work and life.
4. find out how to get it (eg. study skills).
"AS I THINK I BEHAVE".
GO FOR IT
Craig Lock
'Handbook' can be ordered at: http://www.craiglock.com/books.html
or contact Craig at clock@paradise.net.nz
All proceeds go to needy and underprivileged children - MINE
P.S: Don't worry about the world ending today...
it's already tomorrow in "little" scenic and tranquil
New Zealand